WEST ALLIS, WI (August. 30, 2026) – The NTT IndyCar Series history book got a workout after Pato O’Ward won the completion of the Snap-on Makers and Fixers 250 on Sunday at the Milwaukee Mile.

O’Ward swept both races Sunday in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet on the historic 1.015-mile oval, winning the race that was suspended due to weather Saturday just a few hours after taking the checkered flag in the Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250. The Mexican became the first driver to win two IndyCar Series races on the same day since Rick Mears swept a doubleheader June 28, 1981, at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

“I’ve dreamed of weekends like this before, having doubleheaders just a couple of times in my career, wishing I wanted to win both of them in a weekend,” O’Ward said. “We got to win both in a day. That’s definitely a dream come true for myself and the team.”

O’Ward, who started first Saturday and led when the race resumed today, crossed the finish line 1.7535 seconds ahead of David Malukas in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Rinus VeeKay scored his first podium finish of his strong season in the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet.

Scott McLaughlin finished fourth in the No. 3 Clarience Technologies Team Penske Chevrolet, while 2025 Milwaukee winner Christian Rasmussen rounded out the top five in the No. 21 Splenda Stevia Chevrolet of ECR.

Chevrolet-powered drivers took the top seven spots in the finishing order on a day that Honda clinched its 12th IndyCar Series manufacturers’ championship.

O’Ward grabbed the lead for good on Lap 226 on a breathtaking final restart. Malukas led the field to the green flag, but his car was sluggish on the restart. O’Ward dove low and McLaughlin moved high, with the trio going three-wide into Turn 1.

The Mexican pulled ahead for the lead, making one of the track-record 372 on-track passes for position, and never trailed thereafter. Malukas stayed within a second of O’Ward for 10 laps after the restart but faded in the last 10 laps.

It was the sixth career runner-up finish without a victory for Malukas. Four of those second-place finishes have come in his first year for Team Penske, which he joined this year for his fifth season in the series.

“I’m just so frustrated,” Malukas said. “We had the car; we did everything right. We’re just cursed. I literally believe I have some sort of curse. Everything was in our favor there.

“This weekend, both races we were having issues with the engine on restarts and coming out of the pits, needing to lift and having these events where we just lose power. That really let us down.”

O’Ward and Malukas were the dominant drivers of the race, which was suspended after 90 laps Saturday due to rain and wet track conditions. They combined to lead 212 of the 250 laps, with O’Ward out front for 119 and Malukas 93.

“David was so quick, he was so good in traffic,” O’Ward said. “I was just going to have to wait for something like that (slow restart) to happen in order to have a chance on him. Otherwise, it was just going to be pedaling it to the end.”

Rasmussen and Christian Lundgaard, who ended up sixth in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, both led laps during the completion of the race today but only during pit cycles. Otherwise, it was the O’Ward-Malukas show.

The next race is the season-ending Mission Grand Prix of Monterey this Friday through Sunday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. Alex Palou has won that race three of the last four years, including two in a row. He will race in a special livery saluting Chip Ganassi Racing legend and two-time IndyCar Champion Alex Zanardi, who passed away May 1.

WEST ALLIS, WI (August 28, 2026) – Josef Newgarden is atop the speed charts after the first NTT IndyCar Series practice in preparation for the Milwaukee doubleheader.

Newgarden’s fast lap of 159.430 mph (0:22.9191) in the No. 2 Snap-On Team Penske Chevrolet was 0.0075-seconds quicker than rookie Dennis Hauger in the No. 19 Ault Block Chain Honda of Dale Coyne Racing.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou is third fastest after blasting around the historic Milwaukee Mile at 158.890 mph in the No. 10 DHL Honda.

Palou could clinch his fourth consecutive Championship this weekend and fifth overall if he leads by 108-points after Saturday’s Snap-on Makers and Fixers 250 (2:30 p.m. ET on Fox and IndyCar Radio). Palou leads Kyle Kirkwood by 91-points going into Saturday.

Palou will have to overcome a 9-grid starting spot penalty for an unapproved engine change.

Palou is not the only victim of this rule as the Nos. 3 and 12 Team Penske Chevy’s, and the Nos. 76 and 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevy’s will also lose 9-starting spots.

Palou’s CGR teammates Kyffin Simpson and Scott Dixon both were in the Top 15 on Friday.  Simpson is continuing to improve posting the 11th quickest speed (157.431) in the No. 8 Sunoco Honda and Dixon placed 15th (156.371) in the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda.

Friday’s session was slowed by two on-track incidents.

Arrow McLaren’s Nolan Siegel backed the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet into the SAFER Barrier in Turn 2 about 16 minutes into the session.  Siegel was not hurt but the car suffered significant damage.

Late in the session Kirkwood and Ed Carpenter Racing’s Christian Rasmussen were running side-by-side through Turn 2 and down the backstretch and got together in Turn 3, sending both cars into the outside wall.

Neither driver was hurt but both cars suffered extensive damage.

Kyle Kirkwood’s No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda and Christian Rasmussen’s No. 21 Stevia Splenda Chevrolet crash at the end of the first NTT IndyCar Series Practice at The Milwaukee Mile (Photo: James Black/Penske Entertainment)

“It felt like he kind of never turned in,” said Rasmussen. “I was on the outside, and it didn’t feel like I turned in early. But I think his rear tire probably touched mine. I didn’t feel like I could have been much higher than I was. It’s really unfortunate because we have a really fast race car.”

“I was just giving him some space there,” explained Kirkwood. “I don’t know if his spotter didn’t tell him I was still there on the inside or he expected me to turn down early or what, but he just started his turn-in too early. That’s not the way you want to end practice.”

Unfortunately for both drivers there is no Saturday morning practice due to the doubleheader format.  The next on-track activity is Qualifying at 11 a.m. ET.

IndyCar Milwakee Mile Practice Results

WASHINGTON D.C. (August 22, 2026) – Alex Palou’s blistering lap of 56.8993 seconds in the No. 10 OpenAI Chip Ganassi Racing Honda puts the four-time NTT IndyCar Series Champion on the pole position for Sunday’s Freedom 250 on the streets of Washington D.C.

“Incredible,” said Palou. “My car was on rails. Super-fun lap, super-fun car to drive. Couldn’t be happier. Looking forward to tomorrow. Tomorrow is going to be a long day, man, 250 miles.”

Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood lines up second after a lap of 57.4661 in the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda.

“P1 both first and second group, and the last one Alex Palou is just a legend and goes faster on his one-lap dash than he did the whole rest of the run, I think,” Kirkwood said. “He made us look silly out there.”

Scott McLaughlin spoiled the Honda party up front, putting the No. 3 PPG Chevrolet third on the grid after a fast lap of 57.4200.

Palou’s CGR teammates Scott Dixon and Kyffin Simpson did not fare as well as their teammate.

Dixon was on a lap that would have allowed him to transfer into the next round of qualifying, when Simpson hit the wall, triggering a red flag which cancelled Dixon’s lap.  The No. 9 PNC Bank Honda will start 14th.

Bringing out the red flag penalized Simpson of his two fastest laps so the No. 8 Sunoco Honda will start last in 25th.

Coverage of the Freedom 250 starts at 11:30 a.m. on Fox and IndyCar Radio with the green flag waving in our nation’s capital at 1 p.m.

Freedom 250 qualifying results