Alex Palou Enters Rare Air With 5th IndyCar Title In 6 Years - Jalopnik
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Penske Entertainment / Chris Owens
Some would call it bad luck. Others would call it karma. IndyCar followed up its most-watched race since 1995 with a rain-delayed doubleheader at the Milwaukee Mile. However, neither rain nor misfortune would prevent Alex Palou from clinching his fifth IndyCar Series championship in six seasons. The unusual circumstances also led to Pato O'Ward becoming the first IndyCar driver to win twice in a single day since Rick Mears in 1981.
The threat of rain loomed when the green flag flew for Race 1 on Saturday an hour later than scheduled. Forecasts called for race-ending showers reaching the track after the race's halfway point, when the event could end prematurely with an official result. The weather report missed the mark. The rain arrived and halted the race on Lap 90 of the 250-lap contest. The storm would eventually pass, but IndyCar couldn't dry the track before sunset. Series organizers hoped to slot the remainder of Race 1 into an 85-minute window on Sunday morning. Even more rain derailed that plan and pushed Race 1 after the conclusion of Race 2.
When racing began in earnest on Sunday, Palou had a straightforward job. The Ganassi driver needed to leave Milwaukee with a 50-point lead to win the championship. Kyle Kirkwood, his closest rival, was 91 points behind. The DC race winner also crashed in practice, then qualified 22nd and 24th in each race, respectively. Palou had a fairly pedestrian day by his standards as he dealt with handling issues. The Spaniard finished fifth in Race 1, then tenth in Race 2. It was clear that he was more focused on avoiding any potential dangers en route to his fifth title.
No one could rain on O'Ward's doubleheader parade
Penske Entertainment / Chris Owens
The battle for victory in both races was a McLaren versus Penske affair. In Race 2, Pato O'Ward beat Scott McLaughlin over the line by eight-tenths. The race-winning moment for the McLaren driver came on pit lane as a fast stop by his crew allowed him to jump the No. 3 Penske during the final round of stops. The second trip to victory lane later that day would play out differently. O'Ward and McLaughlin's teammate David Malukas would reach a flashpoint on-track with the duo leading a combined 212 laps. During the final restart on Lap 226, Malukas' Penske seemingly had a gearbox issue, allowing O'Ward to take the lead and never look back. After both races, the Mexican driver said:
"I've dreamed of weekends like this before, having doubleheaders just a couple of times in my career, wishing I wanted to win both of them in a weekend. We got to win both in a day. That's definitely a dream come true for myself and the team."
Don't let these past two weekends fool you. Alex Palou is currently on a generational run of dominance. With his fifth championship, only A.J. Foyt and his Ganassi teammate Scott Dixon have more series titles than him. It seems strange to already be measuring Palou against IndyCar's all-time greats because he doesn't turn 30 until next April. There's no one else in the field who can hold a candle to Palou right now, so Foyt's record of seven championships isn't safe either. The sky is the limit. Palou will collect his fifth Astor Cup trophy next weekend at IndyCar's Laguna Seca season finale.