pato o’ward chases history at laguna seca as paddock prepares for final round

So, here is the setup for the final round of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Pato O’Ward rolled into with a very specific piece of history sitting right in front of him: a chance at three consecutive victories, a feat he has never managed in his career. After sweeping the doubleheader at the Milwaukee Mile last weekend, O’Ward jumped from fifth to fourth in the championship standings. He now sits just four points behind his Arrow McLaren teammate for second place ahead of Sunday’s Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey. “A lot of Pato fans are going to be pumped,” O’Ward said.

If the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet driver pulls it off, it will also hand him his first-ever podium finish at Laguna Seca. O’Ward enters the weekend with 12 career NTT INDYCAR SERIES wins, including three this season. Remarkably, those three victories represent every single one of his podium appearances across 17 starts this year. While he boasts 10 top-five finishes—second only to ’s 12—he has only stood on the rostrum three times compared to Palou’s seven. A fourth win would mark a career-best tally for a single season, and it would make him the first driver to string together three consecutive wins since Palou managed the feat last year across , the Sonsio Grand Prix, and the 500 presented by Gainbridge. Opening practice on the sun-drenched California circuit offered an immediate sign of speed, with O’Ward going third quickest. As he put it simply when asked about the fight for runner-up in the standings: “Second place (in points) matters. It means a bigger bonus.”

There are plenty of other garage movements as the season draws to a close. Chip Ganassi Racing’s and Meyer Shank Racing’s are both heading to Arrow McLaren for the 2027 season, joining O’Ward in the papaya camp. Rosenqvist’s two-year tenure at MSR has been a massive uplift for the organization, taking them from 25th in entrant points before he arrived to 12th in his first season and sixth last year. Most memorably, he secured MSR’s first win since took the 2021 Indianapolis 500 by making a late pass right before the checkered flag to win this year’s Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Rosenqvist was second quickest in Friday practice at Laguna Seca and sits ninth in the championship. “Pretty good session for us,” Rosenqvist said. “Good on both (tire) compounds, which is always nice. A little bit of an emotional weekend last weekend with the team.”