Alex Palou all but won the 2025 IndyCar championship only 21 laps into the Grand Prix of Portland after title contender Pato O'Ward had a heartbreaking power issue in his car. The Arrow McLaren driver suddenly lost power during a restart and had to pull away from the racing line as all drivers behind him passed him.O'Ward had come out of the pits after his first stop in lap 16, where his No. 5 Arrow McLaren team ditched the alternate tires. The caution had come out after Conor Daly had a terrifying crash on lap 15. The Juncos Hollinger Racing was tussling with ECR's Christian Rasmussen for two laps before the latter clipped him going into Turn 8 on lap 15.Just after the restart on lap 21, O'Ward, who started on pole, had a gut-wrenching fate. The lights on his steering wheel went off as FOX commentator Townsend Bell declared that it could be a "terminal" problem for the Mexican driver.Pato O'Ward somehow made it back to the pits, and his No. 5 crew began repairs. However, in the context of his pursuit of the 2025 championship, the 26-year-old gifted the title to Alex Palou. O'Ward was eventually sent out on the track, but he was nine laps down and hopeless.Arrow McLaren shared a statement about the failure with reporter Marshall Pruett. It read:"The No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet was forced to return to pit lane on lap 22 for repairs after a wire connected to the DI box malfunctioned."The team replaced the DI Box and wire loom before sending him back out. However, the points math no longer favored him. Arrow McLaren Team Principal Tony Kanaan shared that it was "no one's fault" and that it just "wasn't our day."Going into the Grand Prix of Portland, O'Ward was 121 points behind Palou in the championship. He needed to finish ahead of the reigning champion in the 110-lap race on Sunday and reduce the points gap to under 108 to keep his championship hopes alive going into the penultimate race in Milwaukee.However, if Palou finished ahead of him, the 2025 IndyCar championship would be his to take home in Portland. And that is exactly what happened on lap 22 of 110. The unexpected mechanical failure on O'Ward's car meant he couldn't finish anywhere near Alex Palou.Will Power won the Grand Prix of Portland to take his and Team Penske's first win of 2025. Alex Palou finished in P3 after a tough-fought battle against Christian Lundgaard, who defended fiercely to finish in P2. The podium finish cemented Palou's name on the 2025 IndyCar championship trophy.Alex Palou joins Mario Andretti, Bourdais, and Franchitti in IndyCar's history booksAlex Palou wins the NTT INDYCAR Series Java House Grand Prix of Monterey - Source: GettyAlex Palou has had an utterly dominant 2025 season with Chip Ganassi Racing. The Spaniard was gunning for his third consecutive title this year and fourth overall.By clinching his fourth IndyCar title midway through the Grand Prix of Portland, Palou equaled Mario Andretti, Sebastien Bourdais, and Dario Franchitti, each of whom has four titles to their name.So far, Alex Palou has won eight races this season. It has been outright dominance from the Spaniard, including a magical breakthrough win at the Indy 500 in May. He becomes the fourth driver in IndyCar history to win three consecutive championships after Ted Horn, Bourdais, and Franchitti.