Pato O’Ward claimed his second victory of the season Sunday by edging Scott McLaughlin at the Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 in West Allis, Wis.
The native of Mexico is in a rare position to win two races in one day after Saturday’s Snap-on Makers and Fixers 250 was interrupted by heavy rain and postponed to a Sunday finish. O’Ward was in the lead when the race was suspended, and it will conclude Sunday evening at 5 p.m. local time.
“We were feeling really good yesterday, man,” O’Ward said post-race. “I believe it’s an all-Team Chevy podium. That’s amazing. We like Milwaukee. Yesterday, car, like I said, was feeling really good.
“It took me a little bit to kind of find a rhythm. The track was a little bit hotter today, and it definitely makes these things a little bit more on the edge. But I used it up when we needed.”
O’Ward took the lead for good on Lap 196 when Santino Ferrucci pitted and held it for the final 55 laps. He beat New Zealand’s McLaughlin to the checkers by 0.7916 seconds, and his Arrow McLaren teammate Christian Lundgaard of Denmark was third.
David Malukas finished fourth, and Spanish star Alex Palou rounded out the top five. There’s a chance Palou could clinch his fourth straight IndyCar Series championship and his fifth in six years before the end of the night.
Palou is 97 points ahead of second-place Kyle Kirkwood with only two races remaining: the delayed Milwaukee race and the season finale in Monterey, Calif., next Sunday. Per IndyCar, he only needs to hold a 54-point lead after the other race is completed to be assured of the title.
“We were going for the win today and didn’t really have enough pace,” Palou said after the regularly scheduled race. “Good opportunity tonight to get that championship. We know it’s going to be tough, but we’re going to try and fix the car a little bit and try to see if we can make it faster.”
–Field Level Media
