Winners and losers from the IndyCar doubleheader at Milwaukee

It was a long weekend for the fans and everyone in the paddock with Mother Nature pushing the majority of the action at The Milwaukee Mile to Sunday.

The first of two races on the 1.015-mile oval was interrupted by rain after 90 of 250 laps on Saturday and originally rescheduled to conclude early Sunday morning ahead of Race 2. However, the rain continued to play its annoying part, leaving Race 2 to keep its original start time and split with the beginning and conclusion of Race 1.

In the end, the weather only delayed Pato O’Ward turning ‘The Mile’ in his personal playground, delivering a sweep and becoming the first person since Rick Mears at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1981 to win two IndyCar races on the same day.

Speaking of inevitable, Alex Palou bounced back from a rough previous round in Washington, D.C., and officially clinched his fifth - fourth consecutive - IndyCar Series title in six seasons.

The Race 1 two-part showing featured 696 total passes, with 372 of those for position. There were also 12 lead changes among eight different drivers, along with four cautions for 70 laps. The more straightforward Race 2 had 661 total passes and 333 of those for position, along with 10 lead changes among eight drivers. Additionally, the second race underwent three caution periods for 37 laps. 

Here are the winners and losers from the 16th and 17th rounds of the season. 

Winner: Pato O’Ward

O’Ward’s remarkable double-win Sunday saw him deny Team Penske drivers in both races. In the first race, he made the most of a rough final restart for David Malukas to pull off an inside pass into Turn 1 with 19 laps to go. From there, he set sail for his second win of the day - and third at the track.

The Arrow McLaren driver had to fend off a speedy Scott McLaughlin at the end of Race 2, and did so with ease after navigating through backmarker traffic. Across the 500 total laps, O’Ward led 174 laps, including a race-high 119 in the first race.

It was as perfect a day as a driver in the IndyCar Series has ever enjoyed, and O’Ward’s double-win also came on founder Bruce McLaren’s birthday.

Loser: Josef Newgarden

Josef Newgarden arrived in Wisconsin needing a dominant weekend to salvage a challenging 2026 championship campaign, but Race 1 offered only frustration. While the rain delay gave Team Penske extra time to navigate through any improvements, Newgarden lacked the pace required to fight for the podium compared to his teammates. In the end, he finished seventh.

Race 2 spiraled from disappointing to catastrophic. Pushing to make up lost ground, Newgarden lost control of his #2 Chevrolet and slammed the Turn 4 wall after 150 laps, leaving him with a painful DNF. Collectively, it was far from the expectation for a driver that is regarded as the oval maestro of the series.

Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing

Photo by: Penske Entertainment

Winner: Alex Palou

It wasn’t Palou’s best performance in Race 1, but the 10th-place result (after a top five in Race 2) was enough to secure his aforementioned fifth IndyCar Series title - and with one round to spare in the season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Additionally, Palou’s string of four consecutive championships tied a mark set by Sebastien Bourdais, who claimed four Champ Car titles from 2003-07.

Race 2 was the crowning achievement of an extraordinary season. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver started on pole and led a race-high 115 laps en route to crossing the line fifth. If not for struggling with backmarker traffic, a podium could have been in play, and that’s the only negative thing mark on an otherwise clean day for the Spaniard.

Loser: Will Power

Will Power’s run of three consecutive third-place finishes came to a halt in cruel fashion. In Race 1, he retired after 199 laps after being pushed into a compromising three-wide situation - and with traffic directly ahead that took air of the nose of his #26 Andretti Global Honda - that pushed him into the marbles and eventually the wall. He finished 25th after also leading three laps.

The Aussie was in play for a win late in Race 2, but was hit with a pit road speeding penalty and left wondering what could have been en route to a 14th-place finish. The twin sub-par results knocked him down to 11th in the championship, marking a deeply disappointing outing for a veteran on the flat oval. 

Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren, Pato O'Ward, Arrow McLaren, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske

Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Lumen via Getty Images

Winner: Christian Lundgaard

Christian Lundgaard helped silence any doubters of his ability on ovals.

The Dane led one lap and finished sixth in Race 1, which equalled his career-best result on an oval. Then, he did even better in Race 2 by converting an 11th-place start to reset his career-best oval finish to third. The result in Race 2 gave Arrow McLaren a double podium.

The pair of strong performances also elevated Lundgaard back into second in the championship standings with 507 points, narrowly ahead of Kyle Kirkwood (505), Pato O’Ward (503), and David Malukas (484).

Loser: Caio Collet

Race 1 was a complete disaster for Caio Collet, as persistent mechanical gremlins plagued his A.J. Foyt Racing entry before he ultimately lost control, bounced off Newgarden and crashed into the outer wall for a 24th-place DNF. Milwaukee’s unforgiving surface punished his lack of clean track time, leaving him scrambling for answers.

Race 2 brought no relief, either. The Brazilian lacked raw pace and was forced to start near the back. He remained trapped in midfield traffic with no chance to move forward, finishing four laps down in 23rd.

In a paddock where every weekend serves as an audition for the future, this messy, mistake-laden performance was a heavy blow to any momentum. 

Winner: Chevrolet

On a weekend that saw rival Honda clinch the 2026 Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet spoiled the party with a remarkable showing.

Not only did Chevrolet-powered O’Ward sweep the weekend, but the bow-tie brand also cleaned house and swept the podium in both races. The first race saw Chevrolet entries finish 1-7, and 1-4 in Race 2.

Romain Grosjean, Dale Coyne Racing

Photo by: Penske Entertainment

Loser: Romain Grosjean

Romain Grosjean’s weekend was defined by agonizing mediocrity. In Race 1, he struggled immensely with chassis balance and setup choices on the low-grip track, sliding back through the field and even making contact that led to rookie Mick Schumacher spinning - and confronting him after the race. Grosjean was left with a disappointing 19th.

Race 2 offered up an even worse result for Grosjean. After starting 20th in the #18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda, he was unable to make up any ground before crashing out on a restart on Lap 155, finishing 24th.