After the Nashville race, where we saw Alex Palou return to victory lane after a few races away from the top step and Marcus Ericsson announce a new contract, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES enters the final five weeks of racing. The series now heads to Portland International Raceway for the OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland, as the championship battle continues to heat up with just five races remaining.
Practice One: Palou Leads the Way in Portland
Álex Palou started the weekend by topping Practice One at Portland International Raceway. The championship leader set a 58.5716-second lap in his No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to finish ahead of Kyle Kirkwood and Rinus VeeKay. Will Power followed in fourth, with Louis Foster completing the top five.
Palou set his fastest time on the primary Firestone tyres, while Kirkwood showed strong pace on the alternate compound. Louis Foster faced an early technical issue with his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda but returned to the track and finished fifth.
Marcus Armstrong and Pato O’Ward both ran wide at Turn 1 and hit the barriers, damaging the right-front corners of their cars. Less than half a second separated the top 10, suggesting qualifying would produce a close battle. Palou therefore began the Portland weekend with an early advantage.
Practice Two: Armstrong Tops the Timesheets
Marcus Armstrong set the fastest time in Practice Two at Portland International Raceway as drivers completed their final preparations for the race. The Meyer Shank Racing driver led Álex Palou, who continued his strong weekend after topping Practice One. Armstrong showed strong pace as teams focused on qualifying setups and longer race runs.
Palou remained among the front-runners, while the rest of the field worked through their final setup changes before qualifying. The session gave drivers one last chance to test their cars and find improvements before the fight for pole position.
Armstrong’s pace gave Meyer Shank Racing another encouraging result in Portland. With qualifying still to come, the session suggested the team had the speed to challenge at the front. Palou also looked competitive heading into qualifying as he continued his push for more points in the championship battle.
Collet and Malukas handed six-place grid penalties at Portland
INDYCAR Officiating has handed the No. 4 AJ Foyt Racing entry and No. 12 Team Penske a six-place starting grid penalty for Sunday’s OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland. Collet’s No. 4 received the penalty for an unapproved engine change following the July 20 race, while Malukas’ No. 12 was penalised after making two unapproved engine changes during the Nashville race weekend.
Under INDYCAR regulations, these engine changes are classified as unapproved, resulting in grid penalties for the next race. Both entries will therefore drop six spots from their qualifying positions at Portland International Raceway on Sunday, August 9, adding another challenge as they fight for crucial championship points.
Qualifying: Rosenqvist Takes Pole in Portland
Felix Rosenqvist secured pole position for the OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland after a close qualifying session. The Meyer Shank Racing driver produced a strong final lap to beat championship leader Álex Palou to the top spot. Rosenqvist claimed his second pole of the 2026 season, while Palou secured second and placed himself on the front row for Sunday’s race.
Kyle Kirkwood continued his strong weekend by qualifying third, while Rinus VeeKay and Will Power completed the top five. Rosenqvist’s performance gave Meyer Shank Racing another strong result, in a season where he has already won the Indianapolis 500.
Palou entered the session looking to strengthen his championship position, but Rosenqvist denied him pole by producing the faster lap. The result set up an exciting front row for the Portland race, with Rosenqvist starting alongside the championship leader.
Qualifying result
| Pos. | Driver | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Felix Rosenqvist | 58.4828 |
| 2 | Álex Palou | 58.5012 |
| 3 | Will Power | 58.5130 |
| 4 | Marcus Ericsson | 58.6729 |
| 5 | Rinus VeeKay | 58.7701 |
| 6 | Kyffin Simpson | 59.0841 |
| 7 | Kyle Kirkwood | 58.8303 |
| 8 | Graham Rahal | 58.8465 |
| 9 | David Malukas | 58.8690 |
| 10 | Dennis Hauger | 58.8787 |
| 11 | Romain Grosjean | 58.9425 |
| 12 | Scott Dixon | 59.2023 |
| 13 | Louis Foster | 58.5764 |
| 14 | Scott McLaughlin | 58.7829 |
| 15 | Josef Newgarden | 58.5819 |
| 16 | Nolan Siegel | 58.8757 |
| 17 | Pato O’Ward | 58.5825 |
| 18 | Caio Collet | 58.9054 |
| 19 | Alexander Rossi | 58.5928 |
| 20 | Christian Rasmussen | 58.9069 |
| 21 | Marcus Armstrong | 58.6089 |
| 22 | Santino Ferrucci | 58.9183 |
| 23 | Mick Schumacher | 58.7043 |
| 24 | Sting Ray Robb | 59.0258 |
| 25 | Christian Lundgaard | 59.5423 |
OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland Race
The green flag started the 110-lap OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland, with Felix Rosenqvist leading Álex Palou and Marcus Ericsson. Rosenqvist defended his position as Palou immediately applied pressure. Kyle Kirkwood moved into sixth after passing Kyffin Simpson, while Christian Lundgaard gained several positions during the opening lap.
Ericsson Challenges for Second
On lap five, Ericsson passed Palou for second and closed in on Rosenqvist. Two laps later, Graham Rahal crashed into the barriers between Turns 11 and 12, which brought out the caution. The race restarted on lap 10, and Rosenqvist quickly pulled away from the field. Romain Grosjean battled Louis Foster for 10th and eventually completed the pass.
Malukas received a penalty on lap 12, dropping him two positions back after officials judged that he blocked Alexander Rossi. Lundgaard continued to move through the field and gained 12 places by lap 13. Drivers then started making their first pit stops between laps 14 and 24, while others continued to battle for position.
Rosenqvist Stays Out as Pit Strategy Begins
Rosenqvist stayed out on lap 25 as several of his main rivals entered the pits. He continued to lead while more drivers completed their stops. Rosenqvist finally stopped on lap 31, with Palou following him into the pits one lap later. Josef Newgarden moved into the lead during the pit cycle before he made his own stop. Palou returned to the lead on lap 37 after Newgarden pitted. Marcus Armstrong then retired after a mechanical problem ended his race.
Palou and Rosenqvist Fight for the Lead
The drivers continued to make pit stops and fight for positions through the middle stages. Louis Foster passed Scott Dixon on lap 56 as the midfield battle continued. Rosenqvist returned to the lead on lap 58 after Palou made another pit stop. However, Palou’s strategy kept him in contention for victory.
Palou Controls the Closing Laps
The final stages featured more overtakes and pit stops throughout the field. Palou eventually moved back ahead of Rosenqvist and controlled the closing laps. Palou won the race after leading 60 of the 110 laps. Rosenqvist finished second, while Will Power completed the podium. Rosenqvist led 33 laps during the race.
Driver of the Day
Álex Palou earned Driver of the Day after delivering an outstanding performance in Portland and executing a strategy that ultimately secured his sixth win of the 2026 season. His race strategist, Barry Wanser, played a key role in the calls that helped Palou manage his tyres and create enough of a gap to his rivals.
Palou admitted that the pace of the soft tyres surprised the team, especially over longer runs. He explained that the team recognised an opportunity to use the pace of the tyres to build a gap before traffic became a problem.
“Pretty much nobody expected those reds and soft tyres to be that fast and to be that good, especially on so many laps.”
Palou also highlighted the importance of the strategy call from Wanser and Julian. The team told him that traffic could become an issue, so he used the extra pace to open a gap.
“It was a time to try and open the gap. It worked incredible.”
The strategy even created a humorous moment during the race. Palou originally asked the team for hard tyres for his second stint, but Wanser and the team changed the plan and put him on the soft compound instead.
“They asked me, ‘Do you want reds or blacks?’ I said, ‘Blacks.’ Then they said, ‘We’re going to put reds.’ I was like, ‘All right.’”
Wanser explained that the team initially planned to use the hard tyres before changing its decision. Palou compared the exchange to a conversation at home, joking that it reminded him of asking his wife Esther what she wanted for dinner.
The decision ultimately worked in Palou’s favour. The soft tyres gave him the pace he needed, while the strategy allowed him to control the race and pull away from his closest rivals. His performance, combined with Wanser’s strategic calls, made Palou the clear choice for Driver of the Day.
OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland Top Ten
- Álex Palou
- Felix Rosenqvist
- Will Power
- Rinus VeeKay
- Kyle Kirkwood
- Marcus Ericsson
- Scott McLaughlin
- Josef Newgarden
- Christian Lundgaard
- Kyffin Simpson
Tyre Strategy
The race featured a three-stop tyre strategy, although several drivers chose to make four stops. The soft tyres struggled in the warm conditions, while the hard tyres performed best throughout the weekend. Teams therefore focused on managing tyre life and using the harder compound to maximise their race pace.
How it affects the championship
The Portland result changed the championship battle between Kyle Kirkwood and David Malukas. Kirkwood finished ahead of Malukas, which moved him into second place in the standings. However, he’s still behind Álex Palou by 110 points. The Spaniard continues to strengthen his championship lead and moves closer to securing his fifth title.
Feature Image Credit: Penske Entertainment by Travis Hinkle
Edited by Francesca
About The Author
Leave a Reply