Portland was the setting for the beginning of the final leg of the 2026 NTT IndyCar Season last weekend. Fresh from a win last time out in Nashville, Álex Palou looked set to continue to be the man to beat, as he has been all season. Could anyone begin to mount a comeback in Portland to make a dent in the Spaniard’s Championship tally? Or would the defending Champion simply do what he does best and extend his lead once again?

Here are The Paddock Chronicle’s Key Takeaways from Portland.

Can anyone beat Álex Palou?

The short answer appears to be no. Portland proved to be another prime hunting ground for the four time Champion. He went from second place on the grid up into first place and on to the win by the end of the race. This marked his sixth victory of the season. In terms of wins, only Josef Newgarden and Christian Lundgaard have more that one, with two apiece. But both are essentially no longer in Championship contention.

Overtaken by Marcus Ericsson towards the start of the race, Palou’s strategy seemed very reminiscent of Long Beach where he simply bided his time before pouncing on those ahead of him. Once again, Palou pushed his tyre stint for as long as he could and then overcut his competitors in the pit cycle to emerge in the lead.

Try as they might, those behind could then do little to attempt to stop him. By winning in Portland, Palou now leads Kirkwood in the standings by 110 points. With five races to go, the Championship isn’t over yet. But it sure looks like Palou has one hand already on the trophy.

Long Beach – Part II

Felix Rosenqvist secured his second Pole Position of the year in Portland. But, much as the case was back in Long Beach, he would lose that position to Palou and be forced to watch him drive ahead to victory instead. Just as before, Palou took the lead from him due to strategy and the pit cycle rather than pure racecraft in terms of an on track overtake. Meyer Shank Racing is improving but they’re still a far cry from being able to beat Álex Palou.

Portland marked Rosenqvist’s first time on the podium since his Indy 500 win and was his third of the season. Coming off a fifth place finish in Nashville, the Swede will be hoping he’s on the start of a run of form to end the season and his time with Meyer Shank.

Andretti Global at the Sharp End

Andretti Global had their second best weekend of the season in Portland after their excellent outing in Arlington earlier this year. All three drivers qualified in the top seven. Will Power, who usually goes very well at this venue, went on to finish on the podium in third place. While he will have wanted to make it three wins in three years in Portland, the Australian will be happy with his weekend as it also marks his second podium from the last four races.

Marcus Ericsson finished in sixth place, just as he did at the last race in Nashville. He also came into the weekend with the confirmation of his retention at the team for 2027 alongside Kirkwood and Power. The Swede has had a bit of a resurgent season and that was on display yet again here in Portland.

Kyle Kirkwood finished just ahead of him in fifth. The American is on a consistent run as he’s finished in the top ten for the last six races now. Despite this though, he seems once again unable to challenge Palou for the Championship. While P2 overall, 110 points is a mighty margin to overcome before the curtain drops on the season in Laguna Seca. Still, Andretti Global will be happy with their line-up for 2027 as all three drivers are performing consistently now and already have one eye on the Championship for next season instead.

Veekay in the Ascendancy

Channelling his inner Waluigi this weekend, Rinus Veekay turned heads for more than one reason in Portland. After qualifying in fifth, the Dutchman proceeded to finish in fourth. In doing so, he matched his best result of the season so far which he achieved in both St. Louis and Mid-Ohio.

The Juncos Hollinger Driver’s future for next season is yet to be confirmed but other teams, such as Chip Ganassi, are taking a serious look at him. He sits in tenth place in the points right now while his teammate, Sting Ray Robb, flounders at the bottom of the table, 138 points behind him. Whomever Veekay races for in 2027 will be a happy team indeed. Only time will tell which team it will actually be.

Lundgaard’s Charge from the Back in Portland

Following a horrid qualifying where he had hybrid issues, Christian Lundgaard was forced to start from the rear of the field. By as was the case in Road America, the Dane rose to the occasion. He was up six spots in the opening few laps alone. Through pit cycles and a surprisingly almost caution free race, the Arrow McLaren driver was still able to carve his way up through the pack to ultimately finish in ninth, ahead of both of his teammates who also started ahead of him.

Once again, Lundgaard has made a case as to why Arrow McLaren should have perhaps not fired him ahead of next season. He also demonstrated to other teams with seats available why he’d be a perfect fit for their team. Much like with Veekay, whomever ends up with Lundgaard on their books will be very happy with themselves come the start of next season.

Character Building Continues

Marcus Armstrong was the sole retirement from Portland with yet another engine failure for the New Zealander. It’s the third time this has happened in the last four races and with five more races in quick succession this season, it is looking a little dire. A driver with a future confirmed as he’ll stay with Meyer Shank, it will be one less thing for him to worry about – but probably won’t be as comforting for him as we’d like it to be.

Rasmussen’s bad luck season continued too. The Dane found himself a number of laps down and running in last place for much of the race in Portland. Teammate Rossi didn’t fare much better as he was only a handful of places ahead in nineteenth. As a whole, the team of ECR only has two top ten finishes between the two drivers from the last four races. Much like Armstrong, they’ll be hoping for a swift turn around to close out the season.

Return of a Familiar Face in Portland

Jacob Abel made his Indy NXT return in Portland – having not been seen on the grid since he entered this year’s Indy 500. It was his first race in the Feeder Series since 2024, having competed for Dayle Coyne Racing in 2025. Upon his return, he finished in an excellent fifth place, ahead of full time drivers such as Championship Leader Enzo Fittipaldi, Nikita Johnson and Max Garcia.

With silly season for IndyCar in full swing, it can’t hurt for Abel to throw himself into the picture either as he attempts to return to the IndyCar grid full time in 2027.

Concluding Thought from Portland

Álex Palou looks set to become a five time NTT IndyCar Champion in 2026. With Kyle Kirkwood and David Malukas over one hundred points back as his nearest rivals, something astronomical will have to happen for one or both of these drivers to at least catch him in the points, nevermind surpass him.

But with two unknown circuits coming up in Markham and Washington D.C followed by a double header on the oval in Milwaukee before the finale in Laguna Seca, carrying momentum will be key and there may yet be a chance. If Palou has one bad weekend, the others will need to maximise that to their benefit and press that advantage for as long as possible. The bad news is that Laguna Seca is one of the, if not the strongest track on Palou’s resume. Can anyone beat Álex Palou? We won’t have to wait long to find out.

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IndyCar returns August 14th in Markham, Canada.