Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward confident as he dreams of first Indy 500 victory: 'We’ve got a shot'

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When Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward closes his eyes at night, he dreams about the Indianapolis 500. 

"Last night, that’s all I’m dreaming of," O'Ward told Fox News Digital on Monday, six days before the biggest race in IndyCar each year. "I keep racing multiple Indy 500's in my head. It’s crazy. You try and tone it down as much as you can, but this race…it’s unlike anything else."

Ask any driver in Indianapolis how much this race means to them, and you'll likely get the same answer. For O'Ward, though, you'd think this race would make him grimace because of what could've been the past two years. 

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Pato O'Ward of Mexico talks with his crew after qualifying for the NTT IndyCar Series Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 10, 2024. (Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

But the 25-year-old Mexican driver couldn't be in better spirits heading into Sunday, when he gets another opportunity to come out victorious after 200 long laps.

"I want to have a clean, good race. I want to freaking race, man," he said, laughing. "I think sometimes it’s so easy to get greedy, and you forget it’s already such an opportunity to have the chance to race. It sucks when something goes wrong, if someone hits you, or you make a mistake. The opportunity to just be able to race, it’s so special. That’s what I want. I want a chance to finish the 200 laps, and honestly, I’m probably the last guy that needs a hype man. If anything, I need somebody to tone myself down."

O'Ward has a solid pole position, sitting in the middle of row 3 in eighth. His Arrow McLaren teammates – Alexander Rossi