When the Grand Prix of Portland gave IndyCar its closest 3-wide finish in series history

The 2025 IndyCar Grand Prix of Portland is slated to take place this week. In line with this, in 1997 (CART PPG World Series), the motorsport enthusiasts witnessed a nail-biting three-wide finish at the Portland International Raceway.

Back then, Mark Blundell (who started the rain-affected race from Row 6) was able to beat second-placed Gil De Ferran by 0.027 seconds and third-placed Raul Boesel by 0.055 seconds in the final dash to the checkered flag. It remains the closest finish in the history of America's top open-wheel racing.

The event was Round 9 of the 17-race series, and Mark Blundell took the victory driving for the PacWest racing team with a Mercedes engine beneath him. Throughout the series, Blundell earned three Grand Prix wins, with the other two coming in Toronto and Fontana.

However, aside from his heroics in Portland, Toronto, and Fontana, Blundell had a pretty inconsistent IndyCar season. At the end of the season, he finished sixth in the drivers' standings with 115 points.

Gil De Ferran (late), who finished a very close second behind Mark Blundell in the Portland race, ended his overall season in second place in the drivers' standings. He earned 162 points.

Alex Zanardi won the 1997 season, securing five Grand Prix victories on his way to the championship.

Team Penske's Will Power won the 2024 IndyCar Grand Prix of Portland

Will Power - Source: Getty

While the IndyCar fans witnessed an extremely close race at the Portland International Raceway in 1997, the two-time IndyCar champion Will Power won last year's 110-lap event at the track.

Power started the race from second place on the grid, behind Santino Ferrucci, but by the end of the race, he emerged as the ultimate victor. In 2024, he won the race ahead of Alex Palou (P2) and Josef Newgarden (P3).

In line with this, he added the following via a post-race interview with IndyCar:

"Very rewarding. I came here determined, so did the whole team. We wanted to get qualifying right and then execute in the race. It’s not a last-ditch effort, but really if Palou finished ahead of us today, it was going to be very difficult. We’re going to keep fighting ahead here. A couple of bad races before this, but let’s see if we can get a championship."

For this week's 2025 Grand Prix of Portland, Will Power isn't among the favorites heading into the race weekend. He hasn't won a single race this year, and Chip Ganassi Racing's Alex Palou, who also leads the drivers' championship, has secured an impressive eight wins.