Just two drivers are still mathematically eligible to win the 2025 IndyCar championship heading into the antepenultimate race of the season at Portland International Raceway, and one of them owns a 121-point lead.
Chip Ganassi Racing's Alex Palou is aiming to do what no IndyCar driver has done in the modern era by clinching a championship with two races remaining on the schedule. Two years ago at Portland, he became the first driver since Sebastien Bourdais in the 2007 Champ Car season to clinch a title with one race remaining.
Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward must close the gap to Palou by at least 14 points this weekend, because if he is at least 108 points behind entering the penultimate race of the season at the Milwaukee Mile in two weeks, he will be eliminated like everybody else.
Palou has had plenty of success at the 12-turn, 1.967-mile (3.166-kilometer) natural terrain road course in Portland, Oregon, winning in 2021 and 2023 and placing second last year, all en route to winning the series championship. He has never started lower than fifth.
Should he win on Sunday, he would have fewer wins this season than only three other active drivers (Scott Dixon, Will Power, and Josef Newgarden) have in their entire careers.
Will Palou position himself to win his third straight series championship and fourth in five years on Sunday, placing him behind only Dixon and A.J. Foyt on the all-time list?
Follow along with our live qualifying updates from Portland.
IndyCar Portland qualifying - Round 1, Group 1 results
1st - Alex Palou - No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
2nd - Kyffin Simpson - No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
3rd - Will Power - No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet
4th - Marcus Armstrong - No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda
5th - Alexander Rossi - No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
6th - David Malukas - No. 4 A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet
7th - Scott McLaughlin - No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet
8th - Santino Ferrucci - No. 14 A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet
9th - Louis Foster - No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
10th - Nolan Siegel - No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
11th - Sting Ray Robb - No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet
12th - Rinus VeeKay - No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda
13th - Robert Shwartzman - No. 83 Prema Racing Chevrolet
IndyCar Portland qualifying - Round 1, Group 2 results
1st - Pato O'Ward - No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
2nd - Marcus Ericsson - No. 28 Andretti Global Honda
3rd - Josef Newgarden - No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet
4th - Scott Dixon - No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
5th - Christian Lundgaard - No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
6th - Felix Rosenqvist - No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda
7th - Devlin DeFrancesco - No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
8th - Colton Herta - No. 26 Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian Honda
9th - Christian Rasmussen - No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
10th - Kyle Kirkwood - No. 27 Andretti Global Honda
11th - Graham Rahal - No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
12th - Callum Ilott - No. 90 Prema Racing Chevrolet
13th - Conor Daly - No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet
14th - Jacob Abel - No. 51 Dale Coyne Racing Honda
IndyCar Portland qualifying - Round 2 results
1st - Felix Rosenqvist - No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda
2nd - Christian Lundgaard - No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
3rd - Pato O'Ward - No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
4th - Alex Palou - No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
5th - Will Power - No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet
6th - David Malukas - No. 4 A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet
7th - Alexander Rossi - No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
8th - Marcus Armstrong - No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda
9th - Josef Newgarden - No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet
10th - Scott Dixon - No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
11th - Marcus Ericsson - No. 28 Andretti Global Honda
12th - Kyffin Simpson - No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
IndyCar Portland qualifying - Firestone Fast Six results
1st - Christian Lundgaard - No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
2nd - Pato O'Ward - No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
3rd - Felix Rosenqvist - No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda
4th - Will Power - No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet
5th - David Malukas - No. 4 A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet
6th - Alex Palou - No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Full IndyCar starting lineup at Portland
*grid penalties included
1st - Pato O'Ward - No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
2nd - Felix Rosenqvist - No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda
3rd - Will Power - No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet
4th - David Malukas - No. 4 A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet
5th - Alex Palou - No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
6th - Alexander Rossi - No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
7th - Christian Lundgaard - No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
8th - Marcus Armstrong - No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda
9th - Scott Dixon - No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
10th - Marcus Ericsson - No. 28 Andretti Global Honda
11th - Scott McLaughlin - No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet
12th - Devlin DeFrancesco - No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
13th - Colton Herta - No. 26 Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian Honda
14th - Louis Foster - No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
15th - Josef Newgarden - No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet
16th - Christian Rasmussen - No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
17th - Nolan Siegel - No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
18th - Kyffin Simpson - No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
19th - Kyle Kirkwood - No. 27 Andretti Global Honda
20th - Sting Ray Robb - No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet
21st - Santino Ferrucci - No. 14 A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet
22nd - Graham Rahal - No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
23rd - Rinus VeeKay - No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda
24th - Callum Ilott - No. 90 Prema Racing Chevrolet
25th - Robert Shwartzman - No. 83 Prema Racing Chevrolet
26th - Conor Daly - No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet
27th - Jacob Abel - No. 51 Dale Coyne Racing Honda
Tune in to Fox at 3:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, August 10 for the live broadcast of the BitNile.com Grand Prix of Portland from Portland International Raceway. Start a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss any of the action!