O’Ward reveling in fightback

Pato O’Ward knows the odds of beating Alex Palou to the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series championship are slim. With 100 points to catch and 101 or more needed to overtake the Spaniard, O’Ward is doing the only thing he can, and that’s to push like hell and create opportunities to beat the nearly faultless Chip Ganassi Racing driver over the final four races of the season.

O’Ward fired his No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevy into second place for Sunday’s 95-lap race, right next to Palou, who took pole with an imposing lap that was 0.287s faster than his own.

“This is the best starting position I have had here,” O’Ward told RACER. “And that's a step in the right direction for us, it really is. It really has been about trying to make the Fast Six our friend again, you know, because that just hasn't been our story this year. It's been more of a stranger. So I'm happy to be back. I'm glad that every time we're in the Fast Six, we’re either on pole or second, because we've only been in it twice, and we've been pole and second.

“So starting P2 has been very good to me in the past. I'm actually not angry about it, and I think it's a great starting position. And, you know, we've got pretty much the best view alongside the pole man into Turn 2. So I think we can get it done tomorrow. But we're up against the guy that's been setting the bar pretty high.”

Arrow McLaren has been surging of late as O’Ward, in particular, has four straight top-five finishes coming into Laguna Seca, including two wins. The consistent presence from the team at the front of the field in qualifying and the races represents big strides made by the team’s engineering group.

“We're pushing, man, we really are,” he said. “The cars are getting faster. They're getting better. You know, in terms of setup, it's just such a difference when you roll off strong. And I think this weekend, we came with a little bit of a different setup, and we're hitting it where we need to. It's been the same story in a couple of the other street courses where we've gone there, and it's like, ‘Hey, this, this is much better than last year.’

“So I think this is more of a change for my 5 car side, because the team has been on pole here in the past, but just for me, it never quite has clicked. But this year, it definitely feels like we've got something to fight with a little bit more. And it's a very track-position race, so it helps.”

O'Ward's always popular with the fans, but in California they kick it up a notch. Travis Hinkle/IMS

Racing in California has been like a homecoming for Mexico’s O’Ward, whose heritage and native tongue is shared by many throughout the state. From the multitude of Mexican flags to speaking Spanish with many of his loyal fans, O’Ward smiled when he thought of the support he receives each year at Laguna Seca.

“They're very, very passionate,” he said. “They love bringing the Mexican flags. And it makes me really proud seeing them on the grandstands, seeing them walking around. Mexican flags are definitely waving where there's Mexican blood around. So that makes me very happy to see. That's what it's all about, trying to make our own dreams come true. And I think in the process of that, you make some other people happy.”