IndyCar Gradebook: Grand Prix of Portland
- Dan Jones
- Aug 14
- 10 min read
After dominating the 2025 season, Álex Palou finally made his fourth championship in five seasons official at Portland after a third-place finish. Will Power also ended Penske's winless streak in 2025 as he defended his victory of a year ago. DIVEBOMB IndyCar Correspondent, Dan Jones, graded all 27 drivers' performances during the Portland weekend.
Chip Ganassi Racing
No.8 - Kyffin Simpson - C-
Simpson came into the Portland weekend with a six-place penalty after he was deemed at fault for the collision on the opening lap with Felix Rosenqvist in Laguna Seca. After qualifying a respectable 12th before his penalty, Simpson was judged to be at fault for another early-race incident after he spun Louis Foster. Things wouldn't pick up from there as the Cayman Islander finished 21st, one lap down. A disappointing few races after what had been a really encouraging summer stretch.
No.9 - Scott Dixon - B-
It had looked until Lap 86 to be your fairly typical Dixon weekend. He quietly moved himself onto the fringes of a top five finish after qualifying 10th and was on for a strong result. That was until he clipped the back of Josef Newgarden after the American came out of the pits, with Dixon's nudge spinning Newgarden around and earning the New Zealander a drive-through penalty. Dixon finished 11th at the chequered flag.
No.10 - Álex Palou - A-
Wrapping up the title before the final race of an IndyCar season is rare, but to do it with two races to go is just testament to the incredible level that Palou has operated at this season. His championship was sealed with a third-place finish at Portland - remarkably his lowest finish on a road course this season. In a season filled with outstanding weekends, this unfortunately wasn't Palou at his very, very best. He crashed in the Fast Six at Turn 12 which made things slightly more difficult than usual, but did an incredible job in the race to close what was a 20-second gap to the lead. Passing was difficult and once Palou had caught up to Power and Christian Lundgaard there was little that the Spaniard could have done. An 11th podium in 15 races is just one of the incredible statistics in this record-breaking season - a season where we are truly witnessing greatness.
Team Penske
No.2 - Josef Newgarden - B+
When will Newgarden catch a break? Every weekend where a good result may finally come his way, there seems to be something that stops him from doing so - usually through no fault of his own and Portland marked no change to that. Carrying a six-place penalty for an engine change, Newgarden qualified in ninth and had made good progress to cycle through comfortably into the top 10. However, on Lap 86 he was spun by Dixon just moments after making his final stop and stalled when trying to restart twice. Newgarden was helpless as he finished 24th on the road. You sincerely hope his luck pits up slightly in the two oval races to close the season.
No.3 - Scott McLaughlin - B
It says a lot about Penske's struggles this season that this is probably one of McLaughlin's better weekends this season - certainly since the Indianapolis 500. The New Zealander qualified in 13th and made quiet but steady progress early on. He would be placed on the same strategy as Power and Palou but could not make the same progress, with McLaughlin having to settle for a respectable seventh. It's not quite the form we saw from McLaughlin last season, but he desperately needs results on the board like what was achieved at Portland.
No.12 - Will Power - A
If this doesn't convince Penske officials that Power deserves a seat at Penske next season, I don't know what will. In a season where they looked to go winless for the first time since 1999, the driver who is on the chopping block is the one that saves them from their blushes. Power qualified well in fourth - continuing the edge over his teammates in qualifying in recent races and quickly became the lead car on the alternate strategy. That proved to be a masterstroke as Power quickly built a gap with clean air and held off Lundgaard and Palou with great assurance in the final stages despite the pressure he was under. It was a greatly deserved win for Power and it certainly feels like one of the most important victories in his extensive career.
Andretti Global
No.26 - Colton Herta - B-
There was a lot of talk pre-weekend about Andretti being the only team to have tested at Portland which made this weekend a huge disappointment all-round for the team. Herta was the lead driver in the team though, even if it was nothing to shout home about. The American qualified in 16th and finished in the top 10 in a quiet outing. There seems to be a real lack of consistency in Andretti's form race-to-race which needs desperate attention if they are to become serious title contenders in the future.
No.27 - Kyle Kirkwood - C-
Apart from the dominant Palou, Kirkwood was the standout driver in the first half of the season which has made his lack of form in recent races all the more disappointing. It's been a strange fizzling out of form for the American, who could only qualify 20th. He made little inroads on race day as he finished 20th at the flag, a lap down from the lead. Kirkwood's shown he has the ability to maybe become a championship contender, but he cannot afford weekends like this in a championship push.
No.28 - Marcus Ericsson - C-
For somebody once hailed as one of the most consistent drivers in the series, eight finishes outside the top 20 in 15 races is grim reading for Ericsson. There were some positives - he outqualified both his teammates and reached the Fast 12 in 11th - but that was about all he could shout home about. The Swede finished 22nd, one lap down from the lead in another frustrating Sunday. His future at Andretti seems to be secured but his form desperately needs improving come 2026.
Arrow McLaren
No.5 - Pato O'Ward - A
Although he was never really in the championship hunt, a mechanical failure was a underwhelming way for O'Ward's chances to end. That said, it is still a weekend that O'Ward and McLaren can take plenty of positives from. As was the case in Toronto and Laguna Seca this has not historically been a good track for O'Ward - last season being a particular disaster when the team were completely void of pace. To turn that around with a 1-2 in qualifying was testament to the progress that Arrow McLaren has made in the last 12 months. We don't know what O'Ward's potential was on race day, but judging by Lundgaard's pace, he was certainly in contention for a podium. Second place in points feels almost a certainty for O'Ward though - which will mark his highest finish in the standings in his career.
No.6 - Nolan Siegel - C-
Whilst his teammates were at the front of the field, there was little to be seen of Siegel throughout the Portland weekend. The American qualified in 19th and saw the chequered flag in 17th. This is Siegel's first full season in the series and there was no expectation for him to be at the level of O'Ward and Lundgaard on a regular basis, but this weekend rather feels like he was further off the pace than what he should have been. It's explainable for this season, but that is something which he'll need to work on for 2026.
No.7 - Christian Lundgaard - A+
I don't give the top grades out very often, but this weekend felt like Lundgaard's - even if he was not in Victory Lane. Although it was a phantom pole, Lundgaard still claimed his maiden P1 award in McLaren colours and drove excellently on Sunday to climb his way back through the order after his engine penalty. Lundgaard would be caught out by strategy, with Power's clean air proving king when the Australian held track position when the two strategies converged. Overtaking seemed to be difficult, giving Lundgaard little chance of victory but he still defended excellently from Palou in the closing laps under immense pressure. His best weekend of the season - and one where a victory would have certainly been deserved.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
No.15 - Graham Rahal - A-
In what has been a very difficult year for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL), a fourth-place finish was a much-needed result for Rahal and the team alike. Qualifying was a rare disappointing affair for the team in 2025, with Rahal down in 22nd, but they nailed the strategy calls when it mattered. Rahal pitted under the opening caution which allowed the American to go to the end on the preferred red tyre. The pace advantage meant that Rahal cycled into fourth with little competition to claim the team's first top five finish of the season.
No.30 - Devlin DeFrancesco - C
A better weekend for DeFrancesco after a very underwhelming run of races. He was the top RLL car in qualifying in 14th but lost a lot of that good work after picking up two blocking penalties in eight laps. Nonetheless, DeFrancesco finished 18th - his best result since the Indianapolis 500. Continues to show signs of capability but not on a regular basis.
No.45 - Louis Foster - B-
Portland marked one of Foster's weaker qualifying sessions of the season in just 17th and was not helped by being the victim of Simpson's mistake early on. The Briton would recover to 13th - his best finish since Gateway, but as he alluded to, it could have well been a first career top 10 finish had it not been for the Simpson incident in the opening phases. He remains without a top 10 in his rookie season - a statistic that feels incredibly unjust.
Meyer Shank Racing
No.60 - Felix Rosenqvist - B+
It has become a slightly frustrating theme for Rosenqvist this season of qualifying very well but being incapable of covering that into a strong race result. The Swede qualified third, being promoted to second due to Lundgaard's penalty and would run in the same position during the opening stints. The decision to start on alternates would be a costly one though, as Rosenqvist struggled during his primary stint and would drop to ninth at the finish. A decent result but there could have certainly been more.
No.66 - Marcus Armstrong - B+
Listeners of the DIVEBOMB IndyCar Podcast will have become accustomed to the 'Armstrong Ability,' and Portland saw it in full flow. Nothing spectacular about Armstrong's weekend but solid nonetheless as the New Zealander qualified a respectable eighth and finished where he started for a 10th top 10 of the season.
Ed Carpenter Racing
No.20 - Alexander Rossi - A
It has been a very difficult stretch for Rossi but a fifth place finish emphatically ends his difficult run of form to claim Ed Carpenter Racing's best road/street course finish since Mid-Ohio 2022. Rossi qualified in seventh, which proved a blessing in disguise as he was able to carry an additional set of alternate tyres into the race. Rossi quickly disposed of those blacks and finished a comfortable fifth in his best performance of the season so far.
No.21 - Christian Rasmussen - D-
Rasmussen has been on the line all season with his aggressive driving style but his antics in Portland felt like a step over that line. His initial incident with Daly in Turn 7 felt rather unnecessary considering he lost himself time. Yes, he would be caught out by Daly's hot-headedness into Turn 1 but his car placement when they ran into Turn 10 was rather unnatural. I'm not here to say he deliberately took Daly out but Rasmussen was certainly behaving in a way which initiated contact. It was reckless, it was stupid and Rasmussen should have ultimately been penalised for it. There were further incidents with Herta and Newgarden too where Rasmussen overstepped the mark. He qualified 16th and had a decent finish in 12th but his weekend was marred by his over-the-line antics.
AJ Foyt Racing
No.4 - David Malukas - B-
Is this the weekend where Malukas' chance at a Penske seat for 2026 were ended? When he qualified an excellent fifth, alongside Power, it felt like they may have had a direct shootout for the most coveted seat in the driver market. However, Malukas would be a non-factor on race day and finished a disappointing 19th - being lapped by Power in the process. Execution has been a difficult on the No.4 stand on road/street courses this season and it feels Malukas maybe isn't quite ready for the step up yet.
No.14 - Santino Ferrucci - F
After a sensational run mid-season, Ferrucci earns himself a second F in three races. Qualifying was better than usual for Ferrucci in 15th, before receiving a six-place penalty for an engine change. However, he made an inexcusable error for a driver of his calibre on the second lap when he crashed exiting Turn 12. It has been a very messy run of races for Ferrucci who came into the season with such confidence in his team's potential. He will need to shine on the closing two ovals of the season like he did last year to end the season on a high.
Juncos Hollinger Racing
No.76 - Conor Daly - D
Daly is not completely devoid of blame in his incident with Rasmussen, but he is certainly the one who came out worse. Daly qualified poorly in 26th and was running outside of the top 20 when it all kicked off with Rasmussen. Rasmussen's move at Turn 7 was unfair, but that did not give Daly the right to throw it up the inside into Turn 2 in the way he did. It remains to be seen what he could have done on Sunday if not for the final incident.
No.77 - Sting Ray Robb - C+
A 14th place finish in Portland marked the best road course finish of Robb's IndyCar career. The American qualified far better than usual in 20th too and generally had the edge on his teammate, which hasn't been all too common this season. 14th still isn't the expectation of a third-year driver but Robb is seemingly making steady progress.
Dale Coyne Racing
No.18 - Rinus VeeKay - C
In a season where he has starred, this was a more anonymous outing for VeeKay. He qualified 23rd and was spun during the Simpson/Foster incident in the proceeding check-up. VeeKay recovered to 17th after the incident but we've certainly seen better days from the Dutchman this season.
No.51 - Jacob Abel - C-
Abel qualified dead last in 27th, but made good progress throughout stints and was running around the top 15 on several occasions throughout the race. However, strategy did not fall the American's way and he would finish down in 23rd. On the brighter side of things, there were no mechanical issues on this occasion and Abel was able to complete the majority of the running.
PREMA Racing
No.83 - Robert Shwartzman - C-
A very quiet weekend for Shwartzman who qualified lowly in 25th before finishing in 15th. He ran a similar strategy to Ilott but lacked the experience to pull it off and remains without a top 10 finish on a road/street course this season.
No.90 Callum Ilott - A-
It's taken a while this season, but it now feels Ilott and PREMA have come into their own with Ilott earning consecutive sixth-place finishes. Qualifying continues to be a struggle, Ilott down in 24th, but the team got the strategy perfect again when the Briton could dispose of the unfavoured blacks after just four laps. Ilott quickly cycled up the order to earn his third consecutive top eight finish.
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