Alex Palou, Pato O’Ward To Start 1, 2 At Laguna Seca Amid Championship Battle

NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Alex Palou, Pato O’Ward To Start 1, 2 At Laguna Seca Amid Championship Battle

Updated Jul. 26, 2025, 7:16 p.m. ET

MONTEREY, California — Pato O’Ward couldn’t be too upset with his starting position on the front row for Sunday’s INDYCAR race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. But if he looks at the driver who secured the pole, it isn’t the one he would ideally want to see nevertheless season 2.

Pole Position and Championship Standings

Championship leader Alex Palou won the pole — marking his fifth for the 14 races held this year — and also earned the crucial point that comes with it. “Now it’s 100,” O’Ward reflected Saturday afternoon. “It just makes it that much harder whenever the one that you’re trying to beat is having as good of days or better.”

The “100” refers to the points gap in the standings between Palou and second-placed O’Ward. The two will line up side-by-side at the front of the grid for the 95-lap race scheduled for Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern (FOX). Palou has been dominating the season with seven victories, while O’Ward is riding the momentum from his second win of the season last week in Toronto.

Race Strategies and Performance

“You’d much rather be next to each other than not. Usually, if you’re next to him, it means that you’ve been qualifying well because he seems to be the master this year at that, and we seem to be a bit more of a stranger to the Fast Six [final round],” Palou stated.

Palou also mentioned, “Our Fast Six record this year is pretty good. We’ve only got two in that timeframe, but we’ve secured a pole and a second.” O’Ward is aware that he will face an uphill challenge. The Arrow McLaren driver trimmed 30 points from Palou’s lead last week by clinching victory in Toronto, while Palou finished in 12th place due to an unproductive tire strategy and more cautions than anticipated.

For Palou, having O’Ward right beside him in the grid can be advantageous as they both battle for the title. With only four races remaining, O’Ward is the only driver with a feasible chance to challenge Palou for the championship. “We’re obviously the only two that can win the championship now,” O’Ward remarked. “And I’m the one that’s chasing down pretty hard.”

Points and Championship Outlook

The maximum points a driver can earn in a weekend are 54 one block. While Palou can’t clinch the championship on Sunday, a strong performance could position him to secure it at the next race at Portland International Raceway in two weeks. “It’s better to have your closest competitor close,” Palou shared. “You want to be on the same kind of strategy. When you have somebody starting, like 17th, it might look good on paper. But then suddenly, they do a crazy strategy and cycle to the front, and you have no chance to fight for it on track. uaap basketball news”

The Ganassi driver, who has claimed three titles in the last four years, including consecutive championships in 2023 and 2024, is confident in his chances. His pole-winning time was 0.2867 seconds faster than O’Ward’s in the final round. “It was not very close,” O’Ward added. “We’ve definitely seen closer finishes before. But it’s my best start here, so I’ll take that. taekwondo t shirt design” The drivers will find out if they’ll be racing neck-and-neck when the green flag waves on Sunday. rbet ph

Conclusion

“It’s definitely making it more challenging and more interesting for everybody,” Palou concluded. “I like it. Honestly, I like it.”

What are your thoughts on the upcoming race at Laguna Seca?