“Pato who?” victories in IndyCar’s return to the Milwaukee Mile, where the title could be up for grabs on Sunday

WEST ALLIS – Pato O’Ward won IndyCar’s return to the Milwaukee Mile after a nine-year absence Saturday in the first race of the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 doubleheader for his third win of the season.

O’Ward led a 133-lap race and finished 1.8215 seconds ahead of 2014 Milwaukee winner Will Power.

“A great run for us,” O’Ward said. “The car came alive in the second stint, then it was a bit lumpy after that. Lots of changing conditions. The track was getting quite a bit cooler.”

Conor Daly finished third and Santino Ferrucci fourth as Chevrolet entries filled the top four positions. Championship leader Alex Palou, in fifth, was the best placed of the Honda entrants.

Who is Pato O’Ward, winner of the first Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250?

The 25-year-old, originally from Monterrey, Mexico, is in his fifth full season on the circuit, all with Arrow McLaren. The win was O’Ward’s seventh in 87 NTT IndyCar Series starts.

O’Ward has been in the news in recent days as drivers and fans reacted to the news that NASCAR will take its first two series to Mexico next season, while IndyCar has yet to strike a deal to do the same despite the fact that it has an extremely popular Mexican. driver in the middle of it.

The subject led to several humorous exchanges between the podium finishers from the moment O’Ward joined Power and Daly in the post-race press conference:

Power: “We should be in Mexico City, not NASCAR.”

O’Ward: “What?”

Power: “I say we should be in Mexico City.”

O’Ward: “Pato who?”

How did Pato O’Ward win the Milwaukee Mile on Saturday?

O’Ward started sixth, gained ground after making his first pit stop earlier than other leaders and then overtook polesitter Scott McLaughlin in the first part of his 119 start.^th tour to drive for the first time.

O’Ward again benefited from strategy at the final stop when he was again out of the lead on 185^th lap and Colton Herta, who pitted at the same time, lost a wheel to bring out the final caution. When Power, Daly and Linus Lundqvist pitted, O’Ward was back out front and stayed there for the final 47 laps.

How did Conor Daly finish third?

After battling hard in practice, Daly took off like a shot at the start of the race, moved ahead of the Herta caution and then held on as Power narrowly slipped past Santino Ferrucci for second in the final stint.

Daly made 51 passes on the track for position over the course of the race.

“Honestly, we didn’t know how good we were,” Daly said. “In the first lap I decided to go only where there was free space. Looks like it worked. Then, yes, I continued. He slowly worked his way forward.”

Daly’s only other IndyCar podium in 113 starts came at Detroit Belle Isle in 2016. It was the first top-three finish for Juncos Hollinger Racing.

How will Sunday’s IndyCar race be different from Saturday’s at the Milwaukee Mile?

With a three-hour earlier start, drivers will no longer be driving in the sun at Turn 4, as they did in the afternoon turned into evening.

While the forecast calls for a high of 73, about 10 degrees cooler, the race still starts at 2 p.m., about three hours earlier, when the frontstretch won’t be shaded as it was from Saturday’s start.

“Tomorrow is going to be a bit warmer than it was today, at least as it ended,” O’Ward said. “Balances will change. Fast cars will evolve. We’ll see where we are.”

Power said: “Very hard to know what you need here. I think the degree (play) of the tire is so great that you start with a balance, you end up with the other side of it. I think everyone will be better tomorrow. They will know the strategy, how the tires go off, they will know how to overtake, what lanes work. It will be a tougher race, for sure.”

What Happened to the NTT IndyCar Series Championship Race?

Power gained some points on leader Alex Palou, who finished fifth. Still, he remains on 43, so it’s possible Palou could win the title on Sunday. The most a driver can win in a single event is 54. Power holds the tie with three wins to Palou’s two.

The second round of the Milwaukee doubleheader is also the final race of the season. The season finale is the Music City Grand Prix on September 15 at Nashville Superspeed in Lebanon, Tennessee.

What happened in the Indy NXT race?

Louis Foster won the Indy NXT Championship in style with the Nashville finale to spare, leading all 90 laps from the pole. He crossed the line 4.062 seconds ahead of Jacob Abel for his seventh win of the season and Andretti’s sixth championship in IndyCar’s top development division.

Oconomowoc native Yuven Sundaramoorthy finished seventh.

When is the second half of the Milwaukee IndyCar doubleheader?

The green flag for the second Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 is set for Sunday at 2 p.m.

Gates open at 10am

Driver presentations are scheduled for 1:25 p.m

How much are IndyCar tickets at the Milwaukee Mile?

Prices range from $45 for general grandstand admission to $110 for top reserved grandstand seating, plus tax.

There is no ground-specific ticket, but grandstand ticket holders have access to the infield.

What channel is the Sunday Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 on?

The telecast is on the US cable network and will also be broadcast on Peacock.

The radio show will be carried by WOKY-AM (920).

This article originally appeared on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Pato O’Ward wins first Milwaukee Mile IndyCar doubleheader