Pato O'Ward wins second Milwaukee race, Alex Palou 2026 IndyCar champion

Alex Palou's pursuit of a fifth consecutive IndyCar title faced a temporary setback at The Milwaukee Mile. After starting from the pole in the second race of Sunday's doubleheader, the Spaniard, driving the #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, controlled the pace for 115 laps out of the 250. However, late-race handling issues and dense traffic prevented him from securing the title early.

Relegated to fifth place, Palou's primary championship rival, Kyle Kirkwood, charged all the way from 24th on the grid to finish sixth in his #27 Andretti Global Honda. Despite this, Palou's championship lead widened from 91 points to 97 heading into Sunday evening's rain-delayed first race of the weekend. With only a 54-point cushion remaining, Palou needs to exit Milwaukee with this margin to clinch the crown.

The driver acknowledged struggling with the car's pace towards the end of the race, attributing his fifth-place finish to not having enough speed and the challenging traffic conditions. However, he remains confident about the upcoming nightcap, stating it's a good opportunity to get that championship and mentioning that they will try to fix the car to make it faster.