Pato O'Ward Wins Toronto, Slices Alex Palou's Big Lead by 30 Points
Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward isn't ready to concede the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship just yet.
The driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet drove that point home in Sunday's Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto by winning his second race in eight days as Palou finished 12th.
SEE: Race Results
Palou entered the weekend with a 129-point lead over O'Ward, the largest leader's margin this point system has ever seen this deep in a season. But 30 points evaporated at Exhibition Place, dropping their separation to 99 points with four races remaining.
A race win can be worth as many as 54 points.
'Oh, man, I can't say I saw this (win) coming,' O'Ward said. 'But I was feeling so good on the (primary) tires all weekend really. We were just struggling to get the alternates to work in qualifying. Sadly, that's the one you need to transfer.
'But I knew we had a great car under me to race with, and (the crew) nailed it on the strategy.'
The win was the first for O'Ward in Toronto and his ninth in the series overall. He started the race in the 10th position but felt luck was going to be with him after a bird dropped an unlikely present on the car and a crew member in the morning practice.
'That's going to be a good day today, and it was,' the Mexican driver said. 'I'm stoked for everybody (on the team). I would have never expected to have gone this much better in Toronto because it's been the most challenging circuit for us in the past.'
Joining O'Ward on the podium were a pair of drivers scoring season-making finishes. Dale Coyne Racing's Rinus VeeKay (No. 18 askROI Honda) finished second with Chip Ganassi Racing's Kyffin Simpson (No. 8 Journie Rewards Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) finishing third. VeeKay scored his fifth career podium finish but first since a race at Barber Motorsports Park in 2022. Simpson earned the prestigious spot for the first time in his two years in the series.
NTT P1 Award winner Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda), who won last year's race, finished fourth to lead a contingent of Andretti Global drivers. Marcus Ericsson (No. 28 Delaware Life Honda) and Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 Silver Gold Bull Honda) finished fifth and sixth, respectively.
This was a race of different strategies. O'Ward was in the majority starting with a set of the less-favorable alternate Firestone Firehawk tires, and he was able to have them removed with a stop just ahead of the Lap 3 caution. Thus, he only had to use that set for the better part of two green-flag laps and while that forced him into a three-stop strategy, he was able to run the primary compound the rest of the way.
Palou started second, and he and Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon were among the few starting on the primaries. Given an assortment and length of caution periods in the first half of the race, the strategy had a strong chance of working out. But ultimately, it didn't, with both CGR drivers reduced to spending the final segment mid-pack. Dixon finished 10th in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
'Well, I chose the strategy, so that's what we did wrong today,' Palou said. 'I was pushing for that strategy. I thought it was going to give us the best opportunity to win. I wanted to be up front trying to avoid being trapped in traffic.
'Honestly, (days like this) happen. We knew it was going to be a risky strategy rather than starting on alternates. It was kind of working. We were able to open up a big gap after that first yellow, but it was not enough today. Not our day.'
Palou still has reason to be optimistic. Of the four races left on the schedule, he has won twice at each of the next two road courses: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (2022 and 2024) and Portland International Raceway (2021 and 2023). O'Ward won last year's race at The Milwaukee Mile, which hosts the third of the season's final four.
The combination of the various tire strategies in play and Toronto's tight confines around the 11-turn, 1.786-mile street circuit created action aplenty, and there seemed to be contact of some degree at every corner. It was arguably the most exciting of the four street races this year, with 226 on-track passes (most in the event since 2014) and 201 passes for position (most since 2019). Both totals were fourth-most overall for racing on the downtown streets of this Ontario city.
Often in the middle of the action was Team Penske, which saw its challenging season continue. First, the left rear lug nut of Scott McLaughlin's car came off following a pit stop, pushing the No. 3 Gallagher Insurance Team Penske Chevrolet into the Turn 2 wall.
Then, Josef Newgarden and his No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet were collected by an incident that started with Dale Coyne Racing rookie Jacob Abel (No. 51 Abel Construction Honda) taking light contact from fellow first-year Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Louis Foster (No. 45 Droplight Honda) in Turn 1. In the mess that ensued, Abel's car landed on top of Newgarden's. Later, Will Power's No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet lost a side-by-side battle in Turn 3, hitting the left-side wall. Roger Penske's drivers finished 11th (Power), 23rd (Newgarden) and 26th (McLaughlin).
Ed Carpenter Racing also had a difficult day, with both Christian Rasmussen (No. 21 Splenda ECR Chevrolet) and Alexander Rossi (No. 20 Java House ECR Chevrolet) hitting the wall with right-rear tires. Rasmussen was side by side with Power at the time; Rossi appeared to veer to the right after bouncing over a bump. Unfortunately for Rossi, a section of the concrete barrier split that corner of the car apart, creating a significant amount of damage and debris.
The race ended under caution when the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda of Felix Rosenqvist wiggled and was struck from behind by Nolan Siegel's No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. That ended Rosenqvist's day as he had twice taken front-wing damage due to contact with Power.
Only 26 car-and-driver combinations took the green flag as Santino Ferrucci and his No. 14 Sexton Properties/AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet were held out of the race due to a damaged car and a bruised right hand in the morning practice. Ferrucci hit the Turn 7 wall on the left side, sending the car sliding into the Turn 8 run-off area. All four corners of the car were damaged with only about three hours to make repairs. Besides, Ferrucci's right hand was badly bruised and swollen.
Practice for the Java House Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca begins Friday at 5 p.m. ET (FS2, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). The 95-lap race, the 14th of the 17-race season, is Sunday at 3 p.m. on FOX.
recommended
Item 1 of 1
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox Sports
a day ago
- Fox Sports
Who Is Pato O'Ward? A Boxing, Cooking, Mexican Living Life On The Edge
Pato O'Ward is the most popular driver in INDYCAR. His international presence and outgoing personality is infectious. For instance, to see the joy of him milking a cow at Indianapolis in the days leading up to the Indy 500 will make anyone smile. So what makes the native of Monterrey, Mexico, tick? Well, the Arrow McLaren driver loves to win, as he has done two of the last three INDYCAR races. But he also loves to go fast — whether that is in the race car or other phases of his life. O'Ward sat down with FOX Sports ahead of his weekend win in Toronto to give some insight into who he is off the track. Who is Pato O'Ward? Who is Pato O'Ward? I am a 26-year-old Mexican racing driver for a pretty badass brand called McLaren. And I am a fan of anything that has to do with adrenaline — cars, airplanes, motorcycles. What else? My drink of choice is tequila. And I like living life on the edge. How would your friends describe you? Unhinged. Definitely honest. Loyal. And you can always count on the truth when you ask me something — it doesn't matter if it's going to be a good or bad answer. Do people still think you're Irish? Yeah, sometimes actually. I'm the Mexican-Irish guy. They ask me because they say you don't look Mexican, because apparently I'm not like tan enough. So then I say, "It must be the Irish." Your first name is Patricio not Patrick? Patricio. My great-grandfather was Patrick. And then I'm No. 4. My dad's No. 3, so my kid's going to be No. 5. We'll see how that works. And it's your great-grandfather who was Irish? Yes, he was the Irishman. Very redhead as well. A ginger. You didn't get any of that? No, I've got some ginger for sure. If I let my beard grow out, it's definitely red. Do you still do any boxing for training? Oh yes, I do. I love boxing. I don't box in Indy. I box in San Antonio. Great trainer. I've known him for more than a decade. I used to go there when I was in high school and I was trying to lose weight. I still go train with him, and it's probably my favorite way of training. It's just different every time. So if you got on a fight on the track, would that be considered, like, illegal, because you're a boxer? No. They say a boxer's hands are weapons, but I'm not quite to that level. So I think I would be able to use it to my advantage. Do you fight? Do you have a boxing bag? I don't have a heavy bag at my house, but I've sparred before — actually just with my cousins and I, typical boys. We just moved the cars from the garage, and we made a ring and we just bought gloves and the face things, and we just sparred. I actually have a video where I thought my cousin's back was going to snap because he was [bent over], but that was funny. I don't know if [McLaren Racing CEO] Zak [Brown] should see that? He probably wouldn't want to see you get hit in the face? Yeah. I need my face. And my hands, too. And you are a foodie, right? Massive foodie. I went to a fabulous restaurant yesterday here in Toronto, called the Amal. Mediterranean. Can you cook? I can cook. Don't expect homemade pasta sauce from me, but I can do any steak. I can do quesadillas, tacos, handmade tortillas. I can do great guacamole. I can do chicken, I can do rice. I want to learn how to do a proper risotto, like a truffle risotto. But I'm not so fancy yet. I only know how to do the simple things. Eggs any style. Do you like to cook? I like to cook, I love my kitchen, and I love to cook in my kitchen. Whenever I moved from my apartment to my house, that was one of the biggest, most exciting things that I was doing because then it meant that I wouldn't stink up the whole place when I was cooking. But here's the thing, if you're an adrenaline guy, cooking takes patience. How do you handle doing it right? I can't follow recipes. I get overwhelmed by recipes, kind of like when I get overwhelmed by emails. I will never answer an email, very rarely, and if I do, it's going to be in a text style. I don't follow recipes. The problem here in America is that they make such a simple, delicious dish, most of the time, a very non-simple dish when it just tastes great with just some salted lemon or whatever. And so whenever I want something like that, and I like to know what I'm putting in my body, I like to cook it because it's the only way to really know what you're putting in your body. I really learned how to enjoy it. I feel like you appreciate a meal more because you know what's gone into it. But I live in extremes. Bob, I'm either like, at 15,000 rpm, or I'm at, like, 3,000 rpm. I don't really live in the middle. What city has the best food on the circuit? Wow, you got me there. Toronto is big. Like Toronto is the most international city in the world. You've got literally everything you're looking for. There's good sushi, there's good Mediterranean, there's good Italian, there's good everything. But if it wasn't Toronto, I would probably go — it's from where we race, right? — L.A. has got some great stuff. But I'm going to go with Toronto. And if Mexico City were added with that, Mexico City would be No. 1? Mexico City would be No. 1. Yeah, by far, probably? Oh yeah. So if there's any reason to go to Mexico City, should be that? Fast race cars. Beautiful culture. And fabulous food. And how much do you identify with Mexico and Mexico City considering you were born in Monterrey but kind of grew up in San Antonio, right? So I was born and raised in Monterrey for the first 11 years of my life. Then I moved to San Antonio, Texas. There's still a big part of San Antonio that's very Latin. A lot of Mexicans were there at the time when I went as well because Monterrey got a little bit ugly. But I've always said that doesn't matter where I am in Mexico. It feels like home. I could be in Puerto Vallarta. I could be in Guadalajara. I can be in Monterrey. I can be in Mexico City. Puebla. Like it doesn't matter where in Mexico, it all feels like home to me. And it goes back to something that I live by: Home isn't a place but rather who's there. And that's what I miss most about my heritage and just growing up in Mexico is the language, the food, the people. They're very nice people and it's really a beautiful place. So, every time I go on a vacation and it's a beach, 98 percent of the time you're going to run into me in Mexico. And the tequila is better? The tequila there is phenomenal, I can say that. And I've got the cure after having a tequila with [sponsor drink] Electrolit. They hook us up with the recovery process. Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass. Meet the stars of INDYCAR: Who Is David Malukas? The Gen Z Driver, Master Meme-Maker & Video Game Lover Who Is Kyle Kirkwood? Meet The Beach-Loving, Nirvana-Listening INDYCAR Star Who Is Marcus Armstrong? The Kiwi's Love For NFL, 'Talladega Nights' & Podcasting Who is Alex Palou? Indy 500 champ on sushi, owning a coffee shop & needing sleep recommended Item 1 of 3 Get more from the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
Fox Sports
a day ago
- Fox Sports
Instant Recall: Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto
INDYCAR Tire selection in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES can go a long way in deciding the outcome of races, and there is no better example than the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto. Pato O'Ward and his Arrow McLaren strategists opted, like many of the drivers in Sunday's 90-lap race at Exhibition Place, to begin with a set of the less-preferred alternate Firestone Firehawks, and they switched out of them just as an early caution came. Meanwhile, series leader Alex Palou and his Chip Ganassi Racing crew, started with a set of the more durable primary compound, and then they were committed to them when that caution came at Lap 3. Palou's camp surely knew that O'Ward was gaining an early advantage. Ultimately, that moment didn't send O'Ward to victory lane or reduce Palou to finishing 12th, but it certainly set the stage for both eventual scenarios to unfold. Palou did his best to remain in contention, staying with that first set of primaries until Lap 40, but he was already boxed in. He still needed to use the alternates and O'Ward didn't. The decisions helped O'Ward slice 30 points off Palou's series lead. Palou still leads the season standings by a staggering 99 points – that's nearly two full races with four events to go – but a third consecutive championship and fourth in five years isn't the Spaniard's lock that it seemed to be a few days ago. Still, O'Ward will need a lot to break right for him to claim his first series title. Palou has two race wins each at the next two venues – WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Portland International Raceway – while O'Ward won last year's race at The Milwaukee Mile. O'Ward also finished second in last year's race at Nashville Superspeedway – he was nine positions ahead of Palou in the return to that oval track – so he has that to be optimistic about. Simply put, O'Ward needs to gain similarly on Palou in three of the four remaining races and hold serve in the fourth. That's a big ask, but as O'Ward noted, anything is possible. Palou knows that, too. As for other takeaways from the street fight in Toronto: · The competition in this race was fierce and certainly worth the watch, with 226 on-track passes, the most for the event since 2014 and the fourth-most ever. A great majority of those overtakes – 201 – were for position, the most in the event since 2019. · In another example of making the right strategy call, Dale Coyne did it again, and driver Rinus VeeKay did the rest in a second-place finish. After starting a strong ninth, VeeKay led 16 laps, his first laps led on a street circuit or road course since this event in 2022 -- that was 1,068 days ago. Don't look now, but VeeKay is 11th in the standings and on the charge. · Kyffin Simpson continues to improve in his second season with Chip Ganassi Racing. This third-place finish was the highest of his career. Yes, strategy contributed to the result, but Simpson was plenty racy. · Andretti Global got mired in traffic with all the various pit stop strategies in play and couldn't defend its 1-2 finish of a year ago. But the team finished 4-5-6 with Colton Herta, Marcus Ericsson and Kyle Kirkwood, arguably its best group result of the year. · Kirkwood has to be kicking himself. He might have had a better chance had he qualified better than sixth. In that Firestone Fast Six session, he grazed the wall in Turn 2 but thought he had enough time to pit for additional fuel. But time ran out, and he didn't get to post a competitive lap time. He said that's two potential poles he has thrown away, the other coming in Detroit in June. · Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's Graham Rahal had another strong Toronto run, finishing seventh for his seventh in the top 10 in his last nine races. He has now been top 10 in this event five consecutive years. · PREMA Racing continues to make gains. Callum Ilott was furious that other drivers kept creating local yellows in qualifying, and he finished that disjointed second round in the 11th position. He had a strong race, finishing eighth, and rookie teammate Robert Shwartzman ran as high as fifth in the middle part of the race. · There is no rest for the weary. The fifth race of this month is Sunday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. For the truck drivers, it's a 2,733-mile trek from Toronto to the Monterey track, and that doesn't factor in a likely stop at team headquarters to regroup. The first practice for the Java House Grand Prix of Monterey is at 5 p.m. ET Friday (FS2, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). Sunday's 95-lap race is at 3 p.m. ET on FOX. recommended Item 1 of 3
Fox News
a day ago
- Fox News
'Championship Is Not Over': Pato O'Ward Puts The Pressure On Alex Palou
TORONTO — Pato O'Ward had a comfortable lead over the final third of the race on the streets of Toronto, so he could have let his mind wander. He could have taken just a moment — maybe a second — to wonder how much he could cut into Alex Palou's championship lead on Sunday afternoon. But he didn't look to see where Palou was running. He didn't ask. That's how far the gap was coming into the race, and when he heard he had cut Palou's lead from 129 points to 99, O'Ward wasn't going to let the big hill that he still must climb ruin an afternoon where he earned his second victory in the last three races. Palou, who has seven wins this year, finished 12th. "It's only, like, [down to] 99," O'Ward said. "It's a good chunk. His good weekends are days like [mine] today. We need to make sure that we continue to have days like today. Not just one but a few. "I think we're going to keep this conversation going until Nashville. That's my goal." To keep the conversation running until the season finale at Nashville, O'Ward would need to be within 54 points of Palou. One of Palou's best tracks comes next weekend at Laguna Seca Raceway. Then the final three races are at Portland International Raceway, The Milwaukee Mile and Nashville Superspeedway. Palou won't be able to clinch at Laguna Seca. He would have to be 108 points ahead of O'Ward after Portland to clinch and 54 points ahead of O'Ward after Milwaukee to seal his third consecutive title and fourth overall. O'Ward is the only driver even remotely in the championship hunt. Kyle Kirkwood sits third in the standings at 173 points behind and Scott Dixon is 174 points behind. "Obviously, we're at a time in the championship where we're going to have to get a little bit more into the conversation of getting our elbows out because that's what I had to do today just to open the doors to having a chance to win this race," O'Ward said. "That's the only way we're even going to catch a whiff of making him sweat a little bit." Those elbows out included contact with Will Power. INDYCAR reviewed the move to see if O'Ward could have avoided it, as Power had slight contact with the barrier after knocking wheels with O'Ward. Pato was cleared of any wrongdoing and INDYCAR ruled it a racing incident. He felt bad for Power but also said the driver who is on the outside of two-wide in that corner is risking contact. "The problem is that it's such a fine line that you're battling with," O'Ward said. "You don't want to lose any positions. "When you're going through where you're full opposite lock [of the way you're turning], we basically hit square. When you hit tire to tire, both of our wheels got out of our hands. You had to, like, gather it back up." Power rallied back to finish 11th, one spot ahead of Palou. Today, Palou was a victim of strategy. He started on the primary tires early and then needed to run on the alternate tires longer than other drivers. He led early but then was mired in traffic for the second half of the race. "I chose the strategy," Palou said. "There [with the strategy] is what we did wrong today. I was pushing for that strategy. I thought it was going to give us the best opportunity to win. "The car was really fast. I wanted to be up front, trying to avoid being trapped in traffic. It happens. We knew it was going to be a risky strategy." McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown said if it weren't for Palou, many would look at O'Ward as having a great season. He also said he believes in miracles. "Championship is not over," Brown said on the FOX broadcast prior to the race. "A miracle might need to happen. But miracles can happen. That's what makes the sport exciting." What the team must work on now is entering every race with full faith that they can pull off a win. Toronto, for example, typically hasn't been one of the better tracks for O'Ward. "I think the biggest challenge Pato and I have is to make everybody believe that no matter what, especially in INDYCAR, every time you take the green flag, that is an opportunity," said team principal Tony Kanaan. "We had a pretty good and intense meeting last night. I said, 'We got to believe it.' Days like this, it makes a big difference in our people. I think you give them an extra boost of confidence that we can do it, we can take the next step." That next step is more three-week stretches for O'Ward where he is battling for the win no matter the track. "You need a car that you can attack with and that you can pass people," O'Ward said. "I feel like you can't just always rely on strategy. If we just relied on strategy today, I think maybe we would catch a whiff of a podium. "But that's not enough. You need something to be able to really fight your way forward … It feels really good to earn it today. It really does. Especially in a place that's been a very tough weekend, basically every time we come here." Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
