MONTEREY, Calif. — Pato O’Ward couldn’t be too upset with his front row starting spot for Sunday’s INDYCAR race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
But if he looks at the driver who is on the pole, it isn’t the one he would want to see.
Or is it?
Pato O’Ward prior to the INDYCAR Series Java House Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Championship leader Alex Palou won the pole — his fifth in the 14 races this year — and earned the point that goes with it.
“Now it’s 100,” O’Ward lamented Saturday afternoon. “It just makes it that much harder whenever the one that you’re trying to beat is having as good of days or better.”
That 100 is the gap in the standings between Palou and second-place O’Ward. The two will start side-by-side at the front of the field for the 95-lap race Sunday (3 p.m. Eastern, FOX). Palou has dominated the season with seven victories, while O’Ward is coming off his second win of the season last week at Toronto.
“You’d much rather be next to each other than not. Usually, if you’re next to him, it means that you’ve been qualifying well because he seems to be the master this year at that, and we seem to be a little bit more of a stranger to the Fast Six [final round],” Palou mentioned.
Alex Palou celebrates his pole successful qualifying run prior
“Our Quick Six report this 12 months is fairly good. We have solely received two and we have a pole and a second.”
O’Ward is aware of he has an uphill climb.
The Arrow McLaren driver lower 30 factors off Palou’s lead final week by successful at Toronto. Palou completed twelfth, as his selection in tire technique didn’t produce outcomes, with extra cautions than the workforce had predicted.
For Palou, he mentioned having O’Ward proper subsequent to him truly helps when making an attempt to race for the title. With 4 races remaining, O’Ward is the one driver who has a touch cheap shot to problem Palou for the championship.
“We’re clearly the one two that may win the championship now,” O’Ward mentioned. “And I am the one which’s chasing down fairly laborious.”
The utmost factors a driver can earn in a weekend is 54. Palou can’t clinch on Sunday however might put himself able to clinch on the subsequent race in two weeks at Portland Worldwide Raceway.
“It is higher to have your closest competitor shut,” Palou mentioned. “You need to be on the identical sort of technique. When you might have someone beginning, like seventeenth, it’d look good on paper. However then abruptly, they do a loopy technique and so they cycle to the entrance and you don’t have any likelihood to battle for it on monitor.”
The Ganassi driver, who has received three titles within the final 4 years — together with back-to-back championships in 2023 and 2024 — clearly likes his probabilities to battle for it on the monitor. His pole-winning pace was 0.2867 seconds sooner than O’Ward within the remaining spherical.
“It was not very shut,” O’Ward mentioned. “We have positively seen nearer ones earlier than. Nevertheless it’s my greatest begin right here, so I am going to take that.”
O’Ward mentioned he didn’t have a lot for Palou in that remaining run. The drivers will see if they are going to be neck-and-neck on Sunday.
“It is for positive making it more difficult and extra fascinating for everyone,” Palou mentioned. “I prefer it. Actually, I prefer it.”
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports activities. He has spent many years protecting motorsports, together with over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting Information, NASCAR Scene journal and The (Daytona Seashore) Information-Journal. Comply with him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
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