After a thrilling evening of racing on Saturday, drivers strap themselves back in and race again on Sunday at the Milwaukee Mile. Saturday showed us plenty of thrilling action and hot tempers, which will make Sunday’s Race 2 an exciting race from start to finish.
Pato O’Ward will look to follow up his strong run on Saturday with a solid showing on Sunday. He hopes to become the first four race winner of the season. Team Penske hopes to break through and put a driver in victory lane for the seventh time this season.
With only two races left in the season including this one, the championship battle is down to Chip Ganassi’s Alex Palou and Team Penske’s Will Power. Power was able to close the gap on Saturday but the pressure will be on for Sunday’s race. Will Sunday’s race live up to the excitement of Saturday’s race? Only time will tell.
Palou Looks For Strong Race to Secure Title Before Nashville
Alex Palou’s lack of experience at the Milwaukee Mile did not seem to affect his performance. He brought home his 13th top five and 14th top 10 of the year. Although Palou only has two wins on the season, his consistency has put him in a prime position to secure his third title in four years.
One knock on Palou’s dominant IndyCar career is his lack of a win on an oval. All 11 of Palou’s wins have come on road courses or street circuits. Sitting in first place through 15 of 17 races, Palou will have two more weekends to find victory lane as both of the final two races are at ovals.
Qualifying 10th for Race 2, Palou finds himself in a similar situation to Saturday. Having to drive through the field, especially with championship rival Power starting in the top 5 presents a unique challenge. Palou’s average starting position is 6.9 and average finishing position is 5.4. A strong showing on Sunday can all but secure a title going into the series finale at Nashville.
Will Power Looks to Play Spoiler to Palou’s Title Hopes
Power was coming off an incredibly disappointing 2023 season which saw him fail to win a race in the season for the first time in his career. He seemed to take this disappointing season personally as the 2022 champion is tied for series best three wins on the season.
Having finished runner-up on Saturday, his fourth runner up of the season, Power looks to finish one sport better on Sunday. With six starts at the Milwaukee Mile, he has two podiums and three top fives finishes.
Rolling off the grid in fourth, and with both Penske teammates in front of him, Sunday could play out very favorably for Power. Having kept his nose clean on Saturday and showing that patented Penske speed, the ball will be in Power’s court for the championship. Although our predictions either have Power winning or disappointing on Sunday, Power needs a strong showing Sunday and some bad luck for Palou could shake thigs up going into Nashville.
Can Conor Daly Back Up His Surprise Podium From Saturday?
On Saturday, the beginning of the race saw Conor Daly carving up the field from the drop of the green. He took his number 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing machine up 12 spots in less than five laps. His remarkable day was not over just yet. He would finish third after holding off Santino Ferrucci in the closing laps of Saturday’s race.
Daly’s fifth start of the season saw him pick up just his second top 10 of the year. His average start (22.8) and finish (18.0) positions are not great but largely skewed by the small sample size.
Daly’s surprise podium shows that if you are willing to take risks, a strong finish is within reach for almost any team on the grid. Although he starts 20th for Sunday’s race, his aggressive racing style could result in another strong finish.
