Yesterday, rain postponed Race 1 of the Milwaukee Mile. Initially, the resumption was due to occur ahead of Race 2. However, rain once again delayed it. Finally, after over 24 hours, the SNAP ON Makers and Fixers 250 got going once again. Off the back of winning Race 2, Pato O’Ward led the field as racing commenced from Lap 91. Ultimately, the No. 5 took back-to-back wins in Milwaukee as Álex Palou seized a fifth INDYCAR championship.
Picking Up Where It Was Left
To get started, moisture was in the air. But with no rain falling, Race Control opted to resume the race under caution. With a questionable forecast for the evening, all the drivers had to do was reach half distance. Whilst INDYCAR would try to complete the full distance, 126 laps would allow them to classify the race results.
Upon resumption, O’Ward led ahead of Felix Rosenqvist and Alexander Rossi. When the track finally went green, O’Ward kept his lead. Capitalising on his performance in Race 2, Christian Lundgaard made up places on the restart, jumping up to third and chasing down Rosenqvist.
Lap 120 saw the leaders head to pit lane. O’Ward kept ahead of the pack, but the stops saw Lundgaard leapfrog Rosenqvist. Consequently, the duo began a battle for second, with the Arrow McLaren driver coming out on top. Using fresher tyres at the restart, David Malukas opted to stay out for extra lap, inheriting the lead ahead of Marcus Armstrong, another driver yet to pit.
A Dual Race for Penske
Whilst Malukas led on an alternate strategy, Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin were falling behind. Both Team Penske drivers suffered steering issues, leading them to have less than ideal grip. After crashing in Race 2, the woes continued for Newgarden. Suffering with the grip issues, he was also losing pace, falling out of the Top 10 and into the clutches of the field.
Malukas eventually headed down pit lane on Lap 144. A quick stop kept him in the mix, coming out of the pits and remaining on the lead lap. He made quick work of the surrounding cars and within a few laps, Malukas was back in the top ten.
Now back in the lead, O’Ward ran high. Running through the marbles, the Mexican had to correct his steering to avoid a crash. Fortunately, he got his No. 5 Arrow McLaren under control but the moment saw his teammate get closer to him on track.
Pit Lane Blunder for Kirkwood
Lap 152 saw another caution when Mick Schumacher lost control, spinning out on the front straight. In the dirty air of his Dennis Hauger, the No. 47 lost the rear of his car. Fortunately, he was able to keep it out of the barrier. This caution period was costly for Kirkwood, who dived into the pitlane as the incident was happening. Consequently, the pit lane closed and Kirkwood was unable to box. This dropped him further back in the field.
A few laps later, pit lane re-opened. As everyone boxed, Armstrong got back on target and came out fifth. The pits saw Malukas cycle to the front. Whilst O’Ward had an issue in the pits, he still made it out ahead of his teammate.
On the restart, Will Power made it straight past Lundgaard as Rosenqvist overtook his teammate. Also mimicking his performance from earlier in the day was Rinus VeeKay, who was steadily making his way through the field. Whilst O’Ward was making quick work of the lapped cars, the delay allowed Malukas to create a gap.
Cautions Breed Cautions
Power and Lundgaard were the first to take their final stop on Lap 193. This created a domino effect with most of the grid coming in. Palou was one of the first group, and was on the radio requesting a front wing adjustment to reduce the understeer. With a seven second lead, Malukas waited to pit, and when he did, he remained ahead of O’Ward.
After the final stops were complete, another caution was brought out. With everyone fighting for position as the race entered its final phase, Power got wide and into the marbles. He drove into the wall, sustaining damage and heading to the pits. During this caution period, the sweepers came onto track to clear it up and improve the grip.
Armstrong had a strong restart, jumping up to fourth. A lap later, Lundgaard retook the position and just places behind, Christian Rasmussen was battled with Palou. Green running didn’t last long though, with Caio Collet finding the wall after contact with Newgarden and bringing out another caution.
During this caution, Kirkwood and some drivers further back opted to take another stop. Hoping to use the fresher tyres on the restart to push through the field, reminiscent of Rasmussen’s win her in 2025.
O’ Ward Wins at the Milwaukee Mile
With under 30 laps remaining, Race Control moved the lapped cars to the rear of the grid, leaving the leaders to fight one on one. O’Ward and McLaughlin swallowed Malukas up on the restart, and whilst the No. 12 could defend from his teammate, he had to concede to the No. 5. Unfortunately, Hauger was deemed out of line at the restart and was given a drive-through penalty.
Coming across the lapped cars saw Malukas lose time to O’Ward, giving the Race 2 winner a clear lead. As he was stretching his gap out front, the fight for the podium was still on. With three laps remaining, VeeKay mounted a move on McLaughlin, taking his first podium with Juncos Hollinger Racing. Ultimately, O’Ward took two race wins within hours of each other.
Five INDYCAR Championships for Palou
Despite only finishing tenth, Álex Palou put an end to the championship fight. Finishing ahead of Kirkwood saw his lead extend, clinching the championship ahead of the final round in Laguna Seca. Consequently, the Spaniard becomes the first driver since Sébastien Bourdais to achieve four championships back-to-back. Five INDYCAR championships reiterates Palou’s talent as generational and continues to push the question: what can stop him?
“I owe everything to this team and everybody at Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda, DHL, all our partners. [It’s] So incredible. Today was a really bad race for us, we were suffering all the time, but I was like ‘just keep focused, keep on going’. Great to have another another championship and [I’m] ready for the next one.”
~ Palou to Jack Harvey, FOX Sports, post-race.
Up next is INDYCAR’s final outing in 2026. Heading to the West Coast, drivers end the season at the iconic Laguna Seca. Whilst the title has been decided, there’s plenty to fight for in the last race. Tune in next week to see the conclusion of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES.