Alex Palou wins Grand Prix of Portland to clinch IndyCar second championship (2024)

Here’s the full statistical package of where everyone finished and the standings after the Grand Prix of Portland:

https://www.nbcsports.com/motor-sports/news/indycar-portland-international-raceway-points-results-scott-dixon-alex-palou-chip-ganassi

Courtesy of Chip Ganassi Racing PR ace Will Erickson, here are some statistical factoids and nuggets on Alex Palou’s second IndyCar title.

• It’s the 15th IndyCar championship and 22nd overall for Chip Ganassi Racing.

• Ganassi has won three of the past four IndyCar titles (Scott Dixon in 2020; Palou in ’21, ’23).

• Ganassi has won 10 of 16 championships since IndyCar was unified in 2008.

• Palou became the first driver to clinch the championship before the season finale since Sebastien Bourdais in 2007 (Champ Car).

• Palou is the fifth IndyCar driver to win multiple championships before turning 27 (Sebastien Bourdais, A.J. Foyt, Sam Hornish Jr. and Louis Meyer are the others).

• Palou is the fourth multiple champion for Ganassi, joining Dixon, Dario Franchitti and Alex Zanardi.

• Palou is the first Ganassi driver to win five races in a season since Dixon and Franchitti in 2009.

• Crew chief Ricky Davis won his fifth championship with Ganassi.

Though Chip Ganassi Racing team manager Barry Wanser wasn’t at Portland International Raceway this weekend, his presence was hard to miss. CGR members have been carrying signs with Wanser’s face around the No. 10 pit since Friday.

During his interview after winning the Grand Prix of Portland and clinching his second IndyCar championship, Alex Palou grabbed a stick and gave a shoutout to Wanser, the strategist who will miss the last two races of the season while recovering from surgery for skin cancer.

“We’re missing Barry,” Palou said. “We miss you the best of recoveries. He did an amazing job.”

Alex Palou with the cardboard edition of Barry Wanser (IndyCar on NBC)

Palou later said that Wanser, who also manages all four cars at Ganassi, has been recovering well.

“He’s a very big piece on our stand, but unfortunately, he couldn’t be here,” Palou said. “Everybody is really sad that he’s not here, but I think he’s even more sad. He’s a strong guy, and hopefully he’ll be back with us very soon.”

In what’s become a familiar refrain this season, Pato O’Ward was upset with lapped cars after his fourth-place finish in the Grand Prix of Portland.

The Arrow McLaren was unable to chase down Scott Dixon and Felix Rosenqvist for a spot on the podium, and he felt lapped traffic had impeded his progress.

“I was really happy with the car, very comfortable, one of, if not the fastest car, for quite a bit of the race,” O’Ward told NBC Sports’ Dillon Welch. “It’s just frustrating in a series like this where leaders have to be fighting the lappers just to have a shot. For us, we were fighting Dixon and Fro for the podium. Obviously, Dixon gets let by because he’s in a Honda.

“We get to them and they do everything in their power. They make sure I blow all my push to pass to get by. They blow all theirs. It seems their biggest accomplishment they want to do in a race day is wait for the leaders to come by and make their life a living hell. It’s frustrating, it’s embarrassing for the series. There should be a rule in place for that to not happen.”

Said Rosenqvist: “t seems equally frustrating whoever you’re trying to pass, but you saw with Pato, he finished 19 seconds behind me, and I don’t think he was 19 seconds slower than me, so that’s how big of an effect (traffic) has.

“It played into my favor. I felt like I got through traffic pretty smoothly. I followed Scott, and we managed to kind of get through quicker than normal because you can really get stuck behind people for the whole stint.”

O’Ward was outspoken about lapped traffic last month at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, and Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden both were upset about being blocked at Iowa Speedway. O’Ward said those fellow Chevrolet drivers also were held up Sunday at Portland.

“It’s destroying the chances of a good fight for a podium, and I wasn’t the only one,” O’Ward said. “Josef and Scottie were getting held up by Armstrong. It’s just frustrating. I get it, but they’re not going to get their lap back. The leader is by. Stop being an ass and let other people fight.”

Straight from the top, there is no longer any doubt of whether Alex Palou will return to Chip Ganassi Racing next season.

Team owner Chip Ganassi confirmed the newly crowned two-time IndyCar champion’s return in a postrace interview with NBC Sports’ Kevin Lee after Palou won the Grand Prix of Portland.

“Alex Palou’s going to be in our car,” Ganassi said when asked by Lee if Palou would return in the No. 10 Dallara-Honda. “I can tell you that. Sure.”

Palou’s future has been the subject of rampant of massive speculation for more than a year since he and Ganassi were embroiled in a contract dispute last year.

Palou initially committed to driving for Arrow McLaren this year but then agreed to return to Ganassi and fulfill the final season of his contract.

Palou recently told Arrow McLaren that he no longer would be joining the team in 2024, but he’s been coy about his plans and said he wouldn’t reveal until after the Sept. 10 season finale where he would be driving next year.

But Ganassi always had seemed the most likely destination, barring a surprise offer from a Formula One team.

Palou has won two championships in three seasons at Ganassi, breaking through for his first career victory in the 2021 season-opening debut with the team.

“He’s certainly special,” Ganassi said. “We noticed that his first weekend, his first race win at Barber. We knew the guy was special. He’s part of our team. We couldn’t be more happy about that.

“He told me (before the race), ‘I’m going to wrap it up with a win.’ I said, ‘OK, great.’ He called his shot today.”

With his second victory in the Grand Prix of Portland, Alex Palou has become a two-time NTT IndyCar Series champion.

The Chip Ganassi Racing star finished more than 5 seconds ahead of Felix Rosenqvist for his series-leading fifth victory of the season.

Palou won the 2021 title on the heels of his first victory at Portland International Raceway, where he also captured the first pole position of his career.

“It was an amazing weekend overall; we just had really fast cars,” Palou, who started fifth, told NBC Sports’ Kevin Lee. “We knew we had to go for it, and we just raced how we have been doing all season. Super proud to be here in victory lane.

“I love it. I never thought I’d be an IndyCar champion, to be a two-time IndyCar champion feels amazing, like a dream. These guys and girls give me all the tools I need to win. We’ll keep on rolling.

“We just had a really fast car. Whatever we did today we were going to come out on a really strong position.”

Teammate Scott Dixon, the only driver who entered the race mathematically eligible for the championship, finished third, followed by Pato O’Ward and Josef Newgarden.

Rinus VeeKay, Marcus Ericsson, David Malukas, Scott McLaughlin and Kyle Kirkwood rounded out the top 10.

The yellow flag has flown a second time at Portland for a Turn 10 off-road excursion by rookie Agustin Canapino.

The incident came when Felix Rosenqvist was in the lead and had yet to stop for his final stint on the softer alternate tire.

Though the Arrow McLaren driver made it to the pits before the yellow flew, he will have to stretch his final stint for 26 laps — several laps longer than most drivers have been making with the alternate tire.

Alex Palou has cycled into the lead, followed by Rosenqvist, Scott Dixon, Pato O’Ward and Josef Newgarden.

Alex Palou is poised to clinch his second IndyCar championship in convincing style.

The Chip Ganassi Racing driver has a commanding lead of nearly eight seconds over teammate Scott Dixon with 35 laps remaining in the BitNile.com Grand Prix of Portland.

Palou has one more pit stop to make, as does Dixon (who has been chipping away at the lead since becoming the last driver to switch to a mandatory stint on the faster alternate tire).

Tire choice at the start does seem to have been critical: Top three starters Graham Rahal, Scott McLaughlin, and Colton Herta all opted to start on the alternate compound, and none is on pace to finish in the top five.

Meanwhile, the current presumptive podium of Palou, Dixon and either Felix Rosenqvist or Pato O’Ward all started on the primary compound that is slower but lasts longer.

Championship leader Alex Palou was under fire after pitting from the lead on Lap 48.

Palou aggressively battled the lapped car of Helio Castroneves after exiting, making multiple blocks to stay ahead of the four-time Indy 500.

IndyCar on NBC analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe both thought it merited a review by IndyCar race control, but the stewards didn’t elevate the incident to review.

On Lap 55 of 110, Palou is running third with teammate Scott Dixon (who has yet to pit) in the lead. If he can finish third, Palou will clinch his second IndyCar championship regardless of Dixon’s result.

IndyCar on NBC viewers had a chance to meet new USF Pro 2000 champion Myles Rowe during today’s broadcast.

Rowe, the first African-American driver to win a U.S. championship, was interviewed by Kevin Lee about his career and latest success.

Read more about Rowe’s triumph by clicking here.

Championship leader Alex Palou waited until the 31st of 110 laps to make his first stop in the Grand Prix of Portland from the lead.

Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon pitted on the next lap from the lead. Both drivers started on the primary compound tires after the top three starters elected for the faster alternate compounds that wear more quickly. Drivers must use each compound for at least one stint during the race.

After their stops, Palou and Dixon are running second and third with David Malukas currently leading.

The first round of strategical moves has started at Portland International Raceway, where the contenders seem focused on getting off alternate compound tires.

Colton Herta, Alexander Rossi, Callum Ilott, Santino Ferrucci and Marcus Ericsson led the first group of lead-lap cars into the pits on Lap 18.

Running second, Scott McLaughlin pitted on Lap 22, which pulled Graham Rahal in from the lead on Lap 23.

That has cycled Alex Palou to the front ahead of Scott Dixon.

The stop for Herta was costly as the Andretti Autosport driver had to stop again for a pit lane speeding penalty.

Alex Palou and Scott Dixon made it unscathed through Portland International Raceway’s treacherous Turn 1, but their was chaos behind the championship contenders.

Kyle Kirkwood went off course in the first corner after rear-end contact with Josef Newgarden.

A few turns later, Callum Ilott and Romain Grosjean were involved in an incident with multiple cars. Grosjean, who revealed this weekend that he won’t be returning to Andretti Autosport, was forced into the pits for major repairs that left him several laps down.

The caution flew on Lap 3 after Will Power got stuck after going off course while being passed by Alexander Rossi.