Alex Palou captures fourth IndyCar title in past five years
Power crossed the line first, winning the Penske Fleet's first race of the year, but Palou clinched his fourth IndyCar Series championship over the last five seasons for Chip Ganassi Racing with a third-place finish.
With three races left going into Sunday, the only contender left for Palou to vanquish to earn the Astor Cup was Pato O'Ward. O'Ward had the pole, but the 28-year-old Spaniard enjoyed a 121-point lead over his closest rival and needed to leave Portland ahead by 108 points to sew up the title.
The die was cast just 22 laps into the race when O'Ward encountered an electronic issue on made an unplanned pit stop in his Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. The long delay in the pits caused O'Ward to re-enter the track nine laps behind the leaders and he would finish 10 laps down at a distant 25th.
Alex Palou drives during the NTT INDYCAR Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in St Petersburg, Florida. AFP
Despite the knowledge that the title was his, Palou raced aggressively in the final laps of the race.
"We're here to win. That's why we're here. We've said it many times. When we come here, although we have that big goal of winning the championship, our priority is always to win races and win every single weekend," Palou said. "Even though could have been OK to stay third, we wanted to win."
Palou only trails A.J. Foyt and Scott Dixon, who won seven and six series championships, respectively. His three consecutive titles have tied Dario Franchitti (2009-11), Sebastien Bourdais (2004-07) and Ted Horn (1946-48). The 2025 eight-time winner still has two races left to tie the IndyCar record for victories in a season set at 10 by Foyt in 1964 and Al Unser in 1970.
Chip Ganassi Racing captured its 17th series championship to tie Team Penske for most in series history.
Reuters
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Etihad
8 hours ago
- Al Etihad
Italian athlete dies at World Games in China
12 Aug 2025 13:28 CHENGDU, China (AFP) Italian orienteering athlete Mattia Debertolis died on Tuesday after being found unresponsive during competition at the World Games in China's Chengdu, organisers said. The 29-year-old was discovered unconscious during an orienteering event on August 8 and died four days later, said a joint statement from World Games organisers and the International Orienteering Federation (IOF). The World Games is a multisport event held every four years for disciplines not included in the Olympics."Despite receiving immediate expert medical care at one of China's leading medical institutions, he passed away," the statement did not provide details on the cause of event took place in intense heat and humidity, with temperatures above 30 sees athletes navigate an unmarked course with a map and compass, punching in at designated spots along the route in the quickest from Primiero in eastern Italy, was taking part in the final of the men's middle-distance, the first medal event of the six-kilometre course featured 180 metres of ascent and 20 control points that athletes must from the World Games' social media accounts showed athletes running through crop fields and villages on a largely rural winner, Switzerland's Riccardo Rancan, completed the course in 45 minutes and 22 seconds."I needed to acclimatise quickly to hot and humid conditions. I think I managed quite well," Chinese state media quoted Rancan as was listed as "Did Not Finish" in official results, along with 11 other athletes. Black Armbands He was ranked 137th in the men's Orienteering World Rankings and had been competing since 2014, according to the IOF participated in several World Championships and World Cups as part of the Italian his training, Debertolis was studying for a PhD at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, where he of the Italian Orienteering Federation (FISO), Alfio Giomi, invited the national team to wear black armbands while competing in the World Mountain Bike Orienteering Championships, which begin on Tuesday in family had agreed that "athletes will be able to participate in the competitions in Mattia's name and memory", Giomi said in an online Games organisers and the IOF were "struck by this tragedy and extend their heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the athlete and the whole orienteering community", the joint statement read."Our thoughts are with those touched by this event."Organisers will "continue to support the family of Mattia Debertolis and the orienteering community in every possible way", it added. This is the 12th edition of the World Games, and it runs until August 17, with approximately 4,000 athletes competing in 253 events.
Al Etihad
8 hours ago
- Al Etihad
Raducanu pauses Cincinnati match over crying child
12 Aug 2025 12:54 (Reuters) The disturbance caused by a crying child in the stands proved too much to handle for Emma Raducanu during her Cincinnati Open defeat by Aryna Sabalenka on Monday when the Briton appealed to a bemused chair umpire for was preparing to serve at 3-4 in the tense third set of her 7-6(3) 4-6 7-6(5) defeat when she stopped and looked at the official to say that the child had been wailing for 10 minutes straight."It's a child, do you want me to send the child out of the stadium?" the chair umpire asked almost in disbelief, prompting Raducanu to merely then smiled and pointed to the stands as several members of the crowd said "yes" on her behalf having heard the chair umpire's official said she could ask staff to have the baby removed, but added: "We need to continue for the moment," before the action resumed. Raducanu went on to win the game and draw level at 4-4 but eventually fell to world number one Sabalenka, who will take on Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the last 16.
Gulf Today
a day ago
- Gulf Today
Alcaraz battles past Dzumhur, Gauff and Pegula move ahead
Carlos Alcaraz fought through a second-set slump to post a 'rollercoaster' 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 victory over Damir Dzumhur in his opening match Sunday at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open. The Spaniard, playing his first tournament since losing to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon final, raced through the first set but completely lost his way in the second, dropping his serve twice against the 33-year-old Bosnian. Alcaraz regained his intensity and cut down his errors in the third as a seventh ace took him to a match point that was converted when Dzumhur fired wide. 'It was just a rollercoaster,' said the second seed, who was winning his 12th straight match at the Masters 1000 level after taking the titles in Monte Carlo and Rome. 'Lots of good feelings, bad feelings, back to the good ones. I am happy to get the win at the end. I know that I have chances to do better. 'I will use the day off tomorrow to get my confidence back. It was a little tricky, I need to play smart tennis.' Alcaraz committed 44 unforced errors and said conditions in Cincinnati, where he was runner-up in 2023, were always tricky. 'The ball flies a lot, goes super fast,' he said. 'You have to be ready to be in a good position for each shot and that is really difficult to do.' Alcaraz, runner-up in Cincy in 2023, next faces Serb Hamad Medjedovic, a 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) winner over Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor. Third seed Alexander Zverev found things more straightforward, winning 6-3, 6-3 against US wild card Nishesh Basavareddy in the night session. Zverev needed just 66 minutes to get past Basavareddy, a 20-year-old ranked 109th in the world. The German put 41 of his 50 first serves in play and didn't face a break point. Basavareddy saved one match point with a blistering service return but Zverev secured the win with his 12th ace. American Ben Shelton, coming off his first Masters 1000 title in Toronto, eased through 6-3, 3-1 when Camilo Ugo Carabelli retired with a knee injury. Shelton's early night was a boon after a draining Toronto tournament which only ended on Thursday night. 'It's not easy to play a couple of days after winning any title,' Shelton said. 'I feel for Camilo and it's obviously not the way that you want to go through. I hope that he has a quick recovery.' Asked about the tape on his own right thigh, Shelton said he has 'a few muscle things' going on. 'The legs take a lot of force,' he said. Sixth seed Alex de Minaur of Australia, the Washington champion, lost to American Reilly Opelka 7-6 (8/6), 6-4. But another Australian, Adam Walton, secured a first top-50 win of his career with a 6-7 (0/7), 6-4, 6-1 upset of former world number one and 2019 Cincy champion Daniil Medvedev of Russia. Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut dismissed Briton Cam Norrie 6-4, 6-3 while number nine seed Andrey Rublev beat American Learner Tien 7-6 (7/4), 6-3. In the women's draw, French Open champion Coco Gauff battled through a tough first set to beat China's Wang Xinyu 6-3, 6-2. Gauff, who lifted the trophy in Cincinnati in 2023 and went on to claim her first Grand Slam title at the US Open that year, had to grind her way through the first set. But the number two seed steadied in the second to run out the winner in 71 minutes. She converted on all five break point chances she got on Center Court and was firing on all cylinders as she won 20 of her last 23 points on serve. 'It was a rough start,' Gauff said. 'But it was about just trusting myself and the work we've done in practice. Third seed Jessica Pegula, runner-up last year to Aryna Sabalenka, defeated Kimberly Birrell 6-4, 6-3. Seventh seed Jasmine Paolini, finalist last season at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, also advanced, beating Maria Sakkari of Greece 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/5). No. 8 seed Emma Navarro Navarro fell to qualifier Ella Seidel, a 20-year-old German ranked No. 124. Agencies
