Alex Palou Clinches IndyCar Championship At Portland With 2 Races Left

Alex Palou finished third in the IndyCar Grand Prix of Portland on Sunday, but four was the magic number.

That’s because the result secured him enough points to clinch his fourth IndyCar championship in five years.

The title became all but certain when pole-sitter Pato O’Ward, the only other driver who still had a mathematical chance to catch him, ran into technical issues early in the race and fell several laps down.

“Couldn’t be happier right now, this has been an amazing season, an amazing five years with CGR [Chip Ganassi Racing], I have no words to describe how grateful I am to everybody at CGR, especially Chip,” Palou said on Fox after the race.

Will Power won the race to pick up Team Penske’s first win of the season and make a statement as he has not yet signed a contract to stay in his seat next year. Christian Lundgaard rounded out the podium finishers in third.

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Palou’s season has included an Indy 500 win and he still has a shot at making history with two races left in the season, because he has eight wins and the all-time record is 10, which is held by A.J. Foyt and Al Unser Sr., while Mario Andretti won nine in 1969, the year of his lone Indy 500 victory.