IndyCar: Will Takuma Sato make it two for two at Portland?

Takuma Sato won the IndyCar race at Portland International Raceway in his first attempt in the 2018 season. Will he make it two for two this weekend?

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Takuma Sato had never previously competed in an IndyCar race at Portland International Raceway prior to the 2018 season. In fact, many of the drivers who competed in the race at the track in September of 2018 had never competed in a race there before.

Only Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan’s Sebastien Bourdais had ever won an IndyCar race at the track heading into the 2018 season, and he had won two races there. He won the Champ Car races there in the 2004 and 2007 seasons when he was driving for Newman-Haas Racing.

Sato ended up winning the 105-lap race at the 12-turn, 1.967-mile (3.166-kilometer) Portland International Raceway natural terrain road course in Portland, Oregon last season, which was the first American open-wheel race at the track since the 2007 season, making him one for one at the track.

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As a result, he is set to attempt to go two for two at the track in this Sunday’s race, the Grand Prix of Portland.

In the 2018 Grand Prix of Portland, Sato started all the way back in 20th place in his #30 Honda, but he executed a pit strategy that got him to the front of the field by the 71st lap of the race. He ended up leading 25 of the race’s final 35 laps, including the final 21, en route to winning it in dramatic fashion by 0.608 seconds over Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay in second.

The race featured a total of nine lead changes. Aside of Sato, five drivers led at least one lap of the race. Those drivers were Andretti Autosport teammates Alexander Rossi and Hunter-Reay, Team Penske teammates Will Power, who started the race from the pole position, and Josef Newgarden as well as Carlin’s Max Chilton.

Rossi led more laps than anybody else in the field with 32 laps led while Hunter-Reay led 19 laps, Power led 11 laps, Chilton led 10 laps and Newgarden led eight laps.

Will Sato earn his second victory in two attempts at Portland International Raceway in this Sunday’s race, or will a driver other than Sato find victory lane at the track for the first time since IndyCar returned to the track last season?

Considering the fact that last season’s race at Portland International Raceway was one of the craziest races of the season and Sato won it in somewhat of a fluky fashion after starting all the way back in 20th place, it is hard to imagine him winning it again, especially since his victory in this race was only the third victory of his IndyCar career, which began in the 2010 season.

He did win the race at Barber Motorsports Park, another road course, earlier this season, and he won it in dominant fashion. However, he had struggled as of late before winning last Saturday night’s race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, and he won that race because of a fortunate caution flag period after falling to 22nd (last) place early on.

Don’t expect to see Sato get the job done at Portland International Raceway two years in a row.

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Will Takuma Sato make it two for two at Portland International Raceway by winning his second IndyCar race at the track this weekend? This race, the Grand Prix of Portland, is scheduled to begin this Sunday, September 1 at 3:35 p.m. ET, and it is set to be broadcast live on NBC beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET.