The BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI has the makings of a chaotic showdown Sunday at Portland International Raceway.

The 110-lap race airing at 3 p.m. ET (FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network) could prove one of the most unpredictable of the season. Tire strategy is already creating clear distinctions in performance, with drivers excelling on different compounds of Firestone’s Firehawk racing tires. Some are faster on the softer, less durable alternate tires, while others favor the harder, more consistent primary rubber.

SEE: Starting Lineup/Tire Choice

Not many are strong on both.

By rule, each team must run at least one set of primary and one new set of alternates during the race, which could create interesting strategies throughout the field.

“There’s a big balance shift,” Team Penske’s Will Power said. “Surprisingly, the reds (alternates) usually make the car push, but this weekend they’re making it loose.”

Teams had one practice session Friday to evaluate both tire types, and the data may be misleading. Practice began under mild conditions, 77 degrees ambient, but Sunday’s forecast calls for 96 degrees, which would tie the record for the hottest Portland race (1992).

Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) showed pace on the alternates, topping Friday’s session and earning the NTT P1 Award in Saturday’s mixed-tire qualifying. In contrast, Colton Herta led Saturday morning’s primary-tire-only session but qualified 16th in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda, struggling with his car’s handling on alternates.

Devlin DeFrancesco, sixth quickest on primary tires Saturday morning, qualified 14th and noted his No. 30 Dogecoin Honda is among the fastest on primaries but still lacks pace on the softer compound.

“There’s definitely some big strategy to play tomorrow,” Power said. “Especially because the red is so much quicker. Guys who have an extra set of reds and start at the back could charge through the field.”

David Malukas qualified fifth in his No. 4 Gallagher Insurance Chevrolet for A.J. Foyt Enterprises and believes the elevated temperatures will play a role in the race, too.

“Someone might be good in qualifying, but who knows in the race?” Malukas said. “With high temps and heavy fuel, it could flip the field. We just have to hope we’re on the right side of it.”

Lap 1 Mayhem a Portland Tradition – Except in 2022

Adding to the potential chaos Sunday is opening-lap carnage.

Since the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returned to PIR in 2018, every race has featured a multicar crash on Lap 1, with the lone exception in 2022, when the first 83 laps ran caution-free.

A major reason for that clean start in 2022 was a change in the start procedure. Rather than waiting to accelerate midway down the frontstretch, the front row was allowed to go earlier exiting Turn 12, in hopes of spreading out the field before the notoriously tight first corner complex.

The front straight spans 2,450 feet before funneling cars into a sharp right-hand Turn 1, immediately followed by a left-hand Turn 2, a sequence that’s become one of the most challenging opening corners on the calendar.

Last year’s race avoided Turn 1 trouble, but a Lap 1 crash still occurred, this time in Turn 8, involving Scott Dixon, Pietro Fittipaldi and Alexander Rossi.

“The last couple of years, we’ve started the race earlier, already exiting Turn 12 instead of further down the front straight,” Andretti Global’s Marcus Ericsson said. “That’s helped spread the field out a bit more. Before, when we started in the middle of the frontstretch, it was six-wide going into Turn 1 – just a recipe for chaos.

“Still, Turn 1 at Portland is probably the trickiest of the year.”

O’Ward Inherits Pole as Engine Penalties Shake Up Grid

Pato O’Ward will start from the pole in Sunday’s race after qualifying second in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. He inherits the top spot due to teammate Lundgaard receiving a six-position grid penalty for an unapproved engine change after Friday’s practice.

Similar penalties also hit Josef Newgarden and Santino Ferrucci, who will each drop six spots on the grid. Ferrucci’s engine was changed following Friday’s session, while Newgarden encountered an engine issue during Saturday morning practice.

Championship leader Alex Palou benefits from the shuffling and starts fifth after getting off course in the Firestone Fast Six in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

O’Ward trails Palou by 121 points entering the race. To stay in the title hunt, he must outscore Palou by at least 14 points. Palou can clinch the title Sunday if he leaves Portland with a lead of 108 points or more.

Does that change O’Ward’s approach?

“I think it'll depend on where he (Palou) is at,” O’Ward said. “But really, we just need to focus on us. We had a great July, but he still outscored us. At this point, I'm focused on locking in second in points, but if we can keep chipping away and stay in the title fight, that’s just extra gravy on the mashed potatoes.”

Dixon, who qualified 10th in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, moves up to ninth due to Newgarden’s penalty. He sits third in the standings, 198 points behind Palou and 78 behind O’Ward. With the title out of reach, Dixon expects aggressive racing as drivers chase wins, not points.

“Laguna was a bit messy, as well,” Dixon said. “It’s kind of like two years ago where first and second were wrapped up. At this point, it doesn’t really matter. You’re just going for wins.”

Palou Paces Final Practice

Palou qualified sixth after his rare off-track excursion in the Firestone Fast Six, but he recovered to lead the final practice Saturday afternoon.

Three-time series champion Palou was quickest at 59.1766, followed by Herta at 59.4124.

SEE: Final Practice Results

Graham Rahal was third at 59.4526 in the No. 15 Hendrickson International Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Rosenqvist stopped the clocks fourth at 59.4878 in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda of Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb-Agajanian.

Newgarden rounded out the top five at 59.6080 in the No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet.

It was a sluggish session for the two Arrow McLaren drivers who were quickest during the Firestone Fast Six portion of NTT P1 Award qualifying. O’Ward was 19th at 1 minute, .0495 of a second. Lundgaard was 24th at 1:00.2901.

Malukas Scraps His Way to Firestone Fast Six

Malukas made his third Firestone Fast Six appearance of the season Saturday, but his path to the final round of qualifying was anything but smooth.

In the first round, Malukas was penalized for taking an improper shortcut while avoiding Sting Ray Robb, who had gone off course. The incident resulted in a drive-through penalty. Despite the setback, he managed to clock a last-second lap fast enough to advance.

“The first round of qualifying, thank goodness we made it,” Malukas said. “The car was an absolute rocketship; we knew that going in. Then we get the drive-through, and I’m thinking, ‘OK, still fine, we’ll get a lap in.’ Then the red comes out. So now we just have to go again, but the tires are ice cold. I damn near crash going through Turns 10 and 11, but somehow we make it.”

The second round didn’t go much smoother.

“Everyone’s doing different strategies,” he said. “Then we get held up right when we need to push. The tires are cold again, and we barely scrape into P6 to move on. It’s like, ‘OK, we’re still here. Things will come together.’”

But in the Firestone Fast Six, Malukas’ fastest lap was deleted after Alex Palou went off course, triggering a local yellow in the final moments.

“Honestly, it was a really good session,” Malukas said. “We had a shot at pole, but it felt like we had one hand tied behind our back the whole time.”

Portland Test Helps Ericsson Grow With Andretti Global

Ericsson entered July ranked 21st in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES standings, with just one top-10 finish in the first nine races, a sixth-place result in the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding.

In response to the slow start, Andretti Global made a strategic change, bringing in Dave Seyffert to engineer Ericsson’s No. 28 Honda.

But with five races packed into four weekends in July, including a doubleheader at Iowa, there was little time for the new driver-engineer pairing to find its rhythm. It was a trial by fire.

That changed on Tuesday, July 29, when the team participated in a test at Portland International Raceway. For Ericsson and Seyffert, it was a much-needed chance to slow down and build chemistry.

“It was important to get a test with my engineer, Dave,” Ericsson said. “We started working together just before that stretch of races, so we hadn’t had a proper test day. And the way the weekends are structured, you don’t really have time to do much – you roll off the truck and go straight into race mode.

“So, getting a full day to work through some bigger items, gather data, and collaborate more closely was really useful.”

While the primary focus of the test was immediate performance gains for Portland, the team also had one eye on 2026.

“We were optimizing for this weekend, yes, but also looking ahead to next year,” Ericsson said. “What direction do we want to go with setups? This is a good track for evaluating general road course packages, and we had a very productive day. Hopefully, it helps us come back here stronger.”

Ericsson qualified 11th in the No. 28 Delaware Life Honda. He has three top-10 finishes in four PIR starts.

Carpenter Calling Rossi’s Strategy Sunday

Ed Carpenter served as Christian Rasmussen’s strategist during the Sonsio Grand Prix on May 10 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where Rasmussen finished 19th – the same position he started.

This weekend, Carpenter steps into the strategist role again, this time for Rossi. Rossi’s previous strategist was Tim Broyles, who also serves as president of Ed Carpenter Racing.

“Ultimately, Tim’s title is president of the company, and as we’re looking to grow and continue expanding the operation, he needs to oversee a lot of different things,” Rossi said. “Having him on a car, from what I understand, limits his ability to really identify key areas across the organization during race weekends to see where our strengths and weaknesses are.

“So, this shift gives him the opportunity to have more oversight, which fits his role better.”

Rossi, who qualified seventh at Portland International Raceway, doesn’t expect major changes to the No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet with Carpenter on the stand.

“It’s going to be very similar,” Rossi said. “It’s a small team, so the philosophies and personalities are pretty consistent across the organization.”

McLaughlin, DeFrancesco Have Another Run-In

Scott McLaughlin charged toward DeFrancesco following a first-lap incident during The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix on March 23, with heated words and hand gestures flying freely in DeFrancesco’s Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing pit box.

Tensions flared again during Saturday morning's practice session at Portland International Raceway. As McLaughlin approached Turn 1 at full speed on the 1.964-mile, 12-turn road course, DeFrancesco was exiting the pits in his No. 30 Dogecoin Honda and still getting up to speed.

McLaughlin pulled alongside the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver and gestured his displeasure.

“It’s just a buildup,” McLaughlin said. “That’s twice in a row Devlin’s come out of the pits and gotten in my way. You’re coming down there at 180 mph, and a guy just parks it at the apex of Turn 1. It’s basic etiquette. There were a couple of bonehead moves out there I wasn’t too happy with. It’s just like, ‘What are we doing?’ It’s annoying.”

DeFrancesco acknowledged McLaughlin’s frustration.

“I’ve been in that position, like he has, too,” DeFrancesco said. “It’s extremely frustrating. The adrenaline is high in the car – I get it. We were sent out, and according to the GPS tracker, we were supposed to slot in behind him. But we came out right in front of him as he was on a push lap. It’s unfortunate. I didn’t mean to do that to anyone.”

Odds and Ends

  • Rosenqvist starts second Sunday. He has two runner-up finishes in five PIR starts. Rosenqvist hasn’t won in his last 92 starts, dating to Road America in 2020.
  • Power starts third and believes he can win from there in his No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. He led 101 of 110 laps from the second starting position in last year’s victory and is confident his car is strong on both tire compounds.
  • Green flag for Sunday’s race is 3:22 p.m. ET.
  • Chip Ganassi Racing is supporting flood relief efforts in Kerr County, Texas, through August and September by donating proceeds from trading card sales. All profits from card pack purchases will benefit the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund, managed by the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, in response to the devastating July 4 floods. Fans can purchase card packs or make a one-time donation at chipganassiracing.com/cgrcards.