WEST ALLIS, Wis. — Pato O’Ward achieved a rare feat in IndyCar racing by winning both races of a doubleheader at the Milwaukee Mile on August 30, marking the first time a driver has claimed two victories in a single day since Rick Mears in 1981. The event was marked by challenging weather conditions, including persistent rain that caused delays, interruptions, and an overnight suspension, ultimately pushing the completion of the first race and the entirety of the second race into Sunday evening.
O’Ward began the day by winning the Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 and later secured victory in the completion of the Snap-on Makers and Fixers 250, which had started the previous afternoon. With his two wins, O’Ward joined a distinguished group of drivers—including Mears, Mario Andretti, Dan Gurney, Johnny Rutherford, Al Unser, and Bobby Unser—to have won twice in one day in IndyCar history.
“We were determined today,” O’Ward said. “I came into this weekend, like I have a good car, I can win, I can win both of them.” The 27-year-old Mexican driver has now claimed three wins in the five races held at the Milwaukee Mile since IndyCar’s return to the track in 2024, adding to his 12 career victories over 122 starts dating back to 2018. O’Ward races full-time with Arrow McLaren, a team he joined after winning the 2018 Indy NXT championship.
Meanwhile, Alex Palou clinched his fourth consecutive NTT IndyCar Series championship and fifth overall by finishing 10th in the second race. The 29-year-old Spaniard, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, celebrated the milestone with donuts on the track. Palou credited team owner Chip Ganassi and strategist Barry Wanser for their ongoing support.
Palou’s fifth title adds to Ganassi Racing’s legacy, bringing the team’s total championships to 18. Ganassi noted the significance of Palou’s achievement, describing him as a generational talent and highlighting the unprecedented nature of winning five championships within six seasons. Palou’s success continues the team’s distinguished history, which includes titles won by Scott Dixon, Juan Pablo Montoya, Dario Franchitti, Alex Zanardi, and Jimmy Vasser.
In the championship standings, Kyle Kirkwood, who entered the weekend second, dropped to third following a 15th-place finish. Christian Lundgaard moved up to second place, narrowly ahead of Kirkwood by two points. O’Ward climbed to fourth, just one point behind Kirkwood.
O’Ward’s second victory of the day came after a decisive pass on David Malukas with 24 laps remaining during a three-wide restart. Malukas’ car slowed momentarily under acceleration, allowing O’Ward to overtake and navigate through lapped traffic to maintain his lead. Malukas, seeking his first IndyCar win, finished second for the fourth time this season, including a close runner-up finish at the Indianapolis 500. Rinus VeeKay completed the podium in third, followed by Scott McLaughlin and Christian Rasmussen, the 2025 Milwaukee winner.
O’Ward’s earlier win featured overcoming a botched pit stop where a left rear tire came off, yet he managed to regain composure and overtake McLaughlin on the final pit stop with 53 laps remaining, ultimately winning by just under eight-tenths of a second. Lundgaard, O’Ward’s teammate at Arrow McLaren, secured third place in that race.
The season finale is scheduled for September 6 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California.