Arrow McLaren driver and fan favourite Pato O’Ward celebrated his 100th (and 101st) race start this past weekend in Iowa. Today, LWOS is taking a look at some of the milestones in his career that led up to this moment. 

100 Races for Pato O’Ward: Let’s Revisit The Milestones

His most recent milestone took place last weekend during Race 1 in Iowa. The first race of the double-header marked the 100th race milestone for O’Ward. 

 

Pato O’Ward celebrates winning the Synk 275 at Iowa Speedway, July 13, 2025. Photo by Joe Skibinski, Penske Entertainment.

What better way to celebrate that than by getting the win? After a red flag and a couple of cautions during the late stages of the race, O’Ward found himself in first place as the chequered flag waved. 

O’Ward brought home the first Chevrolet win of the 2025 season during an incredibly dominant year for championship leader Alex Palou. This was O’Ward’s eighth race win overall and his second win at Iowa Speedway.

The Hometown Hero Makes a Return 

Late last year there was plenty of chatter surrounding IndyCar’s ability to go international. The conversation stemmed from the announcement that NASCAR would be racing in Mexico City. As a result, a debate started with many O’Ward supporters coming together to highlight the impact he’s had to make room for Mexican drivers in the sport. 

Following the discourse ‘Pato, Who?’ billboards were put up in response to people criticizing O’Ward and attempting to minimize the mark he’s left on IndyCar. By this time of year, the 2024 IndyCar season had wrapped up. 

O’Ward who’s also the reserve driver for the McLaren Formula 1 team travelled with the team for the Mexico Grand Prix and was given the chance to drive in front of his home crown in FP1. Thousands of race fans showed up and cheered him on during the session which also ended the ‘Pato, who?’ conversations. 

He’s set to make another appearance in F1’s Free Practice at this year’s Mexico Grand Prix

Read More: Five takeaways from the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix weekend

Pato O’Ward’s First Win 

It seems like O’Ward has some of his best luck when competing in front of the places he considered home. O’Ward and his family moved from Mexico to The United States when he was younger where they settled down in San Antonio, Texas. 

His first IndyCar career race win came in 2021. That season, O’Ward was consistently fighting for the championship and never dropped lower than third in the standings. 

During the 2021 season, IndyCar hosted a double-header at the Texas Motor Speedway. O’Ward came in third during Race 1 and took the stop step during race 2. This milestone made him the first Mexican driver since Adrian Fernandez in 2004 to win an IndyCar race. 

Pato O’Ward celebrates his first win in IndyCar in the XPEL 375 at Texas Motor Speedway, May 2, 2021. Photo by Joe Skibinski, Penske Entertainment
Honourable Mentions 

Following his sixth place finish in the 2020 Indy 500, O’Ward was named the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year. He finished the race the highest among the other rookie drivers on the grid.  These efforts were also rewarded with a $50,000 cash prize.

Outside of IndyCar, O’Ward holds the record for being the youngest winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona. He won in 2017 at 17 years old. He raced with Performance Tech Motorsports for the event. Pato O’Ward then returned in 2022 and became a two-time winner, this time racing with DragonSpeed. 

Pato O’Ward has experienced plenty of highs and lows throughout his first 100 races of his IndyCar career. What’s next for one of Indy’s superstars in a mystery but it will be a pleasure to see how he continues to evolve as a driver.

Read More: Pato O’Ward Wins as Penske Finishes 2-3-4 at Iowa Speedway Race One

Main Photo: Chris Owens, Penske Entertainment

Recording Date: 7/13/2025