BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland Honda Message Points

Portland, Oregon
Sunday August 10 at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET 
Live on Fox

What to Watch for at Portland International Raceway:

• Manufacturers' title on the line: Honda is on the precipice of wrapping up their seventh NTT INDYCAR SERIES manufacturers' title, and first since 2021. Honda has had a dominant season in 2025, winning 12 of 14 races, including the Indianapolis 500. Twelve race wins in a single season is a record for Honda in the current generation of IndyCar competition, matching the previous best from 2023 with still three races left to run. Honda's stellar season has given them a 224-point advantage in the manufacturers' championship, 1314-1090. Honda has the opportunity to clinch this weekend at Portland International Raceway.
• About that Alex Palou guy: Championship leader Alex Palou also has an opportunity to clinch his third-consecutive NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship and fourth title in five years. Palou has scored an incredible eight victories in 2025, including his first Indianapolis 500 and first wins on a speedway (Indy 500) and short oval (Iowa). Palou's average finishing position is 4.4 in 2025, despite being credited with a 25th-place result in Detroit after being taken out by a competitor. In addition to his eight wins, Palou has two further podiums and five pole positions to his name in 2025. It has been an utterly dominant season for the Spaniard, and is reflected in the 121-point margin he holds over P2 in the standings (590-469). Palou has previously won twice at Portland (2021, 2023) and has finished lower than second only once in his four starts at the track (12th in 2022). If he can continue his run of strong performances at Portland International Raceway, he will leave the weekend a four-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion.
• Honda and road courses, a perfect match: Honda teams and drivers have gone six for six on natural terrain road courses this season. With Portland being the final road course on the schedule before the final two oval races of the year, Honda has the opportunity to go seven for seven and sweep the season's road courses. Five of the six victories on road courses have come at the hands of Alex Palou, with wins at Thermal, Barber, Indy GP, Road America and Laguna Seca—while Palou's Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, Scott Dixon, took the win at the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio.
• Keeping Portland weird: Honda teams and drivers have three wins at Portland International Raceway since the series returned in 2018, Palou's victories in 2023 and 2021 (a Honda 1-4 sweep) and a Honda podium sweep led by Rahal Letterman Lanigan's Takuma Sato in 2018. Honda's first Portland win came in 1996, via a 1-2 finish for Alex Zanardi and Gil de Ferran. Zanardi won again in 1998. Honda drivers swept the 1999 podium in Portland, with de Ferran winning, followed by Juan Pablo Montoya and Dario Franchitti. De Ferran repeated as race winner in 2000.