The IndyCar Series returned to Portland International Raceway for Round 15 of the season, and it was Will Power who emerged victorious, delivering Team Penske its first win of the year and keeping the legendary squad from going winless for the first time since 1999.
Qualifying and Practice
Marcus Armstrong led the Kiwi charge in qualifying, placing his No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda eighth on the grid. His pace had been promising across the weekend, having finished seventh in opening practice before slipping to 18th in Practice 2. He then rounded out his preparations with ninth place in final practice, just over half a second off championship leader Alex Palou.
Scott Dixon’s weekend started steadily, finishing Practice 1 in 11th before climbing to third in Practice 2. He qualified 10th and showed solid pace in final practice, ending seventh and within four-tenths of Palou.
Scott McLaughlin faced a trickier build-up. Calling the No.3 Team Penske Chevrolet “a handful” in the early sessions, he sat 19th and 16th in the two practices before qualifying 13th. He made some ground in final practice to finish 11th, six-tenths off the top time.
Christian Lundgaard had claimed pole position but was dropped to seventh on the grid after a six-place penalty for an engine change, putting Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist on the front row ahead of Will Power and David Malukas.
Palou shared row three with Alexander Rossi, while Lundgaard started alongside Armstrong on row four.
Grand Prix
The opening laps brought early drama. On Lap 3, Santino Ferrucci lost control exiting Turn 12, slamming into the pit wall and triggering the first caution. The race resumed on Lap 8, with O’Ward leading from Rosenqvist, Power, Palou and Malukas.
Three laps later, chaos unfolded when Kyffin Simpson made contact with Louis Foster, sending Rinus VeeKay spinning in avoidance. The incident brought out a second caution, with Simpson penalised to the rear and Foster also restarting at the back.
When racing resumed on Lap 11, Lundgaard quickly passed Malukas for fifth, while McLaughlin had charged to eighth, Armstrong sat 10th, and Dixon ran 11th.
However, Dixon soon came under heavy pressure from Josef Newgarden and lost the spot at the start of Lap 13. Moments later, Christian Rasmussen and Connor Daly tangled, sending both into the grass.
Daly’s race ended shortly after in a frightening 140mph crash into the tyre barriers after his continuing battle with Rasmussen, bringing out the third caution. Thankfully, he was unhurt.
On the Lap 21 restart, McLaughlin tapped the rear of Palou but escaped without damage.
Not long after, O’Ward’s race unravelled with a mechanical failure, forcing his team to push the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet along pit lane. He would return eight laps down.
Power inherited the lead ahead of Palou, McLaughlin, Newgarden and Graham Rahal. Dixon and Armstrong had dropped to 17th and 19th, respectively, after pitting under caution, but the race was now firmly in Penske’s hands – all three cars running in the top four.
Power pulled clear after the first pit cycle, leading Palou by 18 seconds and Newgarden by a further six.
McLaughlin held fifth, Dixon was 12th and Armstrong 16th. By Lap 93, all three Kiwis were back in the top 10 – Dixon sixth, McLaughlin ninth, Armstrong tenth.
The closing stages saw drama for Dixon when, as Newgarden exited the pits on cold tyres, the six-time champion nudged him into a spin at Turn 1.
Race control deemed it avoidable contact and handed Dixon a drive-through penalty, dropping him to 12th. McLaughlin and Armstrong both gained from the incident, moving into seventh and eighth, respectively.
At the front, Power held off intense pressure from Lundgaard and Palou in the final stint. With lapped traffic adding to the tension, Lundgaard and Palou went wheel-to-wheel for second, with Lundgaard clinging on.
Power crossed the line 1.5388 seconds clear to take his 45th career IndyCar win and his first since 2023 in the No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet.
Lundgaard and Palou completed the podium, with Rahal, Rossi, Callum Ilott, McLaughlin, Armstrong, Rosenqvist and Colton Herta rounding out the top 10. Dixon finished 11th.
For Power, the win was a much-needed breakthrough in a season of misfortune.
“I think it’s just a big win for the whole team,” Power said.
“We’ve had a rough year, and it’s not really because we’ve been off the pace – it’s just been unfortunate circumstances. It was a good, hard-fought win.”
Palou’s third-place finish sealed his fourth IndyCar championship and third consecutive title, joining Ted Horn, Sebastien Bourdais and Dario Franchitti in an exclusive club. Chip Ganassi Racing also tied Penske for the most series championships with 17.
“It’s unbelievable; it’s crazy,” Palou said.
“This has been an amazing season and an amazing five years with CGR. I cannot wait for more.”
Honda also secured the manufacturers’ title with two races remaining – both on ovals at the Milwaukee Mile and Nashville Superspeedway – before the 2025 season concludes.
Header Image: James Black
