Will Power stormed to victory last time out in Portland to become the fifth different winner in 2025. Alex Palou wrapped up the Championship in style with a breath-taking battle all the way until the end. This time around in Milwaukee, the gloves were well and truly off with nothing to lose and everything to gain for all of the drivers on the grid. Consequently, we had another driver on top for the first time this season – and the first time in their IndyCar career. We also had a thrilling qualifying session, some very neat saves and even the lightest sprinkling of rain.
Here are your key takeaways from Milwaukee.
Rasmussen Victorious in Milwaukee
Love him or loathe him, Christian Rasmussen has been one of the most exciting drivers to watch in 2025. The Danish Racing Driver is one of the nicest people in the paddock off track – but when he’s out on track, it’s another matter entirely. Incredibly fierce and with only speed in mind, he’s a worthy adversary for any driver on the grid. In Portland, he went head to head with Conor Daly in a ferocious battle that saw Daly careering off the track in a 160G impact. In the final thirty laps at Milwaukee, Rasmussen set his sights on the biggest target there is – four time IndyCar Champion Alex Palou.
With fresher tyres, a point to prove and the smell of victory in his nostrils, Rasmussen hunted the Spaniard down. Launching himself past Palou through gaps on track that none were convinced existed, he then went about extending his lead. He put three lapped cars between himself and Palou to re-enforce his lead and claim his first IndyCar victory. His best result until then had been at Gateway earlier in the season where he finished in third. 2026 can’t come soon enough to see this potential carried foreward.
Ed Carpenter Racing on Top
It wasn’t just Christian Rasmussen who had a great result for Ed Carpenter Racing. Teammate Alexander Rossi finished in P4 – the first time both ECR drivers in history have finished in the top five for the team. Main man Ed Carpenter was on the scene for the occasion too and got to witness the team around him looking on in hope as the laps counted down towards the end of the race.
ECR have been a team brimming with potential this year and seeing it begin to come to fruition like this is what motorsport is all about. It had been thirty nine races since we’d last had a first time winner in IndyCar. ECR will be very happy that they were the ones to break that spell and to do so in such style.
Palou Vs the History Books
Fresh from claiming his fourth IndyCar Championship in Portland, Alex Palou wanted to end the season on a high, starting in Milwaukee. Things looked like they were on the right path for Palou after he snatched Pole Position away from David Malukas in qualifying. Winning in Milwaukee would have put Palou equal with Mario Andretti for nine wins in a single season. If he then went on to win in Nashville, he would hold the record for the most wins in a season alongside A.J. Foyt and Al Unser Sr.
But it was not to be for Palou, who had to settle for P2 come the end of the race. Still, if he does manage to win in Nashville, equalling Mario Andretti’s record is not something that should be quickly disregarded either. One thing is for certain in 2025 – Alex Palou had firmly cemented himself in the history books as one of the all time greats. The worrying thing is that he’s just getting started.
Don’t Call it a Comeback
It’s no secret that Team Penske have had a challenging year. What a relief it must be then for Scott McLaughlin to have found himself on the third step of the podium in Milwaukee. The occasion marked his first trip to the rostrum since all the way back in Alabama. It’s also his best result since the first race back at Iowa. At points, the New Zealander looked like he could have fought for the win. But considering the team’s season so far, P3 will still feel pretty darn good.
Hero to Zero
After his commanding win in Portland, Will Power was cursed once again with the bad luck that has been following Team Penske around all season. Contact with the wall around the Milwaukee Mile brought his race to an early end. With his future still very much up in the air, both at Team Penske and in IndyCar as a whole, Power will be desperately wanting a good result when we go racing for the final time this year at Nashville at the end of the month.
Herta and Lundgaard’s Charge
A disastrous qualifying saw McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard start all the way down in P17. But with multiple cautions throughout the race and a number of strategies at play, there were opportunities aplenty for drivers to try and take advantage of. While the final race restart that kickstarted the last thirty laps of the race didn’t entirely go his way, Lundgaard was able to keep his foot in to claim P6 at the finish line. It’ll be a tad disappointing after his back-to-back podiums in Laguna Seca and Portland but considering where he started, it’s not all doom and gloom.
Likewise, Colton Herta had a very different Sunday in Milwaukee when compared to his Saturday. Spinning out in qualifying meant that he would start the race from P24. While he didn’t rise as high as Lundgaard by the end of the race, finishing in P11 was still a good result for the Andretti Global driver. The American has had a tricky season and now finds himself equal on points with Marcus Armstrong. He’ll be another driver wanting to finish the season on a high in Nashville.
Other Noteworthy Moments
Close but No Cigar for Malukas
For a fleeting moment on Saturday, it looked like David Malukas would claim the first pole position of his career. Beaten at the last minute by none other than Alex Palou, there was still plenty on the table for Malukas come race day. He managed to get past Palou at one point to lead the race but the victory was never meant to materialise for the American driver. P8 in the end may seem like quite a slip back on the face of it. But given the chaotic nature of oval racing and the mix of strategies at play towards the end of the race, Malukas actually did a fine job of being able to stay in the top ten.
Once again, his potential in IndyCar was on full display for all to see, especially on a day where his teammate finished down in P14, having started in P21.
Dixon’s Title Chances in 2026
Scott Dixon’s qualifying performance has been a frustrating one in 2025. But he can be forgiven for starting down in P14 in Milwaukee. This is because of a nine place grid penalty that he received for an engine change. The six time Champion made his way up to P9 by the end of the race and always looked like he was ready to take advantage of any chaos that might occur ahead.
Battling Lundgaard for P3 in the Championship, Dixon clearly hasn’t lost any of his speed this year. Can he be a Championship contender again in 2026? Everyone would love to see that, especially if he took the fight to his teammate, a certain Alex Palou.
Save of the Day
Why are we talking about a driver that finished in P24? For starters, Graham Rahal qualified in P10, off the back of his best result of the season last time we went racing back in Portland. He looked like a strong outside bet to upset the apple cart in Milwaukee but sadly, the track had other ideas. The one mile oval is a tricky beast to navigate at the best of times. We saw that from how much race winner Rasmussen was fighting his car throughout the race. So when Rahal was caught out and looked set for a trip to the barriers, everyone was relieved and impressed by his ability to save the car before that happened. While the race ultimately didn’t go his way, it’s great to see car control like that, especially on an oval.
Feature Image: IndyCar Media
IndyCar returns in Nashville on August 31st.
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