Stretch Run Starts at Will Power’s Personal Playground in Portland

There will be a significant spotlight on NTT INDYCAR SERIES points leader Alex Palou and the sport’s latest road course master, Christian Lundgaard, in this weekend’s OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland (4 p.m. ET Sunday, FOX, FOX One, FOX Deportes, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls). But there’s another driver who shines brighter in the Pacific Northwest.

His name is Will Power, and the two-time series champion is due to return to victory lane, and Portland International Raceway might be his best track on the 18-race circuit.

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Yes, Power (photo, top) has won five races on St. Petersburg’s street circuit, but he has had 18 opportunities and hasn’t won there in five years. Meanwhile, he has won three of the past six races in Portland, including the past two.

Last year, Power won in dramatic fashion, leading 78 of the 110 laps to score a victory that shaped his future. See, Power had been waiting for Team Penske to offer a contract for an 18th season together, and it hadn’t come. So, Power moved on, and the Portland victory supported his contention that he is still capable of winning races in this competitive era of the sport.

Last year’s Portland win pushed Power’s career total to 45 race victories, a mark that ranks fourth all-time. Only A.J. Foyt (67), Scott Dixon (59) and Mario Andretti (52) have won more series races. But here’s the deal: Power hasn’t added to his total in the 14 races since.

Power’s first season with Andretti Global has been a mix of strong runs and confounding luck. Still, this amounts to his 21st season in the sport, and he has won races in 18 of the past 19 seasons (and 19 overall).

Power also won the NTT P1 Award in qualifying for the 2018 race in Portland, one of his record 71 career poles. He certainly ranks as a driver to watch this week, maybe atop the list of many. But others deserve attention, as well.

Palou Eyes Another Season Championship

A year ago in this event, Palou (photo, above) secured his third consecutive series title and fourth in five years, and there were still two races left in the season.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s driver is again the runaway points leader, holding an advantage of 83 points – that’s nearly two full races. Unlike last year, he can’t clinch the Astor Challenge Cup this weekend because there are still five races after this one.

Still, Portland has been one of the many tracks that have gone well for the Spaniard. He went to victory lane in 2021 and 2023, and he finished second in 2024 and third last year. He also captured the pole in his first Portland race with this team (in 2021), and his 106 laps led at the track since 2021 stands second only to Power’s 181.

The Chasers: Malukas and Kirkwood

Two-thirds of the way through the season, Team Penske’s David Malukas and Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood are the only drivers within 100 points of Palou. They are 83 and 87 points behind, respectively.

Obviously, it is incumbent on them to close the gap as quickly as possible – assuming that’s possible, of course. Palou has won races in recent years at the Milwaukee Mile, where a doubleheader will be held Aug. 29-30, and he has won three of the past four races, including the past two, at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, site of the season-ending race Sept. 6. Palou also excels at consistently finishing in the top five of races.

Neither Malukas nor Kirkwood (photo, above) has scored a top-three series finish at Portland. In last year’s race, they finished 19th and 20th, respectively, both a lap off Power’s winning pace. Palou led five laps and finished third.

Malukas, who is seeking his first series victory, has an average finish of 4.0 in this year’s four permanent road course races. Kirkwood’s average is 6.75. Five of Kirkwood’s six career series race wins have come on street circuits. He has one oval-track victory.

Keep an Eye on Lundgaard, Rahal

Lundgaard has the series’ best average finish on permanent road courses this season at 1.5. That’s better than even Palou’s 4.0.

Lundgaard (photo, above) won races on the IMS road course and at Road America while finishing second to Palou at Barber Motorsports Park and second to Arrow McLaren teammate Pato O’Ward at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Lundgaard and Palou have combined to lead 60.3 percent of the 320 road course laps this season.

Graham Rahal raced from the 22nd starting position to finish fourth last year at Portland, and that strength has carried over to this year’s road course races. He finished third both at Barber Motorsports Park and the IMS road course before winding up in the gravel pit at Road America in a last-lap bid with Power for third place. He finished 12th at Mid-Ohio.

Portland was the site of Rahal’s latest pole, in 2023.

Weekend Schedule

Portland’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES action begins at 5:30 p.m. ET Friday with the first practice (FS1, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls).

Saturday’s schedule features the second practice at 1 p.m. ET followed by qualifying for the NTT P1 Award at 7 p.m. ET, both airing live on FS1 and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls.

Sunday, there is a pre-race warmup session at 1 p.m. ET (FS1, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls) followed by the 110-lap OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland at 4 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX One, FOX Deportes and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls.