Pato O’Ward won his first IndyCar race of the season Sunday at the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham.
It is the third career victory for the 22-year-old Mexican driver, his first since the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on June 13, 2021. His average speed was 114.304 miles per hour.
“I was tired of being 10th and 11th and fifth so I said let’s get a win under our belts so we can claw our way back into this (NTT IndyCar Series) championship fight,” O’Ward said after the race.
O’Ward led the final 36 laps. He made a key pass of pole-sitter Rinus VeeKay on the 62nd lap and inherited the lead when defending race-winner Alex Palou pitted on the 64th lap.
Palou finished in second, followed by VeeKay, Will Power and Scott Dixon.
Josef Newgarden, who could have earned a $1 million bonus by winning a third consecutive race, finished 14th in the 26-car field.
–Field Level Media