This weekend’s BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI will be the 31st INDYCAR SERIES race at Portland International Raceway and the seventh since the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returned in 2018. Drivers face 110 laps of the 12-turn, 1.964-mile road course in Portland, Oregon, with racing set to go on Sunday 12:22pm local time (7:22am Monday NZ time).
Alex Palou leads the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship with three races to go for the third time in his INDYCAR SERIES career. Palou also led with three races to go in both 2023 and 2024 when he won the series title. Palou has led the point standings since the start of the season.
There are two drivers still mathematically eligible for the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship: Alex Palou and Pato O’Ward. If O’Ward trails Palou by 108 points or more following Sunday’s race, Palou will clinch the series title. Palou leads by 121 points entering this event.
Since the first INDYCAR SERIES race at Portland International Raceway, the winning driver has won the INDYCAR SERIES championship in the same season 12 times: Bobby Rahal (1987), Danny Sullivan (1988), Emerson Fittipaldi (1989), Michael Andretti (1991), Al Unser Jr. (1994), Alex Zanardi (1998), Gil de Ferran (2000), Cristiano da Matta (2002), Sebastien Bourdais (2004, 2007) and Alex Palou (2021, 2023).
Honda is on the verge of wrapping up the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers Championship after winning 12 of the first 14 events. Honda needs to maintain its 224-point advantage this weekend to clinch its seventh manufacturers’ title and first since 2021.
Point differential: The 121 points separating Alex Palou and Pato O’Ward are the largest margin with three races remaining since 2008. During that span, the average lead with three races remaining is 39.1 points.
Key championship point statistic: Since 2008, the driver who has led the championship with three races to go has won the championship 11 times – Scott Dixon in 2008, 2018 and 2020, Dario Franchitti in 2011, Will Power in 2014 and 2022, Simon Pagenaud in 2016, Josef Newgarden in 2017 and 2019 and Alex Palou in 2023 and 2024.
Al Unser Jr. won the first INDYCAR SERIES race at Portland in 1984, while Will Power won last season. Alex Palou, Scott McLaughlin and Will Power are the only former winners entered in this year’s race.
Team Penske has won eight times at Portland International Raceway, tied with Newman/Haas Racing for most at the track. Penske’s winning INDYCAR SERIES drivers are Danny Sullivan (1988), Emerson Fittipaldi (1993), Al Unser Jr. (1994, 1995), Gil de Ferran (2000), Will Power (2019, 2025) and Scott McLaughlin (2022). Chip Ganassi Racing has four wins at Portland with Alex Zanardi in 1996 and 1998 and Alex Palou in 2021 and 2023.
Twenty-four drivers entered in the event have competed in past INDYCAR SERIES races at Portland International Raceway. Scott Dixon and Will Power each have eight starts, most among the entered drivers. Fourteen entered drivers have led laps at the track (Power 169, Scott McLaughlin 109, Alex Palou 101, Graham Rahal 59, Colton Herta 40, Alexander Rossi 32, Dixon 30, Pato O’Ward 28, Josef Newgarden 9, Felix Rosenqvist 6, David Malukas 2, Marcus Armstrong 1, Marcus Ericsson 1 and Christian Lundgaard 1).
Six drivers have won INDY NXT by Firestone races at Portland before moving up to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Pato O’Ward won both races at Portland in 2018 on his way to the INDY NXT by Firestone championship. Rinus VeeKay won one of the doubleheader races in 2019, and Kyle Kirkwood and David Malukas split the doubleheader races in 2021. NTT INDYCAR SERIES rookies Louis Foster and Jacob Abel won in 2023 and 2024, respectively … Graham Rahal scored the first win of his professional racing career at Portland, winning the Star Mazda (now USF Pro 2000 championship) race in 2005.
Milestones: Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 354th consecutive start, extending his INDYCAR SERIES record streak…Graham Rahal will attempt to make his 254th consecutive start, the third-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history…Josef Newgarden will attempt to make his 217th consecutive start, the sixth-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history…Dixon passed Mario Andretti for the INDYCAR SERIES record for starts with his 408th start May 25 at Indianapolis and will extend his record to 417 with a start Sunday…Dixon’s win July 6 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – his 59th INDYCAR SERIES win – extended two ongoing INDYCAR SERIES records he holds: seasons with a win (23) and consecutive seasons with a win (21). Dixon’s second-place finish July 13 at Iowa Speedway extended two additional ongoing INDYCAR SERIES records he holds: podium finishes (145) and top-five finishes (215).
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