SONOMA, California – Patricio O’Ward entered the media center Saturday and sat at the end of the dais, far from Ryan Hunter-Reay, Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden, who were being interviewed after qualifying for the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Sonoma.
Without saying anything, Hunter-Reay motioned to O’Ward to sit next to him. It was the ultimate unspoken compliment.
Congratulations, kid. Welcome to the big leagues.
If you haven’t heard of Pato O’Ward, you’re about to. The 19-year-old from Monterrey, Mexico, turned his first laps in the Verizon IndyCar Series into a third-row start, right among the championship contenders for Sunday’s season finale at Sonoma Raceway.
O’Ward, who transformed his 2018 Indy Lights championship into his first race in the Verizon IndyCar Series, made the most of his promotion with a lap of 1 minute, 17.9737 seconds (110.114 mph) in the No. 8 Harding Group Chevrolet. That was good enough for a fifth-place start in Sunday’s race, right behind two contenders for the championship and ahead of two others.
“I think it's pretty cool,” O’Ward said. “I honestly don't know what to think about it.”
O’Ward dominated the last half of Indy Lights this season, winning nine of the 17 races and claiming the championship for Andretti Autosport, which helped facilitate the ride with Harding Racing for the Verizon IndyCar Series finale. He’ll start two rows behind Scott Dixon, who leads the standings and will chase the fifth championship of his career when the race begins at 6:30 p.m. ET Sunday (NBCSN and Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network).
“It's just something unique,” O’Ward said. “It's something that you have to start believing that you can be like them, that you can beat them, that you can give them a run for their money. It's a new feeling. I really don't know what to think about it.”
The veterans know what to think about it, and it’s a positive thought. Veterans of all stripes congratulated O’Ward after his performance, including Dixon.
“You’ve got to give a lot of credit to O'Ward, man,” Dixon said. “A job well done. It's been good to see. … I've watched him in the junior categories. He's a smart kid, has done extremely well. To come here where all of us – some of us older guys have been pounding it out all year – he jumps in and gets it done. It's good to see.”
O’Ward and teammate Colton Herta are the latest graduates of the Mazda Road to Indy program, a three-tier ladder series designed to develop young drivers and move them into the Verizon IndyCar Series. Notable graduates include 2017 champion Josef Newgarden.
O’Ward’s performance also was a highlight for Harding Racing, which joined for the entire Verizon IndyCar Series this season after debuting in three races a year ago.
“I couldn't be more stoked for the team,” O’Ward said. “I'm really happy I got to give them their first Fast Six. Harding and Team Chevy have given me an awesome opportunity so far. The focus this weekend has been obviously to do a good job. My objective was always just to be in the top 10, so it was an objective succeeded.”
O’Ward also succeeded in impressing the competitors, who know how difficult it is just to make it into the Firestone Fast Six in qualifying, let alone doing it on your first try.
“What a phenomenal job by Pato,” said Will Power, a championship contender who will start seventh Sunday. “That's amazing on his first try to be in the Fast Six. Obviously, he’s really talented.”
When asked about the race, O’Ward smiled.
“That's going to be interesting,” he said. “That's going to be something new for me, for my team. It's just something that we're going to have to go through, we're going to have to learn. It's not something that you'll just learn like that. You're going to make mistakes. We're trying to minimize that as much as we can.”