It’s been 12 months since Arrow McLaren driver Pato O’Ward tasted arguably the largest defeat of his profession. He was main the competitors till the ultimate lap within the Indy 500 when he was handed by Workforce Penske’s Josef Newgarden.
That afternoon, O’Ward wept bitterly after once more being denied the last word victory at a monitor the place he has carried out nicely. Throughout his three Indy 500 appearances, the Monterrey, Mexico, native has two second-place finishes — in 2022 and 2024 — and $3.16 million in winnings.
O’Ward enters Sunday’s 109th Indianapolis 500 (9:45 a.m. PDT on Fox) because the slight favourite to win the Indy 500.
The opposite main contender on Sunday is Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou of Spain. The Sant Antoni de Vilamajor native, the reigning IndyCar Sequence defending champion, has received 4 of the season’s 5 races, though he has by no means received the Indianapolis 500.
For a lot of, O’Ward is also a sentimental favourite after exhibiting he can rally from setbacks and compete for wins. O’Ward completed final season in fifth place, with three wins and 6 top-five finishes. He’s fourth within the standings with two top-five finishes and one pole.
“It’s the starvation to win, to have the ability to come again and have one other shot. I really like what I do, I really like my job,” O’Ward instructed L.A. Occasions en Español when requested about his resilience heading into Sunday’s race.
This week, the native of Monterrey determined to arrange pozole and quesadillas for his staff. When he’s in Indianapolis, he normally tries to keep away from the hustle and bustle and focus on successful.
“I reside, breathe and sleep with racing,” stated O’Ward, whose racing profession started in karting in 2005.
“This has been a objective that’s been dwelling just about in my head for a few years,” added O’Ward, who certified 232.098 mph on the two.5-mile oval and can enter Sunday’s entrance row, the primary Mexican to take action within the historical past of the Indy 500.
O’Ward, who drives the No. 5 automobile, has seven IndyCar Sequence victories and has progressed removed from his early days as an inexperienced child who shyly gave media interviews.
He has stored a decent circle round him as he has labored to enhance.
“For individuals on the skin, it’s arduous for us to welcome them as a result of I prefer to hold issues fairly tight-lipped,” stated O’Ward, whose staff is made up principally of members of the family. “It’s individuals you belief them along with your eyes closed and also you all the time know they’re doing their greatest for you.”
In the present day, O’Ward is among the main faces of the collection, with 1000’s of followers from all over the world sporting T-shirts along with his title on them to assist him in a stadium that has already offered out its 250,000 seats regardless of the drama surrounding final 12 months’s successful staff.
Workforce Penske has been within the highlight after it was punished for utilizing modified attenuators, which resulted in failed technical inspections final Sunday. The staff was accused of stuffing and smoothing the seams of the rear attenuator, an element that’s normal for all groups and due to this fact can’t be modified.
Upon listening to the information, O’Ward confirmed his frustration. IndyCar on Monday introduced penalties to Workforce Penske for putting Newgarden and Will Energy within the last beginning positions for the race, in addition to $100,000 fines for every automobile that failed inspections.
The Workforce Penske automobile, which Newgarden received with in 2024, is now within the renovated IMS Museum and includes a modified rear attenuator just like the one seen Sunday at Indianapolis that resulted in penalties. As well as, images have been launched from final 12 months’s race by which the No. 2 Workforce Penske Chevrolet seems to have those self same modifications.
“Looking forward to the rest of the week and this weekend’s race, we’ll do every thing we are able to to make it clear that these usually are not solely the perfect races on the planet, however races the place the perfect win beneath utterly truthful circumstances,” Indycar President J. Douglas Boles stated in an announcement.
After studying of the punishments, Workforce Penske proprietor Roger Penske fired three Workforce Penske executives: President Tim Cindric, Chief Government Ron Ruzewski and common supervisor Kyle Moyer.
Roger Penske owns the IndyCar Sequence by Penske Leisure Group, along with proudly owning Indianapolis Motor Speedway, residence of the Indy 500, creating extra questions concerning the perceptions of battle of curiosity forward of Sunday’s race and the remainder of the IndyCar Sequence season.
Palou desires his first Indy 500 win
Palou, recognized for his calm, consistency and composure on the monitor, has but to win the Indy 500. Regardless of having 4 wins within the first 5 races of the season, drawing comparisons to the 4 straight victories by the legendary A.J. Foyt in 1964, Palou just isn’t happy and desires a “life-changing” win.
Palou scored a second-place end in 2021 within the Indy 500 and earned $2.8 million from that race.
“Clearly, it’s the one race that I do know and that everyone knows is life-changing for a driver. I’ve received 4 this 12 months and it hasn’t modified my life,” Palou, 28, defined to L.A. Occasions en Español. “Alternatively, successful this weekend’s 500, the five hundred miles, I consider and I do know that it modifications the lifetime of the drivers who win it.”
Palou, the winner of the 2021, 2023 and 2024 IndyCar championships, certified at 231.378 mph in his No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing automobile to begin sixth on the grid Sunday.
The Spaniard stated he’s going by the perfect second of his profession, not solely in sport, but additionally in his private life, as he enjoys spending time along with his 18-month outdated daughter, Lucia, born in 2023.
“It’s tougher, it’s much more work and it’s not possible to have a very good technique to win that competitors as a result of on daily basis it modifications,” Palou stated about caring for his daughter. “But it surely has been the perfect factor I’ve ever accomplished in my life. The sensation when she smiles, when she hugs me or when she tells me one thing. She’s 18 months outdated now, however she’s nonetheless beginning to say ‘Daddy’ and he or she’s beginning to say issues and it’s superb.”
Regardless of successful the second championship in a row, Palou stated his staff has continued its intense tempo.
“I might say that mainly that’s the good work of the staff and that after successful the championship nobody has relaxed. That’s what’s most spectacular that it was the opposite approach round, if not that they put in much more effort than they’d in 2024,” Palou stated.
Palou has additionally given numerous credit score to his father, who has been his mechanic since he began in karting.
“We spent many, many hours collectively and lots of, many dangerous moments, very arduous and in addition many good ones, however ultimately he has been the one who has taught me … to go quick, to brake tougher, to have extra velocity in mid-corner and in addition how one can stand up after a nasty second,” Palou stated.
Palou was the primary Spaniard to win an IndyCar championship in 2021 and desires to proceed to encourage future generations of Spanish drivers by proving which you could not solely make it to this circuit, but additionally succeed.
Prema Racing rookie Robert Shwartzman will make his Indy 500 debut within the pole place. It’s the first time a rookie has received the Indy 500 pole since 1953. Takuma Sato, a two-time race winner, will be a part of Shwartzman and O’Ward on the entrance row.
through L.A. Occasions en Español.
