Power wins at Portland with defensive masterclass

Power led 78 laps of the 110-lap race distance, holding off McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard and champion-elect Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing.

The win couldn’t come at a better time for the Australian, who is off-contract and the subject of intense speculation about his future.

It’s the first win for Power in a year. Coincidentally, his last triumph came at Portland in 2024.

“I think it’s just a big win for all the team,” said Power.

“We’ve had a rough year, and it’s not really because we’ve been off the pace. It’s just been unfortunate circumstances. I’ve had two engine failures and tyre failures.

“Good hard-fought win. We split that strategy at the beginning. We picked a strategy to run hard, pull enough of a gap.

“It was a bit dicey at the end there, but just stoked. I’ve had a great career with Verizon and Penske. I really enjoy winning for the guys and everyone I’ve worked with for a long time.

“It’s awesome.”

Will Power wins at Portland! pic.twitter.com/iQHPrZadT3

— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) August 10, 2025

Third place was enough for Palou to clinch his fourth IndyCar title on a day where his only title rival Pato O’Ward suffered technical difficulties and finished 10 laps down.

The Spaniard clinched the crown with two races to spare.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Palou of his title triumph.

“It’s crazy. I couldn’t be happier right now. This has been an amazing season, an amazing five years with CGR.

“I have no words to describe how grateful I am for everyone at CGR, especially Chip [Ganassi], our partners, and all our fans.

“All our fans who have been supporting us throughout the season, throughout these seasons. To everybody that is new, welcome to the ride.

“This has been an amazing year and I cannot wait for more.”

👀 What a save by Alex Palou! pic.twitter.com/Z9pgSNPckQ

— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) August 10, 2025

Palou looked like he might threaten to win the shooting match but for Lundgaard, who fought as hard to keep second place as Power did to keep the lead.

Palou’s battle with Lundgaard climaxed when the #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda wound up off the road after side-by-side contact with the #7 McLaren Chevy.

“Today, it was a shame that we couldn’t really end it with another win, but we fought for it,” said Palou.

“I gave it everything I had. I tried everything to try and overtake Lundgaard but I couldn’t make it today.”

From pole position, O’Ward led the field into the chicane. The field made it through the dogleg without incident. However, it wasn’t long before the yellow flew. At the end of Lap 2, Santino Ferrucci spun out of the final turn and clouted the concrete wall.

The race resumed on Lap 8 with O’Ward ahead of Felix Rosenqvist, Power, Palou, and David Malukas. Marcus Armstrong was eighth, Scott McLaughlin was ninth, and Scott Dixon 11th.

It was a frenetic restart, punctuated by a spin for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Louis Foster off the nose of Kyffin Simpson. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver was given a penalty for the contact. Before the end of Lap 8, the yellow was drawn again and racing resumed on Lap 11.

Shod with soft tyres, McLaughlin began to make headway and by Lap 12 was up to seventh. He ran as high as third but ultimately settled for seventh.

Hard hit for Conor Daly. pic.twitter.com/IzDpOdplSC

— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) August 10, 2025

On Lap 13, Christian Rasmussen and Conor Daly locked horns out of Turn 7. Daly tried to go around the outside of Rasmussen and it ended with them both off the road.

Two laps later, they clashed again at the high speed chicane. This time, Daly was tipped into a spin and slammed the Turn 11 tyre barrier.

The yellow was drawn for the third time, prompting several cars to come to the pit lane led by race leader O’Ward.

On the hard compound tyre, Power elected not to pit. Palou stayed out, as did McLaughlin as the first driver on soft tyres. O’Ward dropped to 13th.

Power led the field to green on Lap 21 and the race stayed green until the very end.

O’Ward’s hopes were dashed when his car cried no more on Lap 21. The car suddenly slowed out of Turn 11 and the Mexican plummeted to the back as he limped to the pits.

McLaughlin was the first to complete his second pit stop on Lap 34. A lap later, Power followed suit with an 11-second lead over the hard-shod Palou.

That proved decisive as Power came out ahead of an angry group of cars. The Australian never ceded the effective lead of the race, staying ahead of Lundgaard until the very end of the contest.

Power did have to battle with traffic, which brought Lundgaard and Palou into the contest. Despite their best efforts, neither could find a way past.

After the podium finishers came Graham Rahal who was the quiet achiever in fourth for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Callum Illot was sixth for Prema ahead of McLaughlin.

Josef Newgarden goes for a spin thanks to Scott Dixon. pic.twitter.com/9e0AdcP1en

— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) August 10, 2025

Armstrong finished eighth behind his Kiwi compatriot for Meyer Shank Racing, who was trailed by his teammate Rosenqvist. Colton Herta rounded out the top 10 as the leading Andretti Global driver.

Scott Dixon may have finished higher if not for contact with Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden that sent the #2 car spinning. Dixon in the #9 was given a drive-through penalty and finished 11th while Newgarden was classified 24th and one lap down.

IndyCar continues on August 25 (AEST) at the Milwaukee Mile before ending at Nashville Superspeedway on September 1 (AEST).

Results: IndyCar Series Grand Prix of Portland, Portland International Raceway