Pato O’Ward Tops Road America Practice in 1:44.0029 as Palou Slips to Sixth

Q: With Pato O’Ward leading practice, can he finally halt Alex Palou's historic dominance at Road America for his first season win?

Yes, but the evidence still favors Alex Palou. O’Ward showed real pace by topping pre-qualifying practice at 1:44.0029, a meaningful sign at a track where he has flashed speed before and badly needs a breakthrough. He is still searching for his first win and even his first podium of the season, despite sitting fifth in points and posting three fourth-place finishes. If Arrow McLaren converts that one-lap speed into race pace and strategy, he has the tools to challenge. The problem is that Palou’s grip on Road America remains stronger than anyone else’s. He has won three of the past five races there, is the reigning race winner, and is chasing a record fourth victory at the circuit since 2020. He also turned practice form into the more important result by taking pole at 1:43.6615, while O’Ward fell back to ninth on the grid. At Road America, passing is possible, but history shows it is difficult to win from deeper than ninth. That does not make O’Ward irrelevant. Road America can reward tire management, pit timing and cautions, and recent history shows the polesitter does not always win here. If strategy breaks his way and Palou loses track position, O’Ward can absolutely contend. But based on the full weekend picture, O’Ward has not yet halted Palou’s dominance. Practice pace was encouraging; qualifying restored Palou as the clear favorite.

Q: Winless in 70 starts, can rising contender David Malukas finally challenge the champions on INDYCAR's most demanding track?

Yes — David Malukas looks capable of seriously challenging INDYCAR’s elite at Road America, but turning that pace into a first career win remains the missing step. The evidence is strong. Malukas was fourth in Saturday’s pre-qualifying practice for Team Penske, putting him in the mix on a circuit where track position matters and winners rarely come from deeper than ninth on the grid. He is no longer just a promising driver without results: in his first Penske season he has become a regular front-runner, with multiple podiums, a pole at Phoenix, and a place near the top of the championship fight. What makes his case credible is not only speed, but the company he is keeping. He has already shown he can race with Alex Palou, Felix Rosenqvist and the rest of the title contenders. His back-to-back runner-up finishes in the Indianapolis 500, including this year’s loss by just 0.0233 seconds, and his second on the Indianapolis road course after leading 27 laps, show he can handle pressure on the biggest stages. Road America, however, is a different test. Palou remains the benchmark here, with three wins at the track since 2020 and another top-six practice run this weekend. O’Ward and McLaughlin also showed strong pace Saturday. So the answer is that Malukas is ready to challenge the champions now. Whether he can finally end his 70-start winless streak will likely depend on qualifying well, executing cleanly over 55 laps, and beating Palou on one of the Spaniard’s strongest tracks.

3 articles · Updated · INDYCAR · Jun 6

1:44.0029 put Pato O’Ward fastest in Saturday’s pre-qualifying practice at Road America, a needed boost for the Arrow McLaren driver still chasing his first 2026 win and podium.
O’Ward entered the weekend fifth in the standings, 103 points behind Alex Palou, after managing no better than fourth place three times this season.
Marcus Armstrong, battling the flu, was second at 1:44.1097 after leading Friday practice, while Scott McLaughlin took third and David Malukas made it two Team Penske cars in the top four.
Caio Collet stayed fifth-fastest at 1:44.4166 despite fractured ribs from his late Indianapolis 500 crash, underlining a strong weekend for the AJ Foyt Racing rookie.
Palou, the series leader and defending Road America winner, dropped to sixth before qualifying later Saturday for Sunday’s 55-lap race.