“It feels like home”: Pato O'Ward makes feelings known after ceremonial first pitch for Texas Rangers-New York Yankees’ game

Arrow McLaren driver Pato O'Ward was recently seen at the New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers game, where he threw the first pitch before the game. The IndyCar driver made his feelings known about the same.

The 26-year-old drives the #5 Arrow McLaren car powered by Chevrolet. The ceremonial first pitch before the game was also a part of the promotion for the tickets going up for sale for the inaugural IndyCar Grand Prix of Arlington.

Pato O'Ward, a native of Mexico who grew up in Texas, spoke about his feelings after the ceremonial first pitch. He said: (via IndyCar.com)

“It feels like home. The closest I have to home currently. I love it. I always have. Everything is bigger here. Everything is greater here. It really is an amazing place to be a part of. I spent a lot of time in Dallas in 2019. I have friends here who live here. They’ll for sure be here for the race.”

The Arlington Grand Prix will take place on March 15, 2026. The race will take place on a 2.73 mile temporary circuit, which also serves as the home of the Dallas Cowboys as well as the Texas Rangers.

As for Pato O'Ward's season so far, he has had an amazing run, as he qualified in pole position for the Thermal Club Grand Prix held on March 23. He finished the race in second place. At the recently held Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto race, he qualified in tenth place and finished the race in first place.

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Pato O'Ward speaks about the only way McLaren can outperform Alex Palou

Pato O'Ward recently spoke about his race at Toronto. He also highlighted what the team needs to do in order to outperform Chip Ganassi Racing driver Alex Palou for the IndyCar Championship.

During the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto race, the Mexican driver had qualified in 10th place. Further, with the help of good strategies, he managed to make his way up the grid and eventually take the victory of the race.

While talking to Eric Smith from IndyCar, O'Ward reflected on his race and touched upon the championship battle. He said:

“Obviously, we're at a time in the championship where we're going to have to get a little bit more into the conversation of getting our elbows out because that's what I had to do just to open the doors to having a chance to win this race (Toronto). That's the only way we're even going to catch a whiff of making him sweat a little bit,” he said.

Pato O'Ward had entered the race weekend with a 129-point deficit to Palou. However, after the victory, the gap was reduced significantly. O'Ward currently sits in second place in the drivers' championship with a 121 points deficit to Palou.