Christian Lundgaard is quietly setting the stage for what he hopes is a future NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship run.

While much of the spotlight this year has been on his Arrow McLaren teammate Pato O’Ward, who delivered a championship-caliber summer with 10 top-seven finishes in the last 12 races, including two wins and two runner-up results, Lundgaard’s recent surge shouldn’t go unnoticed.

Alex Palou locked up his fourth NTT INDYCAR SERIES title – and his third in a row – with a third-place finish Aug. 10 at Portland International Raceway, capitalizing on an early electrical failure that ended O’Ward’s title hopes. Meanwhile, Will Power earned his and Team Penske’s first win of the season by capturing the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI. That was a timely victory in a contract year when Power’s 2026 plans remain uncertain.

And Lundgaard?

He finished second at Portland, his second consecutive runner-up finish and third of the season. Even more impressively, he did so after earning the NTT P1 Award and serving a six-spot grid penalty for an unapproved engine change Friday night, forcing him to start from seventh.

Christian Lundgaard

“It sucks finishing second twice,” Lundgaard said. “I'm always happy to be disappointed with a second. I think that's the mentality you need to have.

“Personally, I think everybody on the 7 car left Portland with a feeling of, ‘We won that weekend.’ We were the fastest car all weekend. We had an engine penalty, but we drove back to second. I had to hold off Alex Palou, who’s won eight races this season. We were right there with Power all weekend. Without the penalty, I have no doubt we could’ve had a better result.”

Since joining Arrow McLaren this season and taking over the No. 7 Chevrolet, Lundgaard has six podium finishes in 15 starts. That car had just four podiums in 81 starts before his arrival.

He already has as many podiums this season than he managed in 52 starts with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

“The trajectory the team is on is only upward, and I'm excited for the years to come,” he said.

Christian Lundgaard

To take the next step, though, Lundgaard knows he must improve on ovals.

Circle tracks remain his weakest track type statistically. Across 21 career oval starts, his average finish is 16.38. By comparison, his average on street circuits is 11.05 (18 starts), and on road courses it's 8.35 (28 starts).

Still, there’s clear progress. His best oval finish of sixth came in his most recent oval start last month at Iowa Speedway. His second-best: ninth, last season at the Milwaukee Mile. This year, his oval average is 14.25, an improvement over 2022 (18.4), 2023 (17.6) and 2024 (15.28).

Part of the 2025 oval improvement is Lundgaard admitting he still had plenty to learn about ovals once joining Arrow McLaren.

“There’s a foundation being built this year for next year because I really feel like I’m relearning it all,” Lundgaard said.

Entering Sunday’s Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 (2 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network), Lundgaard sits fourth in points, just 14 behind Scott Dixon in third. With two races remaining, both on ovals at Milwaukee Mile and Nashville Superspeedway (Aug. 31), he has a chance to put two Arrow McLaren cars inside the top three at the end of the championship.

That would be a statement, considering the company he's chasing. Between Palou and Dixon, there are 10 series championships. O’Ward has been with Arrow McLaren for six seasons.

“Apart from the 10 car, we’ve been the second-best on road courses,” Lundgaard said. “We’ve had street races where we struggled but still got good results. If we can complete the oval circle next year and be consistent there, we’re in a title fight.

“That’s what the 10 car has done this year. Alex had never won an oval, then he wins the (Indianapolis) 500, then Iowa. It’s been a complete season for him.

“Scott Dixon is just always there. And I’ve seen everything first-hand from Pato’s performances. There’s very little between us.

“Next year? I don’t think they’ll be ahead. I think they’ll be behind.”

That’s why the final two races matter. Does Lundgaard pursue Dixon for third in points or focus on gaining oval experience to build a stronger notebook for a 2026 Astor Cup championship trophy run?

“Both, honestly,” Lundgaard said. “There’s a fine line. You want to learn as much as possible, and I think you learn the most by attacking. You’re not going to learn much by hanging back or running off-strategy just to be different.

“One thing I learned this year in May at Indy is you have to run with the people you want to race with. That’s the fast cars. The mentality isn’t, ‘Let’s build for next year.’ I think we build by going for it now.”