Winners and losers from IndyCar’s Portland 2025 title decider

After a livid summer season stretch, the NTT IndyCar Collection subject rolled into Portland Worldwide Raceway recent from an off-week and with simply three races remaining within the 2025 season.

That meant all eyes had been on the championship combat and foolish season storylines. Alex Palou was inside attain of one other title, Pato O’Ward was determined to maintain him from clinching it early and several other drivers had been combating to show their price within the remaining street course race of the yr.

In the long run, some acquired their want, whereas others had been left rueing a misplaced alternative out west. Listed here are the winners and losers from the BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland.

Winner: Alex Palou does it once more

This time, for the Astor Cup. Palou didn’t win Sunday’s race, however he claimed one other podium end in third to formally safe the IndyCar title. The Chip Ganassi Racing star is now a four-time champion at simply 28 years outdated. Not too shabby.

Loser: Pato O’Ward’s valiant effort comes up empty

Patricio O’ward, Arrow McLaren, Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing

Photograph by: Jake Galstad / Lumen by way of Getty Pictures

Properly, he tried.

In must a herculean effort to even lengthen the IndyCar championship battle to Milwaukee, O’Ward was second in qualifying and inherited the pole when teammate Christian Lundgaard took a six-place grid penalty for an engine change.

The Mexican led early and tried to maintain the stress on Palou, however a mechanical challenge ended any hope late within the race’s opening quarter. From there he misplaced 10 laps and ended up twenty fifth whereas Palou secured one other sequence championship. Higher luck subsequent yr.

Winner: Lastly, an excellent day for the Captain

Will Energy, Group Penske

Photograph by: Penske Leisure

It’s been a no good, very dangerous yr to be a Group Penske driver. However in what is perhaps his remaining street course race for the crew, Will Energy lastly handed the group a win within the 2025 IndyCar season.

Regardless of being on the new seat, Energy’s been essentially the most constant of Penske’s star trio this yr, giving the group a lone top-10 driver amid its worst marketing campaign in years. Now he’s introduced the corporate its lone win of 2025 and supplied a vibrant level to a darkish yr – and a tough PR week.

Loser: Penske will get dragged into the ICE

Days earlier than IndyCar ventured to a sizzling Oregon to wrap up its street course slate, the sequence discovered itself coping with ICE.

The U.S. Division of Homeland Safety posted and later deleted an X put up depicting an AI-generated Indy automobile with the No. 5 to advertise a brand new immigrant detention facility in north-central Indiana, known as the “Speedway Slammer.”

Whether or not purposeful or not, the quantity tied the put up to IndyCar’s lone Mexican driver, O’Ward. After calls from Penske Leisure, the picture of the No. 5 was eliminated when the put up was deleted. However the DHS later posted one other picture of a number of Indy automobiles in entrance of a jail (proven above).

That wasn’t the one piece of difficult PR for Penske and the DHS, both. A separate video confirmed ICE brokers rising from a Penske field truck whereas raiding a parking zone at a Los Angeles-area Residence Depot, yielding an announcement from Penske Truck Rental vowing to “reinforce its coverage to keep away from improper use of its autos sooner or later.”

It was a tricky week for the Captain. Not less than it ended on a excessive observe.

Winners: A grand restoration for Rahal, Ilott

Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

Photograph by: Penske Leisure

As many famous all through the race, passing at Portland is a problem. There’s a cause almost each winner in IndyCar’s trendy period has come from the entrance row. So for Graham Rahal and Callum Ilott to keep away from incidents and rise from twenty second and twenty fourth, respectively, to high six runs was spectacular.

The 2 used similarity methods, pitting after the opening warning to get off the first tire and utilizing reds for tempo from there to the end. Rahal managed to cycle by to fourth utilizing the technique, with Ilott simply 10 seconds again in sixth. That’s the way you salvage a weekend when qualifying goes awry.

It had a level of inevitability to it. Daly was battling with Rasmussen on an early restart when Rasmussen went extensive and despatched the Hoosier off-course.

From there, it appears each drivers noticed crimson. Daly tried a lunge in flip 2 on the subsequent lap, lastly acquired to Rasmussen’s outdoors a pair laps later and was poised to take the spot. Then, contact.

Daly was out of the race from there in twenty sixth – and he wasn’t pleased about it.

Rasmussen averted a penalty and went on to complete twelfth.

Winner: Christian Lundgaard’s constant weekend

Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren, Marcus Ericsson, Andretti International, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing

Photograph by: Penske Leisure

Below completely different circumstances, this weekend may have been all about Arrow McLaren. Lundgaard entered with a six-place grid penalty after his No. 7 crew took its fifth engine of the yr, however he certified it first earlier than the drop with O’Ward inheriting the pole.

Issues went south from there for O’Ward, however Lundgaard stored pushing ahead on Sunday. The 24-year-old was among the many race’s most spectacular drivers, snatched two early spots on restarts and used technique to rise to second within the closing laps.

He couldn’t cross Energy, however Lundgaard stored Palou at bay within the closing stretch to cap off one other spectacular run in second. Arrow McLaren may have two title contenders in 2026.

Loser: Whoever designed this “The Closing Stretch” graphic

This crack-up occurred in the course of the off week, however don’t assume we weren’t paying consideration. What was meant to be a easy graphic highlighting the ultimate races become a working joke when the phrase “Closing” appeared to spell one thing completely different solely.

IndyCar’s social crew shortly deleted the put up and altered the graphic earlier than reposting, however issues on the web are likely to reside endlessly. Font selection issues, y’all.

Winner: A problem-free weekend for Alexander Rossi

Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing

Photograph by: Jake Galstad / Lumen by way of Getty Pictures

There’s not a lot to say about this outcome – and that’s an excellent factor. It’s been an up-and-down yr for Rossi and Ed Carpenter Racing’s No. 20 crew. Moments of tempo have been undone by crashes, pit street points and some cases of dangerous luck.

None of that occurred this weekend. Rossi certified seventh, inherited sixth with Lundgaard’s grid penalty and put collectively a quiet, constant race to attain a season-best end in fifth. Typically, uneventful days are one of the best days.