Pato O'Ward tops IndyCar merch sales in May with surprise outside appearance - Report

The Arrow McLaren star driver, Pato O'Ward, has topped the IndyCar merchandise sales for the month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Interestingly, in second place is the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Champion, Kyle Larson, as reported by a motorsport reporter, Adam Stern.

Larson competed in the 2025 Indy 500 on May 25 for Arrow McLaren (partnership with Hendrick Motorsports), and during the 200-lap race, crashed out on lap 91. The hype around him was huge during the entire event at IMS, mainly because of his stature in stock car racing.

With Pato O'Ward, it does not come as a huge surprise, as he is considered one of the brightest stars in the world of IndyCar. Moreover, he competed in two events in May at IMS, the SONSIO GP on May 10 (IMS road course) and the Indy 500 oval race.

When it comes to his outing at the Indy 500, the Mexican driver managed a strong P3 finish behind AJ Foyt Racing's David Malukas and winner Chip Ganassi Racing's Alex Palou.

Other than O'Ward and Kyle Larson, popular drivers like Josef Newgarden (two-time IndyCar champion), Alexander Rossi (Ed Carpenter Racing), and Scott Dixon (six-time IndyCar champion) also did well in terms of merchandise sales. Notably, Newgarden and Rossi both came with a DNF from the Indy 500 event because of mechanical issues, while Scott Dixon was able to manage a P20 finish.

Pato O'Ward's take on the 2025 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio

Pato O'Ward has had a decent 2025 IndyCar season for the Arrow McLaren racing team. After the first nine rounds, he is currently in third position in the drivers' championship with 275 points.

O'Ward is behind Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood (P2 with 293 points) and the reigning IndyCar champion, Alex Palou (P1 with 386 points). In the last race, the 2025 XPEL Grand Prix at Road America, he managed a disappointing P17 finish, losing on a decent chunk of points.

In line with the upcoming Sunday's Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, where he clinched a win last season, O'Ward said (via Arrow McLaren's official website):

"I'm excited to head back to Mid-Ohio to defend my win from last year. This is a great racetrack and I know we're capable of coming away with another victory here this weekend. We didn't have the weekend we wanted in Road America, so this is the place to get back on the right footing and fight near the top.."

Pato O'Ward ended the 2024 IndyCar season in fifth place in the drivers' standings behind Team Penske's Will Power. The former managed 460 points alongside three wins and six top-five finishes.

Taking into account that he is currently in third place in this year's standings, he would ideally like to end the 2025 campaign in the top three. As things stand, only eight Grand Prix are remaining on the race calendar.