Bobby Travis · NASCAR/IndyCar Correspondent
A rain-soaked weekend at the historic Milwaukee Mile delivered a feat no IndyCar driver has accomplished since Rick Mears in 1981, and a champion who secured his crown before the season finale.
Pato O'Ward pulled off something extraordinary on the weekend of August 29-30, 2026, at Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wisconsin, that no IndyCar driver has managed since 1981: two victories on the same calendar day. The Arrow McLaren driver won both the Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 and the Snap-on Makers and Fixers 250, which was postponed from Saturday to Sunday evening due to heavy rain. While O'Ward made history, Álex Palou secured his fifth IndyCar championship with a tenth-place finish in the first race, clinching the title before the season finale at Laguna Seca.
Practice and Qualifying Form
The opening practice session offered no clear frontrunner. Josef Newgarden set the quickest time in the Team Penske car, but Dennis Hauger from Dale Coyne Racing made an impressive showing in second, a position he rarely occupied during the season. Álex Palou rounded out the top three, signaling that Chip Ganassi Racing would be competitive on the flat mile oval.
Qualifying for race one shifted momentum toward Penske and Arrow McLaren. Scott McLaughlin grabbed pole position ahead of Palou, who lost it to a penalty for an engine change, with David Malukas and Pato O'Ward also in the mix and Newgarden rounding out the top five. For race two, Palou turned the tables and took pole himself, narrowly ahead of O'Ward and Newgarden on third. The sessions revealed just how tight the top group would remain all weekend, while the midfield battles began to take shape for Sunday.
Race One: Comebacks, Cautions, and Palou's Coronation
The Snap-on Makers and Fixers 250 told a story before the opening restart. After 90 laps on Saturday, heavy rain forced officials to throw the red flag, pushing the race restart to Sunday evening. When action resumed with roughly 24 laps remaining, O'Ward made the most of his starting position of fourth, diving hard on the inside at the restart, passing both Malukas and McLaughlin, and never surrendering the lead. He crossed the line 1.7535 seconds ahead of Malukas.
The field behind told tales of winners and losers. Rinus VeeKay charged from 19th to third, his best result of the season, while Christian Rasmussen climbed from 18th to fifth. Nolan Siegel also made gains from 25th to 13th. Conversely, Dennis Hauger, who looked sharp in practice and qualified seventh, lost significant ground to finish 21st. Will Power hit the wall in turn four on lap 200, sliding from sixth on the grid to 25th, while Caio Collet crashed on lap 211 and finished 24th. Drama intensified when Romain Grosjean collided with rookie Mick Schumacher on lap 150, sending the Rahal driver into a spin. Schumacher was direct afterward:
he said.
he continued. Despite the frustration, Schumacher fought back to 12th.
The race's real bombshell wasn't a position change but a number on the points sheet. Palou's 10th-place finish gave him the mathematical championship, his fifth title and fourth consecutive. He joins Sébastien Bourdais as the only other driver with four consecutive championships and, at 29, becomes the youngest driver ever to win five titles in series history, now third on the all-time list behind A.J. Foyt and Scott Dixon.
Race Two: O'Ward's History-Making Afternoon
Before the rescheduled conclusion of race one, O'Ward had already won the Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 on Sunday, starting from second and staying just behind poleman Palou throughout. Race two followed the same script: O'Ward dominated again, ahead of Scott McLaughlin and Christian Lundgaard, with Malukas fourth, capping an impressive weekend for both Arrow McLaren and Penske.
The midfield delivered the weekend's most eye-catching drive. Kyle Kirkwood climbed from 24th to sixth, a gain of 18 positions. Santino Ferrucci also moved up ten spots from 22nd. On the decline side, Josef Newgarden started third and failed to finish, classified 25th, while his Penske teammate Power managed only 14th from fifth. Schumacher, memorable from race one, dropped from fourth to 13th. Romain Grosjean, who collided with Schumacher earlier in the weekend, crashed out on lap 35 of this race and didn't reach the finish.
With Palou's championship locked up, the big story of the weekend is already decided before the season ends. What remains to play for at Laguna Seca is mainly the order behind the champion and whether Arrow McLaren can carry Milwaukee's momentum forward through O'Ward and Lundgaard, while Team Penske needs to answer questions after a weekend of two dnf's from strong grid positions.
