Palou Perfect in Portland

PORTLAND, Oregon – Álex Palou added another chapter to his remarkable 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES campaign Sunday, winning the OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland at Portland International Raceway and stretching his championship advantage to a commanding 110 points.

Palou, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing in the No. 10 Honda, converted a strategically brilliant afternoon into his 6th victory of the season and 25th career IndyCar win, beating pole-sitter and Indy 500 Champion Felix Rosenqvist in the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda by 4.117 seconds. Andretti Global’s Will Power in the No. 26 Honda completed the podium, finishing 8.063 seconds behind Palou.

“Everybody at CGR and Honda did an incredible job,” Palou said. “I had an absolute rocket ship today. It was very, very nice to drive every single lap.”
 
“Chip puts the best guys around me, but then also everybody is just executing. That car is a rocket ship, and I’m just lucky enough to drive it.”

Race Results

The 110-lap race around Portland’s 1.964-mile permanent road course was largely defined by strategy rather than a parade of caution periods. There was only one caution, lasting two laps, leaving the field to settle the race through pace, tire management and pit-stop execution.

Palou’s strategy delivers again

Rosenqvist entered Sunday with momentum after securing the NTT P1 Award in qualifying, but Palou’s Chip Ganassi Racing crew found the opening they needed during the first sequence of pit stops.

Palou’s strategy allowed him to emerge with a decisive advantage over Rosenqvist. Once in front, the reigning and defending back to back to back champion steadily built his lead and controlled the remainder of the race, ultimately crossing the finish line more than four seconds clear of the Meyer Shank Racing driver.

It was another signature Palou performance: not necessarily the fastest car in every phase of the afternoon, but the combination of speed, tire management and race strategy proved almost impossible for the rest of the field to overcome.

The victory also continued Palou’s extraordinary 2026 run. With 6 wins through 13 races, he now holds a 110-point cushion in the championship as he pursues what would be his 5th IndyCar title, 4th consecutive.

“I was a little bit worried there when we put those alternates on,” Palou said. “They were so good. We didn’t expect them to be so good. I was like, ‘Man, if someone is going keep them for the end, we might have a battle.’”

Power returns to the Portland podium

For Will Power, 3rd place marked another strong result at a circuit that has become one of the highlights of his career.

The Andretti driver started P3 and briefly slipped back on the opening lap before recovering his position. He eventually moved into P2 during the pit-stop cycle and even reclaimed the lead late in the race before making his final stop on Lap 88.

Power admitted afterward that a missed pit call cost him a chance to fight for the victory.

Still, the result gave Power his 111th career IndyCar podium and his 5th podium at Portland International Raceway.

“It was a very good day for the team,” Power said after the race. “I don’t think we quite had the pace of the top two guys, but it was probably a 10th [of a second] or two off.”

“I think we would have had a better shot at Rosenqvist because the reds (alternate tires) were really good at the first part of the stint,” Power said. “I never heard it (call to pits). I think I missed a call there. We certainly lost a lot on that next lap.”

Rosenqvist settles for P2

Rosenqvist had started the weekend in perfect fashion by taking pole, but the race did not ultimately fall his way.

The Swede remained Palou’s closest challenger and finished second, 4.117 seconds behind the eventual winner. Despite missing out on victory, the podium represented another strong weekend for Meyer Shank Racing and capped a weekend in which Rosenqvist demonstrated front-running pace from qualifying onward.

“The overcut was just so powerful,” Rosenqvist said. “I also struggled a little bit on my launch (exiting the pit box). That’s basically what did it. He got ahead of us.”

Andretti puts three in the top six

Andretti Global emerged as one of the weekend’s biggest winners among the teams.

Power finished p3, Kyle Kirkwood in the No. 27 Honda recovered from 7th on the grid to finish P7, and Marcus Ericsson in the No. 28 Honda followed in P6. All three Andretti Hondas finished inside the top six.

Kirkwood’s 5th place finish was particularly notable. After finishing 20th at Portland a year ago, he overcame an early tire issue and pit-lane problems to score his best career result at the circuit.

Ericsson also showed impressive pace early, moving from 4th to 2nd within the opening 5 laps and setting the race’s fastest lap at 117.240 mph before ultimately settling for P6.

The race was also a frustrating one for Marcus Armstrong, whose Meyer Shank Racing No. 66 Honda suffered another apparent engine-related retirement. Armstrong’s DNF came after just over 20 laps, making it his 3rd retirement in the last 4 races because of an engine issue.

Another step toward history

Portland was billed as the opening round of IndyCar’s grueling 6 race stretch in 5 weeks, and Palou could hardly have asked for a better start.

He arrived as the championship leader and left Oregon with an even larger advantage, another victory and another reminder of just how difficult he will be to beat over the closing rounds of the season.

For everyone chasing the championship, the message from Portland was clear:

Palou isn’t slowing down.

And with the championship race entering its decisive stretch, the rest of the field will have to find an answer quickly.

Up Next: The inaugural Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham on Sunday, Aug. 16 on the streets of Markham, Ontario.