Will Power may have claimed victory in Sunday’s IndyCar race at Portland International Raceway, but it was Alex Palou who stole the spotlight by securing his fourth championship in five seasons.
Power delivered Team Penske’s first win of the year, but Palou’s third-place finish was more than enough to clinch the 2025 IndyCar Series title for Chip Ganassi Racing.
Heading into the race, only Pato O’Ward remained in mathematical contention for the championship. Despite starting from pole, O’Ward’s challenge unravelled early when an electronic issue forced an unscheduled stop on lap 22. The lengthy delay dropped the Arrow McLaren driver nine laps behind, and he eventually finished 25th, ten laps adrift.
That effectively handed the Astor Cup to Palou, who held a 121-point lead entering Portland and needed only to maintain a 108-point advantage to seal the title.
Though the championship was in hand, Palou continued to push hard in the final stages of the race.
“We’re here to win. That’s why we’re here,” he said. “Even though it could have been OK to stay third, we wanted to win.”
The 28-year-old Spaniard now stands among the sport’s elite, with only A.J. Foyt (seven titles) and Scott Dixon (six) ahead of him. His current run of three consecutive titles equals the feats of Dario Franchitti (2009–2011), Sébastien Bourdais (2004–2007) and Ted Horn (1946–1948).
Palou, a winner of eight races so far this season, still has two opportunities to match the all-time single-season record of 10 wins, set by Foyt in 1964 and Al Unser in 1970.
Chip Ganassi Racing’s triumph also brings their total to 17 series championships, drawing level with Team Penske for the most in IndyCar history.