Pato O’Ward did something at The Milwaukee Mile this past weekend that we haven’t seen in INDYCAR since 1981. He swept both races of a wild doubleheader, a shocking performance given his season had been largely a disappointment up to this point. That double win rocketed him right back into these power rankings, showing just how much his season needed this kind of jolt.
Milwaukee’s Wild Schedule, O’Ward’s Historic Sweep, and Palou’s Unstoppable Reign
The Milwaukee Mile doubleheader was truly wild from the jump. INDYCAR had to start Saturday’s race, then suspend it because of rain. They ran an entire race early Sunday afternoon, *then* finished the Saturday race in the early evening on Sunday. Talk about a scheduling headache! But through it all, O’Ward was on another level. He became the first driver to win two races in one day since the series had those regularly scheduled “twin” sprint races way back when. This is a massive turnaround for O’Ward, who had four finishes outside the top 10 in his last six starts before Milwaukee. What a comeback.
Meanwhile, Alex Palou just locked up the INDYCAR title again. Are you kidding me with this dude? That’s his fifth crown, adding to titles in 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2025. He’s clinched his fourth consecutive championship and his fifth in the last six years. It’s no surprise he’s still right up there in these power rankings. One day someone will knock him off the top spot, but honestly, it’s impossible to see when that will happen.
Chaos and Contenders: The Rest of the Milwaukee Story
It wasn’t all glory for everyone at Milwaukee. Will Power had a nightmare. He got hit with a pit-road speeding penalty in the Sunday race and then wrecked trying to get past Nolan Siegel in the finale Sunday night. Josef Newgarden also wrecked in the Sunday race, but at least he rebounded to finish seventh in the finale. He was not happy with his car at the short oval, and you can tell. Marcus Ericsson had a ninth and an eighth in the two races, which isn’t exactly setting the world on fire, but they were respectable days. He also ended up being the best Andretti Global car in the finale, after already having a win and a fourth in his last two starts.
Rinus VeeKay finally broke through, grabbing his first podium on an oval with a third-place finish Sunday evening. That wasn’t a total shocker, though, after he finished seventh and led 25 laps in the Sunday afternoon race. Over on Kyle Kirkwood’s side, his weekend got off to a rough start with a wreck in practice, dropping him to third in the standings after finishes of sixth and 15th. David Malukas had a solid weekend with a fourth and a second, but that second place stung, losing the lead on the last restart in the finale. Still, that gives him eight top-five finishes this year. Scott McLaughlin also brought home a second and a fourth. For a guy who hasn’t won in two years, six top-five finishes mean he’s definitely knocking on the door. Christian Lundgaard’s third and sixth were impressive, especially for someone whose oval performance has been questioned. Kyffin Simpson, however, dropped right out of the rankings after being eighth last week. Keep an eye on Scott Dixon, Louis Foster, and Kyffin Simpson, who are all “on the verge.”
The season finale is Sunday at Laguna Seca, a road course in Monterey, Calif. While Palou’s already clinched the big prize, every driver is still fighting for position, and after a weekend like Milwaukee, you know there’s more chaos to come.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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