WEST ALLIS, Wis. (AP) — The Arrow McLaren Racing team members began scheming the moment Pato O'Ward took the lead at the Milwaukee Mile.
Miffed that NASCAR this week announced it will race in Mexico City next yea r — beating IndyCar to the punch to get O'Ward into an event in his home country — O'Ward has has spent the weekend criticizing IndyCar leadership for the whiff.
So a team employee ran to the “Pato Shop” — IndyCar's most popular driver is so beloved he has his own merchandise truck at most events — to grab one of the $149.99 sombreros. The 25-year-old from Monterrey, Mexico, then wore it to his victory news conference.
Runner-up Will Power immediately said, “We really should be in Mexico City, not NASCAR.”
O’Ward replied: “Pato who?”
O'Ward desperately wants to race in his home country. Instead, NASCAR got a date next June and O'Ward fears there's no longer room for IndyCar.
The situation escalated when IndyCar CEO Mark Miles said the Mexico City promoters have felt the series and O'Ward are not popular enough to warrant anything but a lease agreement to stage the race themselves.
That irritated O'Ward, who has organically and steadily built his fanbase and is probably second only to Formula 1 driver Sergio Perez in popularity in Mexico.
His response was Saturday's win at Milwaukee, his third win of the year but first on an oval since Iowa Speedway in July 2022. His wins this year are on a street course (St. Petersburg, where he was promoted to winner following Josef Newgarden's disqualification), the road course at Mid-Ohio and now the Milwaukee oval.
The three wins are the most in one season for an Arrow McLaren Racing driver and came hours after Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, his F1 counterparts, swept the front row in qualifying for Sunday's race in Italy.
O'Ward led 133 of the 250 laps and said he never let the Mexico City fiasco distract him.
“No, I was chilling in the morning, I was chilling in the afternoon. I was just here for business,” O'Ward said.
The victory overshadowed the championship battle between points leader Alex Palou and Power, who started the race in a 54-point deficit to the reigning IndyCar title holder.
But Power finished second to cut Palou's lead to 43 points with two races remaining, both on ovals.
“Palou is a serious contender, man,” Power said. “Nothing can rattle that guy. Very tough to go head-to-head with him.”
Conor Daly, who was out of a ride earlier this season but hired last month to finish the year for Juncos Hollinger Racing, finished third in JHR's first ever podium. It was Daly's first podium since 2016 and he celebrated by pouring the celebratory champagne all over his face.
“It feels amazing,” Daly said. "We had a lot of bad luck, and I think a lot of people were wondering was this the guy to do it. They gave me the car to do it. I want to do well in the series. My goal is to be on the podium in this series, and it’s been far too long since I’ve been on the podium. It’s nice to get another one.”
Chevrolet swept the podium in IndyCar's return to Milwaukee after an eight-year absence.
Santino Ferrucci, who was running second late, gave up position to Power as his A.J. Foyt Racing team has an alliance with Power's Team Penske group. Daly used the moment to squeeze his way through and Ferrucci fell to fourth.
Power said he didn't expect Ferrucci to move over for him,
“Santino, I’m good friends with him,” Power said. “I didn’t expect him just to move over. He deserved to be there and he’s going to fight for it.”
Either way, Daly thanked Power for creating the hole that gave him his podium.
“Is that how you got it?” Power asked.
“Yes,” said Daly.
Palou finished fifth and is still in control of the title race, which wraps up after Sunday's second race at Milwaukee and then next month with the finale at Nashville Superspeedway. Palou has never won an oval, while Power has 10 career victories on ovals, including one at Milwaukee.
Power has also raced before at Nashville, while Palou has not. Both drivers are seeking a third IndyCar title. For Palou, it would be his third in four years, while Power won the 2022 title in between Palou's two campaigns.
Palou twice was boxed in on pit stops by Power, who was in the stall in front of him. It forced Palou to get aggressive to get around Power's car — and he needed to take an evasive maneuver when one of Power's tire changers was awfully close to the edge of the pit box as Palou pulled around his title rival.
He was actually monetarily penalized for “hitting another team's equipment” as he pulled away. Power insisted he was not gaming the pit stops and racing Palou cleanly.
“Not at all. I tried my best to be square,” Power said. “The best thing I can do is hit my marks, that will give me the quickest stop. Going around Palou, none of that. I’m not into that. Just straight up shitty to do that sort of thing.”
IndyCar races Sunday at the Milwaukee Mile in the second part of a doubleheader weekend.
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing