Bobby Travis · NASCAR/IndyCar-Korrespondent
The Spaniard leads the title race with a comfortable margin, but Penske and Andretti Global are looking to apply pressure in Oregon.
The final stretch of the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season begins, and it kicks off at a track that feels like a second home to Álex Palou. The OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland, the 13th of 18 season races, ushers in a brutal schedule: six races across five weekends with no time to catch your breath, no time for major repairs after a crash. On the 3.16-kilometer Roadcourse at Portland International Raceway, every point counts in a title fight where dropped points can sting for a long time.
Palou's Lead and the Pressure on His Pursuers
Palou has 457 points to his name, five season wins, six poles. His advantage over David Malukas stands at 83 points, 87 over Kyle Kirkwood, and 104 over Christian Lundgaard. That's the kind of gap that mathematically keeps a championship alive but psychologically already looks decided.
For the chasers, there's only one option: take risks, and do it now. Malukas, Kirkwood, and Lundgaard can't afford another weekend sitting back and waiting for the points leader to slip up. Palou drives on familiar ground in Portland, four podiums from five starts, victories in 2021 and 2023. If his Honda package performs like it has lately, he could secure the decision here, well before the season winds down in the fall.
Who Can Actually Threaten Palou
Team Penske remains the most successful team in Portland history with nine victories, and those numbers are no accident. David Malukas pilots car number 12, the same machine Will Power won with in Portland in 2024 and 2025. A first IndyCar win for Malukas wouldn't be a surprise but the logical result of a strong package. Scott McLaughlin, Portland winner in 2022, belongs among the most reliable drivers in the field on flat street courses anyway.
Will Power himself is no longer with Penske but now races for Andretti Global, still chasing his first season win in 2026. A third consecutive Portland victory would put him alongside Michael Andretti as the only driver with back-to-back-to-back wins in Oregon, a mark with real historical weight. At Arrow McLaren, Christian Lundgaard and Pato O'Ward have shown strong form on road courses for weeks. Lundgaard desperately needs a win to stay realistically in the title hunt, and Portland is exactly the kind of track where he can deliver.
The Shelton Chicane Decides, Everything Else Is Tire Management
To win in Portland, you first have to survive the opening lap. The Shelton Chicane right after the long main straight is the bottleneck of the entire weekend: 25 drivers arrive at high speed, squeeze through a tight right-left combination, and first-lap incidents with early cautions are practically tradition here. Getting through this section cleanly already puts you ahead.
After that, it becomes a test of patience. With only two real passing zones, the braking area into Turn 1 and the hard brake point before Turn 7, pit strategy determines the race more than pure speed. Tire degradation over 110 laps forces teams into precise timing on stops, and a wrong window can cost several positions without a single steering mistake. It's this exact combination of early chaos and later calculations that actually plays into Palou's hands, but leaves Malukas, Power, and Lundgaard enough openings to keep it interesting before the IndyCar Series enters its final, grueling phase.
