Josef Newgarden secured victory in a thrilling and chaotic Gateway IndyCar race on Saturday night, finishing ahead of his Team Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin.
The win marked Newgarden’s fifth career victory at the World Wide Technology Raceway and his fourth in the last five years. The race was filled with drama, incidents, and heated exchanges between drivers, particularly during the final restart with just ten laps remaining.
Newgarden’s comeback and decisive restart
Newgarden, who had spun earlier in the race but managed to recover, took advantage of a perfect restart and a slight mishap with McLaughlin’s hybrid system to secure the lead and ultimately the win.
The 33-year old had all the luck to thank as his race took another dramatic turn on lap 241 when he spun across the track’s center, narrowly avoiding the barriers. However, the American driver quickly regained control of his car and continued the race.
The decisive moment came during the second-to-last restart, when Newgarden and McLaughlin, employing a different strategy compared to their rivals, made a crucial pit stop for fuel and new tires. The strategic call, combined with an impressive 5.1-second pit stop by the No. 2 crew, propelled Newgarden into the lead, which he maintained for the rest of the event.
“The team has performed exceptionally well,” Newgarden said after the race. “It feels great to add another victory to our tally.”
McLaughlin’s strong performance amid hybrid system failure
Scott McLaughlin, who led much of the race, was left disappointed after a hybrid system failure during the final restart prevented him from challenging Newgarden for the win.
“My hybrid system failed during the last restart,” McLaughlin admitted. “I couldn’t get close enough. It was all quite chaotic.”
Despite the setback, McLaughlin’s second-place finish marked another strong performance for the Australian driver, who continues to impress in his sophomore IndyCar season.
Lundqvist claims third, Herta penalized
Linus Lundqvist, driving the No. 8 Chipassi Racing car, claimed the final podium position after a late overtaking maneuver against Colton Herta. Herta, who started from near the back due to a qualifying crash, was likely satisfied with his initial fourth-place finish.
However, Herta was later penalized for blocking, which altered the final positions. Alex Palou, the current championship leader, managed to avoid the chaos during the late restart and finished in fourth place, maintaining control of the points standings with four races remaining.
Restart chaos
The race saw several incidents and confrontations throughout the event, with tempers flaring particularly during the final restart.
On lap 241, David Malukas was battling for fifth against Will Power when he attempted to pass on the inside. However, he was squeezed onto the curb, causing his No. 66 Meyer Shank Honda to spin and crash into the wall.
“I set it up for the inside, braked, and gave him as much space as I could, but he made contact,” a visibly upset Malukas expressed to NBC Sports. “It was a frustrating end to a solid weekend.”
The multi-car incident prompted a red flag, along with Power’s evident frustration, which he voiced vehemently along pit road, even gesturing at Newgarden as he passed.
“The leader is responsible,” Power stated when asked about the crash. “He kept stopping and starting, and I knew something bad would happen as soon as I had to check up.”
Herta echoed Power’s sentiments over the radio, suggesting Newgarden’s actions warranted a penalty: “That was dirty; he repeatedly stopped and started.”
However, Newgarden defended his actions, saying, “The most unfortunate part was seeing the No. 12 [Power] not finish. It looked like the green light flickered before I went, causing the accordion effect. I never intended to create chaos with ten laps to go.”
Earlier in the race, a less significant caution occurred when Ed Carpenter and Katherine Legge collided on lap nine, ending Legge’s race. Later, on lap 17, Carpenter’s teammate Rinus VeeKay spun out, inadvertently causing Conor Daly to collide with him, resulting in a multi-car incident involving Kyle Kirkwood and Romain Grosjean.
The race saw further interruptions, including a spin by Kyffin Simpson on lap 86, and mechanical issues for several drivers. Notably, Marcus Ericsson’s promising race ended prematurely due to hybrid problems, while Pato O’Ward faced an early exit from a suspected engine failure.
Palou maintains championship lead
Despite the chaotic race, Alex Palou remains firmly in control of the championship standings. The Spaniard skillfully navigated the late restart, avoiding the crash involving Rossi and Power, and ultimately finished in fourth place.
Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Gateway IndyCar Race Results
| No. | Driver | Time / Gap | Laps Led | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Josef Newgarden | 02:22:28.2772 | 17 | 51 |
| 2 | Scott McLaughlin | 1.7260 | 67 | 42 |
| 3 | Linus Lundqvist | 3.7875 | 1 | 36 |
| 4 | Alex Palou | 6.0516 | – | 32 |
| 5 | Colton Herta | 6.2646 | – | 30 |
| 6 | Felix Rosenqvist | 1 lap | – | 28 |
| 7 | Nolan Siegel | 1 lap | 8 | 27 |
| 8 | Marcus Armstrong | 1 lap | – | 24 |
| 9 | Sting Ray Robb | 1 lap | 8 | 23 |
| 10 | Rinus VeeKay | 1 lap | – | 20 |
| 11 | Scott Dixon | 2 laps | 5 | 20 |
| 12 | Santino Ferrucci | 2 laps | – | 18 |
| 13 | Conor Daly | 2 laps | – | 17 |
| 14 | Pietro Fittipaldi | 2 laps | – | 16 |
| 15 | Christian Lundgaard | 3 laps | – | 15 |
| 16 | Romain Grosjean | 3 laps | – | 14 |
| 17 | Ed Carpenter | 8 laps | – | 13 |
| 18 | Will Power | 10 laps | 117 | 15 |
| 19 | Alexander Rossi | 10 laps | 8 | 12 |
| 20 | Jack Harvey | 11 laps | – | 10 |
| 21 | David Malukas | 22 laps | 11 | 10 |
| 22 | Kyle Kirkwood | 53 laps | – | 8 |
| 23 | Graham Rahal | 99 laps | 5 | 8 |
| 24 | Marcus Ericsson | 109 laps | 13 | 7 |
| 25 | Kyffin Simpson | 176 laps | – | 5 |
| 26 | Pato O’Ward | 218 laps | – | 5 |
| 27 | Katherine Legge | 253 laps | – | 5 |
