PORTLAND, Ore. — Alex Palou started the Grand Prix of Portland from the pole, but his win didn’t come as easy as it sounds.
The IndyCar Series came to the Oregon road course for the third time in four years Sunday, and it is 3-for-3 in Turn 1 wrecks on the first lap. This time, Palou and Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon overshot the first corner, and Pato O’Ward — Palou’s rival for the title — took the lead.
The two CGR drivers were forced to relinquish their top positions when the yellow flag waved for melee in the midfield. Race control determined that they exceeded track limits, and they fell to the rear of the field. Both Dixon and Palou were dumbfounded by IndyCar’s decision to penalize them.
Dixon, a two-decade veteran and six-time champion of IndyCar, said that was one of the “craziest calls” he’s ever seen from the sanctioning body, while Palou said he’s going to seek out an explanation of why such a harsh punishment was enforced.
Alexander Rossi was also penalized and told to restart from 23rd. He, however, took solace in the fact that the top-three starters finished in the top three.
O’Ward started the day as the points leader with a 10-mark margin over Palou. He now trails him by 25 points with two races remaining. Both drivers are sophomores in the series, and they have a plethora of experience in open-wheel cars. O’Ward won the 2018 Indy Lights title and dabbled in European racing with Red Bull’s junior program before returning to North America. Palou was imported from Japan’s Super Formula series after the 2019 season.
Palou hadn’t won any sort of racing title in about six years when he was still in karting.
IndyCar says five drivers are still mathematically eligible for the Astor Cup. Along with Palou and O’Ward are Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden, Dixon, and CGR’s Marcus Ericcson. Newgarden is seeking his third title while Dixon looks for No. 7 to tie A.J. Foyt’s record. The former Formula 1 driver, Ericcson, has had a breakout season with two victories but trails Palou by 75 points.
The final two races of the 2021 campaign take place at Laguna Seca and the streets of Long Beach. The finale in Southern California will be a double-points paying event, so it isn’t impossible for anyone within 50 points (Dixon is 49 behind) to clinch a championship if the top-two have trouble in the next two weeks. Dixon famously won the 2015 championship by leapfrogging Juan Pablo Montoya in the standings at Sonoma Raceway.
Palou is in his first year with CGR. His rookie season was with Dale Coyne Racing, one of the series’ smallest teams. But he would probably tell you despite being on one of the IndyCar juggernaut organizations, this year has exceeded expectations with three victories, a runner-up in the Indianapolis 500, and a points lead with two races to go.
