Ahead of the inaugural IndyCar Arlington Grand Prix, Pato O’Ward spoke to media at the Arrow McLaren Fan Fest, and the Mexican driver made no secret of what this weekend means to him, both personally and professionally.
O’Ward moved to Texas at the age of 11, and it was in this state, at Texas Motor Speedway, that he claimed his first IndyCar victory. With the series now returning to the Dallas-Fort Worth area for a brand-new street circuit, the occasion carries a weight that few other rounds on the calendar can match.
“It’s great. I’ve always said this is the closest that I have to home, and it really is,” O’Ward said. “But I don’t necessarily think it’s because it’s close to Mexico, but just because this is where I see a lot of the people that remind me of home. The language. A lot of friends and family are coming this weekend.”
He drew a direct comparison to the atmosphere he experiences at Long Beach, pointing to the large and passionate Hispanic fanbase that has been turning out to support him. “I expect it to be a very similar weekend to Long Beach for me in terms of fan turnout. A lot of Hispanics, a lot of people, very passionate race fans, and it’s just great. It is great to be able to come back to a market like this because we did miss it for sure.”
Phoenix: so close, yet so far
O’Ward will arrive in Arlington with some unfinished business fresh in his mind. At the Good Ranchers 250 in Phoenix, he ran near the front throughout and looked like a genuine contender for a podium. He led laps after the pit stop cycle and at one point held the virtual lead, only for Christian Rasmussen to charge through from deep in the field and relentlessly hunt down the Arrow McLaren car. The Dane passed O’Ward twice on his way through the pack, using lapped traffic to make the second move stick.
A late caution brought O’Ward back into contention after he pitted for fresh tyres, and he climbed back to fourth in the closing stages. But it was Josef Newgarden who sealed the win with a perfectly timed strategic call in the final laps, with O’Ward unable to find a way past David Malukas ahead of him. He crossed the line fourth, behind Newgarden, Kyle Kirkwood and Malukas. Championship leader Álex Palou, meanwhile, had already been eliminated after contact with Rinus VeeKay on the restart sent him into the wall.
O’Ward prepares for the unknown of the IndyCar Arlington GP
Like every driver on the grid, O’Ward heads into the 2026 IndyCar Arlington GP without any real-world data on the circuit. When asked by Pit Debrief how he has been preparing for a track nobody has raced on before, he was candid about his methods.
“A lot of the times the simulator helps a lot. Like I said, I didn’t have the chance to do it, so a lot of it has been on just online onboard laps that I have found. People on YouTube that made it from the video game. I’ve actually been watching that.”
He already has a clear picture of the challenges the layout will present. “I’m curious to see what the bumps are going to be doing. The backstretch isn’t very straight. It’s going to be flat out most likely, but it is sort of blind in certain areas because it’s quite snaky. That will make it very difficult to set up passes for people that are blocking and stuff. It will be good for the blocker. It won’t be good for the blockee.”
O’Ward expects creativity and chaos to follow. “I do think it’s going to be a little chaotic. People are going to be getting creative. They’re going to stuff their nose where they shouldn’t, and it’s going to create roadblocks.”
A crown jewel and more
The scale of the IndyCar Arlington GP has not been lost on O’Ward. The investment from promoters has been visible everywhere, from the brand-new catch fencing and pit lane walls to the triple-storey paddock structure and the suite hospitality around the circuit.
“You can just tell. From the smallest details to the walls, brand new. The catch fencing, brand new. The paddock, it looks triple story, it’s huge,” he said. “All these little details of what makes an event even more than just a race is what they’re bringing.”
When asked whether the event already feels like a crown jewel, O’Ward went further. “To me, it feels like more than a crown jewel. To me, it’s like it’s my home race. It’s like when we go to Mexico, if that ever becomes something, it’s going to feel like this, but more.”
The response from fans has matched the occasion. “A lot of people have reached out months ago. As soon as it was announced, and even days ago, they’re like, okay, I have FOMO, I’m going. People are coming. A lot of people are coming.”
Momentum from a strong start to 2026
O’Ward arrives at the IndyCar Arlington GP off the back of two consecutive top-five finishes, a fifth in the season opener and a fourth at Phoenix, and answering Pit Debrief on that form, he set out his ambitions clearly.
“We started the year very well. We would love to keep on climbing. We’ve got a fifth, we’ve got a fourth. It’d be great to get on the podium here in Arlington. Obviously, we’re going for the win, and we want that to happen.”
He acknowledged the unknowns that come with a brand-new circuit, but his goal for the weekend is unambiguous: “There’s a lot of unknowns right now, but a goal for me this weekend is definitely getting on that podium.”
A tight grid
The championship picture adds to the intrigue as well. Álex Palou, who entered the Phoenix round as points leader, lost that advantage after a heavy crash on the restart, a development O’Ward acknowledged with a single, telling word. When Pit Debrief noted that Palou had lost the championship lead, O’Ward replied: “Shocking.”
He then expanded on what the tight standings mean for the season as a whole. “I just feel like it seems like a way more IndyCar start to a year where the first 10 guys are within 50 points. We’re all super, super, super tight, and everyone is one DNF away from being in a bad position or one win away of leading the championship.”
Looking back at Phoenix, where O’Ward ran near the front for much of the race before finishing fourth, he pointed to the unpredictability of the field as a sign of a healthy series. “Just look at Phoenix. We had so many different guys that could have won the race. I think we were one of them. But look at Rasmussen with Ed Carpenter. I think Joseph [Newgarden] there surprised everyone in the end with how much pace he had still left after that pit stop.”
For O’Ward, Arlington represents everything IndyCar should be: a world-class event, a passionate crowd, and a wide-open championship. “It’s the perfect place to keep on going,” he said. “The promoters here have really put in what it deserves to get. It’s not half-assed.”
