Alex Palou Dominates Portland to Edge Toward Fifth Championship

Alex Palou wins the OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland, extending his INDYCAR SERIES lead to 110 points with five races remaining, after a measured, pace-controlled drive for Chip Ganassi Racing.

The No. 10 DHL Honda takes a sixth victory of 2026 and the 25th of his career, beating Felix Rosenqvist by 4.1167s, with Will Power third on Andretti Global debut.

Rosenqvist starts from the front after securing the NTT P1 Award, while Palou arrives in form following productive running in Portland practice.

Strategy defines the race, with leaders opening on durable Firestone primaries and building stints around clean air, tire life, and traffic on the 1.964-mile layout.

Rosenqvist and Power stop on lap 31. Palou and strategist Barry Wanser extend one lap, bolt on alternates, and overcut into position, reclaiming the lead after Josef Newgarden’s offset stop.

From there, Palou controls the tempo, extracting pace without abusing the rears. “Everybody at CGR and Honda did an incredible job. I had an absolute rocket ship today,” he says.

Palou opens the second cycle on lap 56, switching to scuffed primaries. Rosenqvist counters three laps later on alternates, using grip to close within a second by lap 80.

Palou uses backmarker Louis Foster as a buffer to reset tyre temperatures and build margin to 1.7s, then final-stops on lap 82 for primaries, protecting track position to the flag.

Power’s race hinges on a mistimed tyre call. He pits late for alternates, losing undercut potential. “I missed a call,” he says, though he won two Portland races with Penske.

Rinus VeeKay claims fourth for Juncos Hollinger, while Kyle Kirkwood takes fifth for Andretti Global. Kirkwood remains Palou’s nearest chaser, albeit 110 points adrift with five events left.

The gap equates to more than two wins under INDYCAR’s points system, placing emphasis on error-free execution rather than risk. Yet traffic, cautions, and tyre variance can compress margins quickly.

Focus now shifts to the inaugural Ontario Honda Dealers Indy in Markham on August 16, with teams benchmarking street-course packages and rivals refining setups, including Arrow McLaren’s evolving form.

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Brian Thompson

Brian Thompson focuses on IndyCar Series news, from qualifying speeds at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to street-course race strategy. He delivers concise feature stories and technical breakdowns on chassis setups, tire choices, and championship standings for open-wheel enthusiasts.