'Championship Is Not Over': Pato O'Ward Puts The Pressure On Alex Palou

TORONTO — Pato O’Ward had a comfortable lead over the final third of the race on the streets of Toronto, so he could have let his mind wander.

He could have taken just a moment — maybe a second — to wonder how much he could cut into Alex Palou’s championship lead on Sunday afternoon.

But he didn’t look to see where Palou was running. He didn't ask.

Pato O'Ward (middle) celebrates on the podium after the INDYCAR race at Toronto 

That’s how far the gap was coming into the race, and when he heard he had cut Palou’s lead from 129 points to 99, O’Ward wasn’t going to let the big hill that he still must climb ruin an afternoon where he earned his second victory in the last three races. 

Palou, who has seven wins this year, finished 12th.

"It’s only, like, [down to] 99," O’Ward said. "It's a good chunk. His good weekends are days like [mine] today. We need to make sure that we continue to have days like today. Not just one but a few. 

"I think we're going to keep this conversation going until Nashville. That's my goal."

To keep the conversation running until the season finale at Nashville, O’Ward would need to be within 54 points of Palou. One of Palou’s best tracks comes next weekend at Laguna Seca Raceway. Then the final three races are at Portland International Raceway, The Milwaukee Mile and Nashville Superspeedway.

Alex Palou and Marcus Armstrong at the start of the INDYCAR race at Toronto

Palou won’t be able to clinch at Laguna Seca. He would have to be 108 points ahead of O’Ward after Portland to clinch and 54 points ahead of O’Ward after Milwaukee to seal his third consecutive title and fourth overall.

O’Ward is the only driver even remotely in the championship hunt. Kyle Kirkwood sits third in the standings at 173