Pato O’Ward finally broke through for his first victory of the season at the Honda Indy 200, anchoring a historic day for Arrow McLaren at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Behind the wheel of the #5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, the 27-year-old secured his first podium of the year by winning. This victory was the team’s first-ever 1-2 finish in the IndyCar Series.
O’Ward entered the weekend with a remarkably consistent season, boasting six top-five finishes, but he had yet to crack the top three. That changed on Mid-Ohio’s 2.258-mile, 13-turn natural road course, where he put together a calm drive and controlled the field by leading 45 of the race’s 90 laps.
The decisive pass
The defining moment of the race occurred on Lap 42. O’Ward had been shadowing his teammate, Christian Lundgaard, all weekend as the duo virtually matched each other pace-for-pace. When Lundgaard made a costly slip in Turn 2, O’Ward didn’t hesitate.
“I was positioning myself to pounce on an opportunity whenever he would make a mistake,” O’Ward said. “So I was banking on that he was going to make one, and he did. That’s what ultimately gave me the opportunity, and I took full advantage of it. It’s always more fun to do it on track over a pit stop sequence or something.”
Pit work makes the difference
Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren
Photo by: Penske Entertainment
While O’Ward took care of business on the tarmac, he was quick to credit his crew for protecting the advantage after delivering flawless execution on Sunday.
“It’s great that the first podium of the year for me is a win,” O’Ward said. “We’ve had performances, and I think today was a textbook showing of execution. I want to give it to my guys in the pits; they were phenomenal. I know they’ve been working so hard because this year that has been a bit of a challenge, and I know they’re working so hard to give me the pit stops that they gave me today. I know they’ve been working hard for that.
“I really want to recognize that because they make or break my race. They truly allowed me to fight my way and keep my position today as we were fighting on track.
“Obviously the cars have been strong all weekend. It’s been a very strong weekend for all three cars. It was a matter of being perfect.”
O’Ward eyes late-season push
Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren
Photo by: Penske Entertainment
The victory injects a massive dose of momentum into O’Ward’s championship campaign as the series heads into the final stretch. Through 11 of 18 rounds, he now sits fifth in the championship standings, 94 points behind leader Alex Palou (404–310).
With strong historical tracks on the horizon, O’Ward believes a late-season title charge is entirely realistic if the team maintains this elite level of form.
“If we keep having weekends like today, certainly so,” O’Ward said. “That would be fantastic. Obviously Nashville has been a great place for me and the team. Portland we’ve been very strong, as well. Markham, we’ve had the best street course results that we’ve had in quite some time this year. I’m excited for Markham. I’m excited for Washington. That one is going to be crazy. Milwaukee, we’ve won there before.
“There’s plenty of opportunities left. I’m not changing my approach. It’s going to be the same as it’s been all year. I didn’t really change it this weekend, either.”
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