Paddock Buzz: Pato O'Ward Ready To Break Through at Indy

Updated May. 15, 2025 12:01 a.m. ET

INDYCAR

Pato O’Ward has a compelling mix of brilliance and heartbreak at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Four runner-up finishes – two on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course and two in the iconic Indianapolis 500 – underscore just how close he’s come to victory without sealing the deal.

His recent performances, including a hard-fought second-place finish in last Saturday’s Sonsio Grand Prix to Chip Ganassi Racing driver Alex Palou and a dramatic near-win in last May’s Indianapolis 500, prove he’s consistently among the top contenders.

Last year’s finish was particularly gut-wrenching as he and Josef Newgarden produced a thrilling duel, swapping the lead four times in the final six laps. O’Ward was ahead when the white flag flew, but Newgarden’s bold, outside maneuver in Turn 3 secured the win by just 0.3417 of a second – a razor-thin margin that left O’Ward visibly crushed.

O’Ward acknowledged Wednesday the pain of coming so close but insists he doesn’t feel entitled to win. He looks ahead to May 25, having another shot at “500” glory in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, channeling past setbacks into renewed determination.

“To be honest, just because you did well the previous year doesn't mean you're going to do well the next year,” O’Ward said. “And for us, it's just knowing that we've had these opportunities, just not because of luck, but because we proved to be strong around here.”

Hildebrand Mentoring Siegel This Month

Nolan Siegel, O’Ward’s Arrow McLaren teammate, also experienced heartbreak last year at Indy as the only driver not to qualify. A crash during his final qualifying attempt while driving for Dale Coyne Racing left him out.

Siegel returns with a new team, a new car and a refreshed mindset.

Driving the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, Siegel is leaning into the lessons learned from last year’s disappointment. Rather than view that as a failure, he’s framed it into a defining experience.

“Honestly, I'm really glad that I had that experience, and I think I'm a lot better now than I would have been not having done what I did last year,” Siegel said. “I feel much better now, having had all that experience, and I know I'm a rookie at the ‘500,’ but I feel like I've had way more experience here than the other rookies. So I don't regret last year at all, and I'm looking forward to using what I learned to be competitive this year.”

That mindset is critical. At just 19 years old, Siegel is showing maturity well beyond his years. He’s joined this year in the rookie class by Louis Foster of Rahal Lanigan Letterman Racing, Jacob Abel of Dale Coyne Racing and Robert Shwartzman of PREMA Racing.

Siegel also has another possible edge over his fellow rookies: He’s working this month with 12-time Indy 500 starter JR Hildebrand, who is serving as an advisor for Arrow McLaren. With Kate Gundlach engineering her first “500” and Eric Hestekin in his first role as a performance engineer at the Speedway, Siegel acknowledges his crew is green. But Hildebrand’s steady presence is proving vital.

“Having JR’s experience on the stand is really helpful, not just for me, but for the whole group,” Siegel said. “I don't know what his actual title is, but he's advising me and the whole group. This month, Tony (Kanaan) is off the stand and helping Kyle (Larson). So, obviously he's around, and he's a great resource, but having someone on the stand all the time, like JR or Tony or just someone with a lot of experience who’s been really good here is super.”

Ilott Not Concerned

Callum Ilott isn’t flinching under pressure, not even as PREMA Racing struggles to find speed in its Indianapolis 500 debut.

Ilott completed only 16 practice laps Tuesday on Opening Day in the No. 90 PREMA Racing Chevrolet, and teammate Shwartzman logged just six. They were the two slowest drivers on the speed charts.

On Wednesday, Ilott was 31st among 34 after completing only 55 laps. Shwartzman improved to 28th.

But Ilott, a three-time Indy 500 starter, is staying calm and confident.

The primary reason for their limited early runs was due to a lack of proper Speedway preparation. PREMA was still working with road course-configured cars during the Open Test in April, and the transition to oval-spec took time for the first-year NTT INDYCAR SERIES team. That lack of mileage wasn’t a red flag to Ilott – it was part of the plan.

“At the Open Test, it didn’t feel great, but I wasn’t too surprised,” he said.

Since then, Ilott insists the team has made serious gains on the crucial speed-related tweaks, even though they haven’t begun the more aggressive steps like trimming downforce for qualifying. The first couple of days of running were simply about setting a baseline ride height, not chasing speed.

With three previous starts at Indy under his belt and steady year-over-year progress (32nd, 12th, 11th), Ilott knows what it takes to make the field – and more importantly, what panic looks like. Right now, he’s not showing any signs of angst.

“We’re good, and the car has more than enough speed,” he said. “They've actually done a great job on all the speed items, getting them really tuned up and fast.”

NASCAR Champ Logano Visits

Joey Logano's first in-person taste of Indianapolis 500 practice offered a humbling reminder of just how different the world of INDYCAR SERIES competition is from NASCAR – even for a three-time Cup Series champion.

Watching the sleek open-wheel cars rip through Turn 1 at over 230 mph, Logano couldn’t help but be in awe.

“I’ve always watched Cup cars qualify from right here … then you add another 40 mph here for an Indy car,” he said.

While Logano is no stranger to speed, the raw velocity and precision of INDYCAR SERIES machinery on the oval was a new frontier.

Even more intriguing to him was the cultural and operational contrast between Team Penske’s INDYCAR and NASCAR programs. From radio communication styles to race prep routines, Logano admitted it was fascinating to see how a sister team within the same organization functions with a completely different approach.

And despite the buzz around fellow NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson’s second attempt at the Indy 500 this month, Logano made it clear: He’s not following that path, at least not anytime soon.

“I’d like to drive one, but I don’t know if I could race one while doing NASCAR full time,” he said. “I’d rather do it 100 percent and win one of them, rather than doing it halfway and not able to win either.”

Logano emphasized that this isn’t a slight against Larson, calling him “a freak” for his unique ability to jump between disciplines and excel immediately.

His comments reflect the mutual respect across disciplines – and a growing curiosity among NASCAR stars about INDYCAR – but also the sobering reality that jumping into the Indy 500 is no casual feat. For now, Logano is content being a student of the Speedway, rather than a competitor, during May.

Dixon Nearly Run Over at Pacers’ Playoff Game

Scott Dixon sat courtside for Game 4 of the NBA Playoffs series between the Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers last Sunday, and a Cavs’ player ran into him going for a loose ball.

“I only took a bit of a knee to the leg,” he said. “(My friend) Albert (Cook) took the brunt of it. That’s what he’s there for.”

Odds And Ends

The same four drivers who led the way in Tuesday’s practice were up front on Wednesday. Will Power was first and second, respectively, in practice this week while his teammate Newgarden was second and third. Palou was third and first with his teammate Dixon fourth both days.

Factoring in Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing’s alliance teams in AJ Foyt Racing (Penske) and Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb-Agajanian (Ganassi), they produced seven of the top eight speeds Wednesday. The lone exception was Conor Daly driving the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, who ended up fifth.

Jack Harvey (No. 24 DRR Cusick INVST Chevrolet) and his teammate 2014 “500” winner Ryan Hunter-Reay (No. 23 DRR Cusick Wedbush Securities Chevrolet) have been rapid this week. Harvey was 13th Tuesday and ninth Wednesday. Hunter-Reay was 14th both days.

Arrow McLaren driver Christian Lundgaard, who has been working hard on his golf game, said he has his handicap down to 8.1.

Thursday’s action begins at 10 a.m. ET with a third attempt for Tony Kanaan to complete his refresher test after rain washed out the first two days. All cars are on track from noon-6 p.m. ET for Day 3 of Indianapolis 500 practice.