Ahead of the 2026 Indianapolis 500, a driver that cannot be overlooked is Pato O’Ward.
Coming off of a heartbreaking stretch of past races, a well-deserved win could be on the horizon for the No. 5 Arrow McLaren driver. O’Ward spoke with confidence regarding his preparation and ability to win this upcoming race.
“I know how to position myself to win this … and I’m going to get it,” O’Ward said Monday on “First Things First.”
It’s a bold and confident take, but he has the résumé to back it up.
O’Ward finished second in the 2022 Indy 500, leading a sizable 26 laps before ultimately falling to Marcus Ericsson, the Swedish driver who picked up his first Indy 500 victory. The following year, O’Ward crashed after an attempt to pass the defending champion Ericsson, cutting his day short with just eight laps remaining.
O’Ward picked up a top-5 finish in the 2024 and 2025 Indy 500, coming in second and third, respectively.
“A lot of these guys in the last few years that have won this race — they’ve been looking good all month,” O’Ward added.
O’Ward’s odds to win the INDYCAR championship look solid and consistent. In fact, he has been top three on the odds board for the past two years, reflecting his consistency and near victories. Comparatively, Josef Newgarden, who won the Indy 500 in 2023 and 2024, has the 12th-best odds to win this year’s INDYCAR championship.
“There [are] a lot of things that have to go right for you to even have a shot,” O’Ward said regarding all the various factors that make up a victory.
Could O’Ward be the one to drink the milk on victory lane?
Only time will tell.
