IndyCar tackled the final road course of the season on Sunday, completing 110 laps around Portland International Raceway.
Temperatures climbed above 90°F (32°C), well above average for the area, which gave drivers and crews a physical challenge.
The heat was not a problem, however, and the race provided plenty of action right through to the final laps.
READ MORE: IndyCar Portland – Full Race Results
Will Power, Christian Lundgaard, and Alex Palou were embroiled in a three-way battle for final 20 laps. Each was looking for an advantage over the other, but none were making any mistakes despite fatigue setting in.
Power was able to stay ahead of the other two as they battled amongst each other, and the veteran claimed his first victory of the season.
His win was also Team Penske’s first victory of 2025, which was a relief to the crew that has struggled all season.
Lundgaard crossed the line second, with Palou coming third. At one point in their battle, Palou was forced wide and took a trip through the grass, which put an end to his hopes of earning a ninth victory of the season.
Interestingly, the softer red tires were working well for most of the field despite the high temperatures.
Most drivers had predicted that they would only be usable for a few laps before degrading, but that proved not to be the case in race conditions.
The top three drivers each employed slightly different strategies, but all only ran one stint on the harder tires and spent a majority of time on the red walled variety.
Championship secured
By virtue of finishing in third, Alex Palou wrapped up the driver championship for the 2025 season with two races remaining.
Palou’s points advantage leaving Portland is 151, which is well clear of the 108 he needed to secure the title.
The championship is the Spaniard’s third consecutive title, and gives him four out of the past five seasons.
Coming into the weekend, Pato O’Ward was still mathematically alive, and he continued the narrative by qualifying second and starting on the front row.
O’Ward led for the first 21 laps, but then suddenly slowed with an engine issue.
He limped his #5 Arrow McLaren entry back to the pits where the team was able to reset the electronics and send him on his way.
But O’Ward finished down in 25th, 10 laps down, which cost him a host of points and sealed his fate to finish behind Palou in the points.
Slow start to the race
There were multiple incidents in the first portion of the race, which made for a bit of a stuttering start to the action.
The first retirement was Santino Ferrucci, who lost control on his own while starting down the main straight on the second lap.
Ferrucci’s #14 backed into the barriers, which ripped his left rear wheel off and spelled and early end to his day.
A second quick yellow was brought out for debris in Turn 2, and just a few laps after the field got going again the yellow was out for the third time.
Conor Daly was the cause, as he spun into the grass and impacted the tire barriers hard in Turn 11.
Daly had been battling with Christian Rasmussen for multiple laps, with the two bumping off each other a few times.
The duel culminated in a hard impact for the JHR driver, who slid into the barriers completely sideways at nearly 140 MPH.
Drivers have one week off before reconvening in Milwaukee for the penultimate event of the 2025 season.
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