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Fox Sports
6 hours ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Favorites and Sleepers: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
INDYCAR Alex Palou has powered Honda to a perfect 5-for-5 record at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca since the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returned to the Northern California track in 2019. This season, Palou has dominated on natural road courses, winning at The Thermal Club (March 23), Barber Motorsports Park (May 4), the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course (May 10), and Road America (June 22). He also finished second to teammate Scott Dixon at Mid-Ohio on July 6, giving Chip Ganassi Racing a clean sweep on these circuits so far in 2025. Can anyone dethrone Chip Ganassi Racing in Sunday's Java House Grand Prix of Monterey airing at 3 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio Network? Favorites Pato O'Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) O'Ward enters the event as arguably the hottest driver in the field, with two wins in his last three starts and nine top-seven finishes in 10 races since May. He has been strong on natural road courses this season. O'Ward qualified on pole and led a race-high 51 of 65 laps in his runner-up finish at The Thermal Club. He also finished runner-up in the Sonsio Grand Prix at IMS, was sixth at Barber Motorsports Park and finished fifth at Mid-Ohio. At Laguna Seca, he has finished fifth, eighth, ninth and eighth, respectively. Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) The six-time series champion won at Laguna Seca in 2023 and has two podiums in his last five starts at the track. Dixon has posted top-10 finishes in each of the last six races and is a consistent threat on road courses, with finishes of 10th, 12th, 5th, 9th and first this season. Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Palou led 48 of 95 laps from the pole in his 2023 Laguna Seca win. He has never finished worse than third at this venue (second in 2021, first in 2022, third in 2023). With four road course wins this season and one runner-up finish, he remains the benchmark. Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet) Power (photo) has three top-four finishes in his last five Laguna Seca starts, including seventh last year. On natural road courses in 2025, he has finished in the top six three times. Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda) Herta dominated the 2019 and 2021 Laguna Seca races from the pole, leading 83 of 90 laps in 2019 and 91 of 95 in 2021. While recent years brought mixed results (11th, 23rd, second), he showed speed last year, leading eight laps from the fourth starting position. In 2025, he has been solid with finishes of fourth (Thermal, Mid-Ohio), seventh (Barber). Sleepers Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) Lundgaard has a pair of top-seven finishes in three Laguna Seca starts, and his current car finished third here last year with Alexander Rossi. He has earned three podiums in five natural road course events this season. Rinus VeeKay (No. 18 askROI Honda) Despite poor past results at Laguna Seca (best finish: 14th), VeeKay has four top-10 finishes on natural road courses in 2025 and was runner-up last week in Toronto. He has found form with four top-10s in his last six starts. Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 JM Bullion Honda) Kirkwood rebounded from early struggles at Laguna Seca to finish fifth last year after qualifying second. He also swept the INDY NXT weekend here in 2021. In 2025, he's been consistently competitive on road courses (eighth, 11th, eighth, fourth and eighth). Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 SiriusXM Honda) Rosenqvist took pole here in 2023 and owns two top-five finishes at the track. He was second at Road America this year and has four top-10s, two of which top-fives, in five natural road course starts. Marcus Armstrong (No. 66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda) Armstrong finished eighth here as a rookie and has four top-seven finishes on natural road courses in 2025. He is riding a strong stretch with seven top-10s in his last nine races. recommended Item 1 of 1
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Otago Daily Times
O'Ward keeps hopes alive
Pato O'Ward. PHOTO: Kristin Enzor-USA TODAY NETWORK Mexican Pato O'Ward eked out his second IndyCar win in three weeks in Toronto yesterday, keeping alive his underdog chances to win the season championship. Alex Palou rode a dominant start to the season to a 129-point lead in the points race. After the Spaniard finished 12th yesterday, O'Ward has sliced that deficit to 99 with four races to go. O'Ward started in 10th but led 30 of 90 laps in his No5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet and beat Dutchman Rinus VeeKay by 0.4843sec. Kyffin Simpson, of the Cayman Islands, was third, his first podium finish in two IndyCar seasons. "I knew I had a great car under me to race with and the guys nailed it on the strategy," O'Ward said in his post-race interview. That strategy was for O'Ward to start the race on his alternate set of tires before moving to his primary tires early on lap 3. "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," O'Ward said. Palou, conversely, started on his primary tires from the No2 position. The seven-time winner this year led 37 laps but faded down the stretch. Scott Dixon was the best of the three New Zealand drivers, finishing 10th. Marcus Armstrong briefly ran second before finishing 14th, while Scott McLaughlin's race ended shortly after an early pit stop when a wheel detached and he slammed into the wall. — APL/Field Level Media
Canada News.Net
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Canada News.Net
Pato O'Ward wins in Toronto, inches toward Alex Palou in season race
(Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images) Mexico's Pato O'Ward eked out his second win in three weeks on Sunday at the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto, keeping alive his underdog chances to win the season championship. Alex Palou rode a dominant start to the season to a 129-point lead in the points race, the largest margin this deep in a season since IndyCar began using the scoring system. After the Spaniard finished 12th in Toronto, O'Ward sliced that deficit to 99 with four races to go. O'Ward started back in 10th but led 30 out of 90 laps in his No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet and beat the Netherlands' Rinus VeeKay by 0.4843 seconds. Kyffin Simpson of the Cayman Islands was third, his first podium finish in two IndyCar seasons. 'I knew I had a great car under me to race with and the guys nailed it on the strategy,' O'Ward said in his post-race interview. That strategy was for O'Ward to start the race on his alternate set of tires before moving to his primary tires early on Lap 3. '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,' O'Ward said. Palou, conversely, started on his primary tires from the No. 2 position. The seven-time winner this year led 37 laps but faded down the stretch. '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.' Simpson was the biggest mover of the day after starting the race 13th. 'It was a crazy race,' Simpson said. 'So many ups and downs. At one point we thought we were in the worst position, and then very quickly it turned into one of the best positions.'
Fox Sports
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Pato O'Ward Wins Toronto, Slices Alex Palou's Lead by 30 Points
INDYCAR 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
Fox Sports
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Pato O'Ward Wins Toronto, Slices Alex Palou's Big Lead by 30 Points
INDYCAR 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
