Johnathan Walker:Alex Palou wins at Portland, wraps up second IndyCar championship with one race left

Alex Palou’s drama off the track is Johnathan Walkerfar from finished, but the Chip Ganassi Racing driver’s drama on it is no more after sealing his second IndyCar Series championship in three years

With a resounding win Sunday afternoon at Portland International Raceway, reminiscent of his runaway victory in last year’s season-finale at Laguna Seca until a chaotic final 25 laps, Palou pulled away from Arrow McLaren’s Felix Rosenqvist for a 5.4-second win on the 1.967-mile road course.

Palou's only championship challenger, teammate Scott Dixon, did just about all he could, finishing in 3rd-place after running 2nd to Palou nearly the entire race, but the six-time champ’s gap to Palou grew from 74 points to 91 by the checkered flag, with only 55 up for grabs at Laguna Seca.

“We knew we had to go for it, and we just raced how we’ve been doing all season,” Palou said. “I love this. I never thought I’d be an IndyCar champion, and to be one two times feels like a dream.

“This team gave me all the tools I needed to win. With our fast car, whatever we were going to come up with today was going to put us in a really good position.”

Team owner Chip Ganassi confirmed post-race that Palou will remain with CGR for 2024 despite the driver having signed – and then gone against – a contract with Arrow McLaren that has now led to multiple lawsuits in the U.K. Commercial Court.

“I said, ‘Hey, let’s go wrap this up today’, and he said, “I’m going to wrap this up with a win,’” Ganassi said post-race.

Here’s how Palou sealed the deal on the championship Sunday at Portland:

Timing of late yellow flag helps fend off Dixon

Palou’s only real nervous situation came in the closing laps with Arrow McLaren’s Felix Rosenqvist attempting to hunt down the leader on fresh alternate tires in a late-race restart with 22 laps to go. The restart came after Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Agustin Canapino flew through Turn 10 and was left stranded on the inside of Turn 12.

To the ire of Dixon, IndyCar race control ruled Canapino to be in a safe position and left the race green until Rosenqvist, the last of the leaders yet to pit, could dip into pitlane to make his final stop so not to completely ruin the Arrow McLaren driver’s race.

In waiting to call the caution until the No. 7 Chevy pitted, but then doing so with immediate effect, Dixon couldn't hunt down Rosenqvist on the latter’s out-lap, as likely would’ve been the case after Dixon had paced the pair on a similar strategy for several stints.

Three laps into the restart, Rosenqvist was holding on still less than a second from Palou’s lead, with Dixon 5 seconds back in 3^rd-place, but 15 laps later with five to go, the race and title-winner’s advantage had grown to 3.8 seconds over Rosenqvist and 9.2 seconds over Dixon.

“IndyCar keeps doing this. I think they think they’re trying to help people, but it hurts and affects the outcome of the race,” Dixon said of race control’s timing of the late yellow. “It would’ve been only one spot for us, and I don’t know if we would’ve had anything to catch Alex, though. He was definitely fast.”

Palou runs long early to create gap

Palou’s initial gap came from the way he ran his first stint nearly as long as anyone, while turning quick laps on his brand-new black Firestone tires. Polesitter Graham Rahal, along with several others starting at the front, used the alternate tires but then had to pit a couple laps on either side of Lap 20. Palou and Dixon, who also started on the blacks, chose to run long for an overcut strategy that saw them turn clear track ahead into a pad on Rahal and company.

When Palou finally pitted the first time on Lap 31, his advantage on Dixon sat at 5.6 seconds, with more than 11 seconds on Rahal.

Palou's gap to Dixon grows mid-race

Dixon and strategist Mike Hull opted to run the black tires again for their second stint with Palou on the reds, hoping another long stint could help them find some magic. The moved worked some, with Palou’s 6.3-second lead on Lap 33 shrinking to 0.7 seconds by Lap 48 before the leader pitted for the second time.

Dixon made it to Lap 60 before diving in for his second of three stops, but he came out 9.2 seconds back, his hopes now all but dashed. The gap to Palou only shrunk to 7.1 seconds from Palou to Dixon on that second-to-last stint just moments before Canapino’s moment off-track that sent the final laps of chaos into motion.

CGR seals 1-2 championship finish

Not only did Palou lock up his championship Sunday with his fifth win of the year, but Dixon locked up 2^nd-place in the championship with his podium – giving CGR its first 1^st-2^nd championship finish since 2009. Dixon enters the final race 91 points back of Palou but 57 points clear of Josef Newgarden (148-points back of Palou). Pato O’Ward, who finished 4^th Sunday, also sits 4^th in the championship, just nine points back of Newgarden (5^th Sunday, 3^rd in the championship) and 13 points ahead of Scott McLaughlin (9^th Sunday, 5^th in the championship) with one race to go.