Pato O’Ward etched his name into racing lore at The Milwaukee Mile by sweeping the Milwaukee doubleheader to become the first IndyCar driver since Rick Mears in 1981 to win two races on the same day.
By taking both checkered flags in his #5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, the 27-year-old Mexican driver became just the seventh driver in IndyCar history to accomplish the feat, joining a seven-driver list of legends that includes Mario Andretti, Al Unser, Bobby Unser, Dan Gurney, Johnny Rutherford and Mears.
Yet, despite standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the sport’s greatest drivers, O’Ward remains focused on defining his own legacy.
“Those are heavy names. Then you hear mine, you’re like, ‘What?’” O’Ward said. “Honestly, man, I’m just writing my own story. I really don’t know what’s in store for my IndyCar career. So far I’ve dedicated my whole life to this. I always really dedicate myself to everything that I do to the best of my ability. I’m one hungry competitor. I love to go out there and compete and to challenge.”
That single-minded focus was on full display throughout a relentless day of racing. In the rain-delayed Race 1, which ultimately finished after Race 2 had already been completed, O’Ward led a race-high 119 laps, seizing the win after passing Team Penske’s David Malukas on a final restart with 19 laps remaining.
“David did a phenomenal job. No one was going to catch him. He was doing such a great job through traffic. He was on fire,” O’Ward said. “I told him, man, this story is just about beginning for him. He’s in a fantastic team. He’s an amazing driver. He’s great on and off the track. Whenever they start raining on him, he’s going to be like, they [victories] are very sweet, much sweeter.”
Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren
Photo by: Penske Entertainment
When asked if he worried about catching Malukas had the race stayed green, O’Ward was more mindful of not forcing anything.
“Oh, no,” O’Ward said. “I was just kind of like, I can’t really get too creative here. Really, I just had to let something come to me. That’s what ultimately gave me the opportunity. I’ve had that issue, what David had. I also lost a race. It sucks.”
“We were determined today,” O’Ward said. “We were determined to keep ourselves in the fight, keep ourselves in the opportunity of anything that came our way that we could take advantage of. I’m super proud of everybody. Super proud of Team Chevy. It’s been a huge weekend for them. Obviously very proud that I was able to bring two dubs for them. For Arrow McLaren, like I said, it’s been such a challenging year at the ovals for me. This closes it out exactly how I had it in my mind coming into the weekend.”
The sweep highlights an all-or-nothing season for O’Ward, whose only three podium appearances this year have all been victories.
“It’s been pretty crazy. I have three podiums, but all three of them have been a win,” O’Ward said. “Before the last yellow when I was behind Malukas, I was like, the two podiums I’ve had have both been wins. It would suck for the third one to be a second. Racing gods heard me.”
The 100-point-plus haul elevated O’Ward into fourth in the championship standings (503 points), trailing Arrow McLaren team-mate Christian Lundgaard (507) by just four points for second place overall entering next weekend’s season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren
Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Lumen via Getty Images
“Coming into this weekend knowing there were 100 points on the table, having a good car here was crucial to having a shot at second in the championship,” O’Ward said.
“I don’t even know where I’m at right now, but pretty sure I go into Laguna with a proper shot at being second in the championship again, which I did last year. I love that opportunity. I’d love to end it like that and kind of just pick it back up because, like I said, the rest of the year I felt a little bit of a lost puppy really.”
