Patricio O'Ward Has Arrived IndyCar's newest race winner has only been in the series for 26 races, but his first win was a long time coming. Jared C. TiltonGetty Images Patricio O'Ward's IndyCar success has been inevitable since he won six of the last eight races on his way to the 2018 Indy Lights Series championship. Inevitability is a long road, but that expectation has finally turned into a race win that will be the first of many. O'Ward's winding road to IndyCar starts with a one race deal. It was the final race of the 2018 season, and an ambitious Harding Racing program gave him a chance to prove he belonged in their car the next season. He finished ninth, and he was inked to a full-season contract for the two-car Harding Steinbrenner Racing that offseason.