Today’s question: Other than Will Power breaking Team Penske’s drought with a victory and Alex Palou clinching his fourth NTT INDYCAR SERIES title, what driver’s performance caught your eye last weekend in the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI?
Curt Cavin: You saw Christian Lundgaard on the second step of the podium Sunday in Portland, which is something that has become regular in 2025. The veteran driver in his first year with Arrow McLaren scored his second consecutive runner-up finish and third of the season. He has six top-three finishes in all this year. Yet somehow followers of the sport probably haven’t given him enough credit. Lundgaard is only 13 points behind Scott Dixon for third place in the standings, and if he can overhaul the six-time series champion while keeping fifth-place Kyle Kirkwood at bay, he will give Arrow McLaren two positions in the top three of the final standings — quite the season amid Alex Palou’s dominance. Lundgaard also should get credit for outdueling Palou in the late going at Portland. They were on the same tire strategy, too, so it was a fair fight. Bottom line: Lundgaard has shown he’s more than due for a race win with this team, and if his oval results improve, he can be a legitimate challenger to dethrone Palou next year.
Eric Smith: For me, it’s Alexander Rossi. Portland marked the first race where Ed Carpenter took over strategy duties from the pit stand, and Rossi delivered with a season-best fifth-place finish. He also qualified seventh, narrowly missing the Firestone Fast Six by just .0163 of a second. I’d call that a quietly effective weekend, one that could generate some valuable momentum heading into the 2026 season.
Arni Sribhen: Which two NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers have the longest active streak of top-10 finishes after Portland? You wouldn’t be surprised if I said that Colton Herta is one of the guys with three straight top 10s, but what about the other driver? Callum Ilott’s streak of three consecutive top-10 finishes may be a sign that PREMA Racing may have turned the corner in its first season in North America. Nearly a month ago, Ilott was 26th in the point standings and feeling the pressure of a lost season. Since Toronto, where he finished eighth, Ilott was the biggest mover at Laguna Seca, moving from 24th to sixth, and scored another sixth at Portland. He likely could have been the biggest mover in back-to-back races as he improved 18 positions. If he can maintain the momentum on the final two ovals of the season, Ilott could land a home in the series and set the tone to take the next step in 2026.
Paul Kelly: I’m going a bit off script here and looking to the INDYCAR development series. I was very impressed with Dennis Hauger’s drive to victory Sunday, stemming Caio Collet’s momentum toward the top of the INDY NXT by Firestone standings. Hauger has looked a bit wobbly after starting the season with four victories in the first five races for Andretti Global, winning just twice in his last six starts entering Portland. Sure, the anxiety surrounding Collet’s hot streak of three wins in the last five races entering Portland was a bit overstated, as Hauger still led by 42 points going into last weekend. But perception is everything, and it looked like Hauger was loosening his grasp on the championship trophy. Not anymore. He passed pole sitter Collet with a bold move on the first lap and never trailed. Hauger leads by 54 points – essentially one race – with two races to go. The title is in sight, and Hauger may look back at Portland as the race where he righted the good ship 2005 Championship.