Pato O’Ward and Alex Palou both entered the IndyCar history books on Sunday at The Milwaukee Mile. (Photo: Joe Skibinski | Penske Entertainment)
WEST ALLIS, Wis. – Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou both made history at The Milwaukee Mile, with the former winning two races in one day and the latter completing the four-peat to take home his fifth NTT IndyCar Series championship.
O’Ward started the Snap-On Makers and Fixers 250 at the 1.015-mile short oval by fending off Josef Newgarden to keep the lead. Later, the 27-year-old reclaimed the top spot from Felix Rosenqvist before the rain caused a long pause in Saturday’s Race 1, which ultimately finished up Sunday evening.
After taking the win in the Snap-On Milwaukee Mile 250, the Mexican driver continued where he left off, in the lead. Although David Malukas had his eye on his first career IndyCar win after leading 93 of 250 laps, O’Ward worked through lapped traffic to catch and later take the lead from the Team Penske driver on the last restart.
During the post-race press conference, O’Ward noted that he remained determined to make history, becoming the first driver to win two IndyCar races on the same day since Rick Mears in June 1981 at Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway.
“We were determined today,” O’Ward shared. “We were determined to keep ourselves in the fight, keep ourselves in the opportunity of anything that came our way that we could take advantage of.
“I’m super proud of everybody. Super proud of Team Chevy. It’s been a huge weekend for them. Obviously, very proud that I was able to bring two dubs for them. For Arrow McLaren, like I said, it’s been such a challenging year at the ovals for me. This closes it out exactly how I had it in my mind coming into the weekend.”
O'Ward Overtakes Malukas
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Palou takes home the gold
With a fifth IndyCar championship, Alex Palou is entering the GOAT conversation. (Photo: Chris Owens | Penske Entertainment)
As Pato O’Ward celebrated his back-to-back wins in the span of hours, Alex Palou claimed the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series title, clinching his fifth Astor Cup in six years.
Although he went home with the ultimate win this season, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver had to fight harder for it. With Kyle Kirkwood and David Malukas making strides in the championship battle, Palou remained the man on top.
After the Snap-On Makers and Fixers 250, the now five-time IndyCar champion could not find the words to describe his amazing feat
“I can’t. It’s very tough, man. It’s tough to put into words,” Palou said. “Everything that I owe to this team, to these two men (Chip Ganassi, team owner; Barry Wanser, strategist) sitting next to me, that they give me the opportunity to be not only a race winner, then a champion, now a five-time champion.
“It’s been incredible. I just feel like we just started yesterday. It just feels like we started yesterday. We’re just getting closer and closer. We’re having more fun and more fun each day. It’s been an absolute joy of a year. The last two years have been just magical for us.”
Palou Celebrates Title Clincher
Although Palou took the championship trophy home a week early, the epic season finale is only days away, as the NTT IndyCar Series returns to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca to end the 2026 season on the historic Corkscrew. Coverage of the Mission Grand Prix of Monterey starts Sunday, Sept. 6, at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
Results: 2026 Snap-On Makers and Fixers 250 at The Milwaukee Mile
