Palou to sign autographs from 4-4:45 p.m. PT at kickoff party tomorrow at 10 Barrel Brewing Co.
PORTLAND, Ore. (Aug. 21, 2024) – Alex Palou is chasing history and another NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship as the series heads to Portland International Raceway (PIR) this weekend, Aug. 23-25, for the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver aims to win at PIR for second consecutive year and become the third ever three-time Portland INDYCAR winner, joining Al Unser Jr. and Michael Andretti, at the 30th running of the event on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. PT.
Palou is also closing in on his third NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship in four years. The 27-year-old pilot leads the INDYCAR championship by 59 points with three races to go in the 2024 campaign. He has been dominant at PIR, winning two of the past three INDYCAR rounds at the 12-turn, 1.964-mile road course. Palou clinched the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship with a convincing win in Portland last September.
“I think it's more of a shock if we see a champion repeating than if we don't see him repeating,” Palou told NBCSports.com. “I think that the opportunity I have in front of me, it's great… I don't really feel the pressure of trying to defend a title because every time we step on the track, we need to win. Even if you are a champ or you're not, you need to win.”
Palou (443 points) carries a substantial lead over a talented group of drivers including Andretti Global w/ Curb-Agajanian pilot Colton Herta (384 points), Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon (378 points) and Team Penske’s Will Power (377 points) in the INDYCAR standings. Both Dixon and Power are multi-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champions, and Power won the Portland race in 2019.
Palou will help jump start the race weekend festivities by appearing at the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland Kickoff Party on Thursday, Aug. 22 at 10 Barrel Brewing Co. (1411 NW Flanders St, Portland, OR 97209). The party will run from 4-7:30 p.m. PT with the Portland sports talk radio show “Primetime with Isaac & Suke” from 1080 AM The Fan broadcasting live on site until 7 p.m. PT. Palou, INDY NXT by Firestone driver and Portland native Josh Pierson, plus additional support series drivers will be in attendance at select times to sign autographs and mingle with fans.
Drivers from the four open-wheel development series that feed into the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will also be battling for championships at PIR this weekend. With three races left, INDY NXT by Firestone points leader Louis Foster has an opportunity to clinch the series championship as he brings a 91-point lead into Portland. Additionally, champions will be crowned and scholarship funds awarded as all three USF Pro Championship Presented by Continental Tire (USF Pro 2000, USF2000 and USF Juniors) conclude their seasons with multiple races across the weekend.
Ticket prices start as low as $25 for Single Day General Admission and $70 for Single Day Grandstand seats. Three-day tickets remain available for purchase and offer the best fan value. General Admission for the entire weekend is just $75, and a 3-Day Grandstand reserved seat starts at $85 which includes gate admission.
Children 12 and under receive free general admission to the event. This also includes complimentary access to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Paddock throughout the weekend when accompanied by a ticketed adult. To enhance their experience further, the youngest fans can participate in the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland Rookie Racers. This immersive program, offering unique experiences throughout the race weekend, is on sale at raceportland.com for $25.
For all ticket pricing, grandstand locations and additional festival information, visit raceportland.com. Stay up to speed on the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland on social media by following #PortlandGP.
About BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland:
Portland International Raceway (PIR) is the home of the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland. PIR is a 1.964-mile, 12-turn permanent road course owned by the City of Portland and operated under Portland Parks & Recreation. Opened in 1960 to host sports car and drag racing, the 268-acre property hosts over 550 events annually including automotive and motorcycle road racing, motocross, cruise-ins and other special events including the Rose Cup Races. PIR has been the site of many memorable INDYCAR races. Al Unser Jr. won the inaugural Portland race in 1984, and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returned in 2018 after an 11-year absence with 2017 and 2020 Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato taking the checkered flag. The Father’s Day race of 1986 featured Mario Andretti passing his son Michael on the last lap and winning by 0.070 of a second. The closest three-way road racing finish in INDYCAR SERIES history took place at PIR in 1997 when the top three were covered by just 0.055 of a second. In 2023, Alex Palou clinched the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship with a win in Portland. The BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland is owned and operated by Green Savoree Portland, LLC, which also promotes NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Pacific Office Automation 147 event at PIR (May 31-June 1, 2024) and whose affiliates own and operate three additional INDYCAR SERIES races: Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding (March 8-10, 2024), The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid (July 5-7, 2024) and Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto (July 19-21, 2024).
For more information, visit RacePortland.com, ‘like’ its Facebook page @PortlandGP or follow updates on X @Race_Portland and Instagram at @Race_Portland using #PortlandGP.
