Indycar’s return from their break was nothing short of exciting. Plenty of battles occurred between Felix Rosenqvist and Alex Palou, with Palou taking the victory and extending his championship lead. Will Power secured third place, and got his sixth career top-five finish in Portland. Rinus Veekay secured his best finish at Portland with a fourth-place finish.
When it comes to overtaking, the driver who makes the most passes secures an award for their work. This week, the biggest mover award goes to Christian Lundgaard of Arrow McLaren.
Lundgaard struggled with multiple issues with his car, including a frozen dashboard and a non-functioning hybrid component. Because of that, he was unable to qualify, and started last.
Since the start of the race, he made his moves and proved why he does well on road courses. Before turn seven of the track, he made six passes to move up to 19th from 25th.
At one point, Lundgaard made it up to fourth during a round of pit stops. After that, he fell down to 13th, ending up next to teammate Pato O’Ward. Both McLarens moved up, ending up 9th and 10th respectively.
Lundgaard’s talent on road courses showed today. This season, he’s managed to secure two victories, including the Sonsio Grand Prix at the IMS Road Course, and the Xpel Grand Prix at Road America. Lundgaard currently sits in fourth in the championship standings, with 375 points. He trails David Malukas, who sits in third with 392.
Despite the struggles he faced, Lundgaard showed tremendous resiliency. For Lundgaard, that’s been the story of his season. Resiliency is a big trait teams look for when seats are open. With 15 overtakes today, Lundgaard is proving his worth and telling the Indycar world that he knows what kind of seat he deserves. He demonstrated his overtaking skills, making him a top driver in the market.
After this race, the Indycar grid gears up to take on the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham. The race will start on August 16 at 12 p.m. EST. Lundgaard looks to seek another victory, and move up to third in the championship standings.