IndyCar: O'Ward won two races, Palou won the title

      Important amendments were made to the statistics of historical achievements ever recorded in the American IndyCar series on Sunday. First, Pato O'Ward, the Mexican driver for Arrow McLaren, achieved two victories in one day, winning both races in Wisconsin at the short oval Milwaukee Mile, which has a lap length of just 1.633 km. This was made possible because Saturday's rain prevented the organizers from following the original schedule, and the first race of the double-header weekend could not be completed – it had to be interrupted and finished on Sunday. As a result, it took place yesterday after race #2, which was held a few hours earlier, and it was also confidently won by O'Ward. Thus, Pato became the first driver in the modern history of IndyCar to achieve two victories in one day, but something similar had happened once before: 45 years ago, on June 28, 1981, Rick Mears won two consecutive races held at the oval track in Atlanta. "I had dreamed of such a weekend before, as there have only been a few double-header events in my career, and I wanted to win two races," Pato joyfully commented. "We managed to win both races in one day. Definitely, my dream and the dream of my team have come true!" Alex Palou did not manage to reach the podium yesterday, but the points earned by the Spanish driver from Chip Ganassi Racing, who had a significant lead in the individual standings, were enough to secure his fifth championship title early – also his fourth in a row. Palou is 29 years old, and he has become the youngest driver in IndyCar history to become a five-time champion. In fact, there are only two people who can boast more impressive achievements – American A.J. Foyt, who once had seven titles, and New Zealander Scott Dixon – who has six titles. Dixon is already 46 years old, but he is still competing. In race #2, Palou led but ultimately finished fifth, and in race #1 he took 10th place, and these results were enough to ensure he is already the champion regardless of the outcome of the season finale, which will take place next week at the California track Laguna Seca. "This is incredible! I owe everything to my team, and I am so proud of them!" Alex stated. "It's great to win another championship, and I am already ready for the next season. Today's races didn't go well; we had difficulties all the time, but we stayed focused and kept fighting."