Why Pato O’Ward’s backup Indy 500 chassis could be a stroke of luck

A crash has forced Pato O’Ward to set aside his primary car for the 110th edition of the Indianapolis 500. On Monday, when he was involved in multi-car accident with Alexander Rossi and Romain Grosjean, the No. 5 car he had been working with during the previous week and which he used to qualify was left unusable for the most important race on the calendar.

Arrow McLaren has had to turn to the backup car, though it is a car O’Ward has never raced at the Brickyard, he does have experience with it. The chassis that was damaged last Monday is the one that has accompanied him in all previous occasions while fighting for the victory.”Obviously, like anyone, I do have my nerves because it’s not the car we’ve been using all month, it’s not the one I qualified, and I haven’t done any race simulations,” O’Ward said in an interview with Motorsport.com, courtesy of his sponsor Electrolit.

However, the Arrow McLaren driver is confident that the setups studied can be transferred and find immediate success, especially since he has already achieved success with that chassis.

“It is a car that I have used, it’s a car I’ve already won with and with which I’ve been very fast, so it’s a car that has treated me very well. That gives me peace of mind, it gives me that neutrality I need to head into the race knowing that what is behind what I’m going to be sitting in is competitive. I am sure the team will set it up exactly how I want it.”

A stroke of luck? 

O’Ward has been close to victory on several occasions, finishing second in 2022 as well as in 2024, while in 2025 he finished third, all of it with the same chassis named “Lana.”

Now, with the switch to the new car, with which he has had strong performances on short ovals, it could be the stroke of luck he needs to finally climb into the winner’s circle at the Brickyard.

“The car I crashed, that car is the one I’ve done all my Indy 500s with. With the new car, it’s my first Indy 500 with a car that isn’t the one I crashed, with Lana, because that’s the car’s name. This will be the first time I don’t do the Indy 500 with Lana.”O’Ward preferred not to mention the name of his current car, but left a promise. “If I win the race I’ll tell you what it’s called, because the name is a bit ‘Rated R’ (restricted), but it’s a good car, a very good car.”

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– The Motorsport.com Team

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