Alex Palou mastered tire strategy at Portland for his sixth win of 2026, stretching his IndyCar championship lead to 110 points with five races left.

Alex Palou is making another NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship look less like a race and more like a countdown.

The Chip Ganassi Racing star delivered another clinical performance Sunday at Portland International Raceway, winning the OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland by 4.1167 seconds over Felix Rosenqvist and taking another massive step toward a record-tying fourth consecutive IndyCar championship.

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Palou’s victory was his sixth of the 2026 season and 25th of his IndyCar career, pushing his championship advantage over Kyle Kirkwood to a commanding 110 points with five races remaining.

At this point, everyone else may be racing for second.

Rosenqvist started from pole and controlled the opening 30 laps, but Palou and strategist Barry Wanser flipped the race with a perfectly timed overcut during the first pit sequence.

Rosenqvist and Will Power stopped on Lap 31. Palou stayed out for one extra lap, hammered out one of his fastest laps of the afternoon, then emerged from the pits ahead of both challengers.

That was essentially the moment the race changed.

Once Palou cycled back to the lead on Lap 37, nobody could knock him off the top spot for good. He led a race-high 60 of 110 laps while managing multiple tire compounds and keeping enough pace in reserve to answer every challenge Rosenqvist could produce.

The most serious threat came late in the race.

Rosenqvist switched to the faster Firestone alternate tires and closed to within roughly one second of Palou around Lap 80. For a brief moment, it appeared Portland might actually produce a late duel.

Palou had other ideas.

Traffic helped him create breathing room, and once the final round of stops played out, the No. 10 DHL Honda was again comfortably in control.

Power appeared positioned to enter the fight as well, but a missed pit call effectively ended his shot. The two-time champion stayed on track an extra lap before making his final stop and lost valuable time in traffic.

Power still finished third in his first Portland appearance with Andretti Global after winning the previous two races at the circuit while driving for Team Penske.

Rinus VeeKay continued a strong weekend with a fourth-place finish for Juncos Hollinger Racing, while Kirkwood rounded out the top five.

But Portland belonged to Palou.

Again.

What makes his current run so intimidating isn’t merely the wins. It’s the way he wins. Palou rarely looks rushed, rarely destroys his tires and almost never wastes an opportunity when strategy puts him in position to attack.

That combination has turned the 2026 championship into a mountain his rivals are quickly running out of time to climb.

With a 110-point lead and only five races left, Palou now sits more than two full race weekends clear of Kirkwood.

The next stop is the inaugural Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham on Aug. 16.

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For everyone chasing Palou, the equation is becoming painfully simple.

They need him to start making mistakes.

So far, he hasn’t given them many.