August 10, 2025 | By IndyCar PR

Power Breaks Penske Drought at Portland; Palou Claims Fourth Indy Car Title

PORTLAND, Ore.—Will Power staked his claim to continue with Team Penske while Alex Palou secured his spot among the legends of the INDYCAR SERIES after a scintillating BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI on Sunday at Portland International Raceway.

Power earned his first victory of the season and the first this year for Team Penske – helping the legendary team avoid its first winless season since 1999 – in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Power, who does not have a contract with Team Penske next season, finished 1.5388 seconds ahead of NTT P1 Award winner Christian Lundgaard in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. It was the 45th victory of Power’s legendary INDYCAR SERIES career.

SEE: Race Results

“I think it’s just a big win for the whole team,” Power said. “We’ve had a rough year, and it’s not really because we’ve been off the pace. It’s just been unfortunate circumstances. It was a good, hard-fought win.

“Stoked. I’ve had a great career with Verizon and Penske, so I’ve really, really enjoyed winning for the guys and everyone I’ve worked with for a long time. It’s awesome.”

Palou finished third in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to clinch his fourth NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship and third straight series title, joining Ted Horn (1946-48), Sebastien Bourdais (2004-07) and Dario Franchitti (2009-11) as the only drivers to achieve a three-peat. Palou's fourth Astor Challenge Cup in the last five seasons tied him with Mario Andretti, Bourdais and Franchitti for third on the all-time championship list, behind only A.J. Foyt (seven) and Scott Dixon (six).

It also was the 17th series championship for Chip Ganassi Racing, tying it with Team Penske for the most titles in INDYCAR SERIES history.

“It’s unbelievable; it’s crazy,” Palou said. “I couldn’t be happier right now. This has been an amazing season, an amazing five years with CGR. I have no words to describe how grateful I am to everybody at CGR. I cannot wait for more.”

Graham Rahal finished a season-best fourth in the No. 15 Hendrickson International Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, while Alexander Rossi rounded out the top five also with a season-best result in the No. 20 Java House ECR Chevrolet.

A race of divergent tire strategies in the first half converged into a spellbinding tussle between Power, Lundgaard and Palou over the last 30 laps after all three drivers made their final pit stops.

Power started the 110-lap race from the third starting spot on Firestone Firehawk alternate tires, while pole winner Lundgaard began in seventh – on Firestone primary tires – due to a six-grid spot penalty for an unapproved engine change. Palou also started on the harder, more durable Firestone primary tires from fifth on the grid.

Two-time series champion Power and Team Penske opted to use the softer, more grippy but less durable Firestone alternate tires for his first two fuel stints, choosing to try to run away from the 27-car field and hide before needing to run the primary tire – as required by series rules -- and a used set of alternate tires to finish the race.

The strategy helped Power build a 20-second lead over Palou by Lap 51. But then Power pitted at the end of Lap 61 for the slower primary tires, and the chase was on for Lundgaard and Palou.

By Lap 74, Lundgaard had closed to within 1.1 seconds of Power. Palou was nine seconds back but fortified with nearly double the amount of Push to Pass overtake time as his two rivals up the track.

Lundgaard made his final stop at the end of Lap 79, taking on a fresh set of Firestone alternate tires. Power stopped for the last time a lap later, with used Firestone alternates fastened to his wheels. Palou made his final stop at the end of Lap 82, taking on fresh Firestone alternate tires like Lundgaard.

Rahal, on an alternate tire strategy, pitted from the lead at the end of Lap 84. That put Power, Lundgaard and Palou in the top three spots.

It was go time. Game on.

By Lap 96, just .851 of a second separated the top three as cars on the tail end of the lead lap created speed-sapping turbulence for leader Power. Palou briefly passed Lundgaard for second on Lap 97, but the Dane fought back to regain the spot quickly on the same lap.

On Lap 107, Palou went off course and into the grass surrounding the 12-turn, 1.964-mile circuit while trying again to pass Lundgaard for second and perhaps make a run at Power. That dustup let Power pull away, and he led by 1.8018 seconds after Lap 108 and maintained a gap to the checkered flag.

Power, 44, basked in the joy of returning to victory lane and reminding the NTT INDYCAR SERIES he thinks he’s more than good enough to merit a new contract from Team Penske or another team in the paddock.

“I won three races last year,” Power said. “If you're a team, if you're waiting on me to know if I'm good enough, I don't know what you're thinking.”

Pato O’Ward was the only driver who could have delayed Palou’s coronation, entering this race 121 points behind. O’Ward, who started from the pole, needed to close the gap to at least 107 points. But his chances ended on Lap 21 due to an electrical problem in his No. 5 Arrow McLaren that forced a lengthy repair in the pits. O’Ward finished 25th, 10 laps down.

Palou wasn’t the only season title winner today; Honda clinched the INDYCAR SERIES manufacturers’ championship.

There are two races left in the 2025 season, both on oval tracks. The next race is the Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 on Sunday, Aug. 24 in Milwaukee.