| Summary of each IndyCar Race in 2025 By Dan Vielhaber |
| 2025 INDYCAR RACE REVIEWS |
Copyright © 2025 IndySpeedway.com All Rights Reserved
| May 4 GP of Alabama BARBER MOTORSPORT PARK BIRMINGHAM AL - 90 LAPS |
| MAY 10 SONSIO GP INDY MOTOR SPEEDWAY R/C INDIANAPOLIS IN - 85 LAPS |
| MAR 23 IndyCar GP THERMAL CLUB Palm Desert - 65 LAPS |
| MAR 2 Firestone Grand Prix of ST PETERSBURG Street/Airport Race - 100 LAPS |
Firestone GP of St. Petersburg
IndyCar at Thermal Club
Acura GP of Long Beach
Children's of Alabama Indy GP at Barber Motorsports Park
SONSIO Grand Prix at IMS
Indianapolis 500 at IMS
Chevrolet Detroit GP on the Streets of Detroit
Bommarito Auto Group 500 at WWT Raceway
XPEL GP at Road America
Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio
Sukup SYNC 275 at Iowa Speedway
Sukup Farm to Table 275 at Iowa Speedway
Honda Indy Toronto
Firestone GP of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Bitnile.com GP of Portland at Portland Int'l Raceway
Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250
Music City GP at Nashville Superspeedway
IndyCar at Thermal Club
Acura GP of Long Beach
Children's of Alabama Indy GP at Barber Motorsports Park
SONSIO Grand Prix at IMS
Indianapolis 500 at IMS
Chevrolet Detroit GP on the Streets of Detroit
Bommarito Auto Group 500 at WWT Raceway
XPEL GP at Road America
Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio
Sukup SYNC 275 at Iowa Speedway
Sukup Farm to Table 275 at Iowa Speedway
Honda Indy Toronto
Firestone GP of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Bitnile.com GP of Portland at Portland Int'l Raceway
Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250
Music City GP at Nashville Superspeedway
| INDEX |
| MAY 25 Indy 500 INDY MOTOR SPEEDWAY INDIANAPOLIS IN - 200 LAPS |
| JUNE 01 Chevrolet Detroit GP Street Race DETROIT, MI - 100 Laps |
| JUNE 22 REV Group GP ROAD AMERICA ELKHART LAKE, WI - 55 LAPS |
| JULY 06 Honda Indy 200 MID-OHIO LEXINGTON, IL - 90 LAPS |
| Points Leader - Alex Palou - 51 |
| AUG 31 Music City Grand Prix NASHVILLE Superspeedway - 225 LAPS |
| AUG 31 Snap-On Milwaukee Mile 250 Milwaukee Mile - 250 LAPS |
| JUNE 15 Bommarito Auto Group 500 WWT Raceway ST LOUIS - 260 LAPS |
| AUG 10 Grand Prix of Portland Portland Int'l Raceway PORTLAND OR - 110 LAPS |
| JULY 27 Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey WeatherTech Raceway CA - 90 LAPS |
| APR 13 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach LONG BEACH CA - 90 LAPS |
| JULY 20 Honda Indy Toronto TORONTO CANADA - 90 LAPS |
| JULY 12 SUKUP SYNK 275 Iowa Speedway NEWTON IA - 275 LAPS |
| JULY 13 Farm To Finish 275 Iowa Speedway NEWTON IA - 275 LAPS |
| Points Leader - Alex Palou - 142 |
| Points Leader - Alex Palou - 196 |
| Points Leader - Alex Palou - 248 |
| Points Leader - Alex Palou - 306 |
| Points Leader - Alex Palou - 306 |
| Points Leader - Alex Palou - 335 |
| Points Leader - Alex Palou - 386 |
| Points Leader - Pato O'Ward - 515 |
| Points Leader - Alex Palou - 430 |
| Points Leader - Alex Palou - 461 |
| Points Leader - Alex Palou - 536 |
| Points Leader - Alex Palou - 626 |
| Points Leader - Alex Palou - 311 |
| Points Leader - Alex Palou - 590 |
| 2025 IndyCar Champion - Alex Palou - 670 points 2nd place Pato O'Ward had 505 points |
Mar 2
Mar 23
Apr 13
May 4
May 10
May 26
June 1
June 15
June 22
July 6
July 12
July 13
July 20
July 27
Aug 10
Aug 24
Aug 31
Mar 23
Apr 13
May 4
May 10
May 26
June 1
June 15
June 22
July 6
July 12
July 13
July 20
July 27
Aug 10
Aug 24
Aug 31
Alex Palou
Alex Palou
Kyle Kirkwood
Alex Palou
Alex Palou
Alex Palou
Kyle Kirkwood
Kyle Kirkwood
Alex Palou
Scott Dixon
Pato O'Ward
Alex Palou
Pato O'Ward
Alex Palou
Will Power
C. Rasmussen
Josef Newgarden
Alex Palou
Kyle Kirkwood
Alex Palou
Alex Palou
Alex Palou
Kyle Kirkwood
Kyle Kirkwood
Alex Palou
Scott Dixon
Pato O'Ward
Alex Palou
Pato O'Ward
Alex Palou
Will Power
C. Rasmussen
Josef Newgarden
WINNER
| Points Leader - Alex Palou - 102 |
The weather was sunny and 69-degrees at start of race.
Scott McLaughlin from Team Penske had the pole position. His teammate, Josef
Newgarden, qualified 10th.
The only accident of the day was on the first lap when Will Power got into the back of
Nolan Siegel. Louis Foster, making his IndyCar debut, was also involved and all three
cars were out. That would also be the only caution period of the race.
Many drivers who had started the race on the soft alternate tires, took the opportunity to
pit under the yellow and switch to the preferred primary tires. No one knew how long
the new alternate tires would last, but each driver had to use them at least once during
the race. Three drivers who pit early would all finish on the podium.
McLaughlin stayed out and led the race until his pit stop on Lap 32, where he took on
the alternate tires. He pit again 17 laps later to get back on primary tires. The drivers
who had pit on Lap 2, were able to run double that number of laps on the primary tires.
Christian Lundgaard led for the next 23 laps. He pit a bit early and wound up back in
11th after the pit cycle. Palou took the lead. He was followed by Newgarden, Dixon and
McLaughlin. These cars remained in their position almost to the end, when on the last lap,
Dixon passed Newgarden for 2nd place!
Pato O'Ward was the biggest mover, improving 12 positions, having started 23rd and
finishing in 11th. Indycar has begun awarding a trophy for that!
Scott McLaughlin from Team Penske had the pole position. His teammate, Josef
Newgarden, qualified 10th.
The only accident of the day was on the first lap when Will Power got into the back of
Nolan Siegel. Louis Foster, making his IndyCar debut, was also involved and all three
cars were out. That would also be the only caution period of the race.
Many drivers who had started the race on the soft alternate tires, took the opportunity to
pit under the yellow and switch to the preferred primary tires. No one knew how long
the new alternate tires would last, but each driver had to use them at least once during
the race. Three drivers who pit early would all finish on the podium.
McLaughlin stayed out and led the race until his pit stop on Lap 32, where he took on
the alternate tires. He pit again 17 laps later to get back on primary tires. The drivers
who had pit on Lap 2, were able to run double that number of laps on the primary tires.
Christian Lundgaard led for the next 23 laps. He pit a bit early and wound up back in
11th after the pit cycle. Palou took the lead. He was followed by Newgarden, Dixon and
McLaughlin. These cars remained in their position almost to the end, when on the last lap,
Dixon passed Newgarden for 2nd place!
Pato O'Ward was the biggest mover, improving 12 positions, having started 23rd and
finishing in 11th. Indycar has begun awarding a trophy for that!
| Scott Dixon (2nd) |
| Alex Palou (1st) |
| Josef Newgarden (3rd) |
After a few short exhibition races at the private Thermal Club race track near Palm Desert
in California last year, IndyCar held their first points race there today. Consequently, the
teams were lacking the usual amount of setup data. The big question were the tire choice
- how long would the faster, soft alternates last on the abrasive track surface?
The weather was hot, nearly 90-degrees.
The two McLaren cars started from the front row, with Pato O'Ward on pole.
Alex Palou qualified 3rd for Ganassi. All 3 Andretti cars and both Meyer Shank cars
qualified in the top ten. Alexander Rossi qualified 6th for Ed Carpenter Racing. Louis
Foster, who had not yet completed a single IndyCar race lap, qualified in 10th for Rahal
Letterman Lanigan Racing.
Notably missing from the front of the grid were the three Penske cars, which did not make
it past the first round of qualifying.
The only incident in the race happened on the first lap when Devlin DeFrancesco ran into
Scott McLaughlin, sending both cars off. That incident resulted in Callum Ilott slamming
into the back of his teammate. The cars continued to the pits and no caution was called.
The entire 65-lap race would run caution free. However, McLaughlin would develop
overheating issues with his hybrid system and he was the only car not to finish the race.
The front of the grid remained mainly unchanged throughout the race, albeit Foster, which
ended up requiring at least three pit stops from every driver. However, there was plenty
of exciting passing throughout the field.
On Lap 46, Palou passed Christian Lundgaard for 2nd after a fierce back and forth
battle, then began pulling away quickly. O'Ward had built up a comfortable 11-second
lead when Palou pit on Lap 48. O'Ward then made his final pit stop on the next lap.
All three cars were now on black tires, but Palou was much faster and he soon reeled in
O'Ward, passing him with 10 laps to go. Palou pulled away to a 10-second lead and won
again.
Will Power was the big mover of the race, advancing 15 positions to finish 6th.
FOX had some type of power problem and was unable to broadcast for about 20 minutes
of the race.
in California last year, IndyCar held their first points race there today. Consequently, the
teams were lacking the usual amount of setup data. The big question were the tire choice
- how long would the faster, soft alternates last on the abrasive track surface?
The weather was hot, nearly 90-degrees.
The two McLaren cars started from the front row, with Pato O'Ward on pole.
Alex Palou qualified 3rd for Ganassi. All 3 Andretti cars and both Meyer Shank cars
qualified in the top ten. Alexander Rossi qualified 6th for Ed Carpenter Racing. Louis
Foster, who had not yet completed a single IndyCar race lap, qualified in 10th for Rahal
Letterman Lanigan Racing.
Notably missing from the front of the grid were the three Penske cars, which did not make
it past the first round of qualifying.
The only incident in the race happened on the first lap when Devlin DeFrancesco ran into
Scott McLaughlin, sending both cars off. That incident resulted in Callum Ilott slamming
into the back of his teammate. The cars continued to the pits and no caution was called.
The entire 65-lap race would run caution free. However, McLaughlin would develop
overheating issues with his hybrid system and he was the only car not to finish the race.
The front of the grid remained mainly unchanged throughout the race, albeit Foster, which
ended up requiring at least three pit stops from every driver. However, there was plenty
of exciting passing throughout the field.
On Lap 46, Palou passed Christian Lundgaard for 2nd after a fierce back and forth
battle, then began pulling away quickly. O'Ward had built up a comfortable 11-second
lead when Palou pit on Lap 48. O'Ward then made his final pit stop on the next lap.
All three cars were now on black tires, but Palou was much faster and he soon reeled in
O'Ward, passing him with 10 laps to go. Palou pulled away to a 10-second lead and won
again.
Will Power was the big mover of the race, advancing 15 positions to finish 6th.
FOX had some type of power problem and was unable to broadcast for about 20 minutes
of the race.
| Palou Passes Lundgaard for 2nd. |
| Palou Won! |
Race day weather was cooler than expected for SoCal (63 degrees) and overcast.
The sun soon came out after the race started and warmed the track up.
Andretti Global started on the front row; Kyle Kirkwood on pole with Colton Herta
beside him.
Once again, tire strategy played a role. The primary tires were preferred, but everyone
had to use the softer alternate tires at some point in the race. Most drivers opted to start
with the green alternates and to pit very early.
Josef Newgarden, who started a disappointing 15th, pit on the 2nd lap just to switch off
of the alternates. By lap 59 he had worked his way up to 6th. But then, his seatbelt
mysteriously came unfastened and he returned to the pits to get help refastening it. The
time wasted with that extra pit-stop sent him to the very back, where he would finish.
Herta and Marcus Ericsson pit on lap 5 from the top 5. Herta then came under pressure
fast from the Penskes. Fast action and passing ensued.
Kirkwood pit from the lead on lap 7 and Christian Lundgaard took over the lead.
All the other drivers who had started the race on alternates pit by lap 10.
Following Lundgaard were the other drivers on primaries - Scott Dixon, Kyffin Simpson,
Sting Ray Robb and Santino Ferrucci. They ran at the front until they finally had to pit,
between laps 26-29.
Kirkwood resumed the lead, however, he pit 5 laps later to get rid of the alternate tires
and for a while, Robb led! Once Robb pit on lap 53, Kirkwood took over, followed by
Alex Palou, Felix Rosenqvist and Lundgaard! Lundgaard then passed Rosenqvist with 5
laps to go and made the podium.
This was Kirkwood's 3rd victory. He also won Long Beach in 2023, in his first year with
Andretti Global.
There were no yellows during the race.
Santino Ferrucci was the Biggest Mover of the race, having started last in 27th and
finishing in 11th.
The sun soon came out after the race started and warmed the track up.
Andretti Global started on the front row; Kyle Kirkwood on pole with Colton Herta
beside him.
Once again, tire strategy played a role. The primary tires were preferred, but everyone
had to use the softer alternate tires at some point in the race. Most drivers opted to start
with the green alternates and to pit very early.
Josef Newgarden, who started a disappointing 15th, pit on the 2nd lap just to switch off
of the alternates. By lap 59 he had worked his way up to 6th. But then, his seatbelt
mysteriously came unfastened and he returned to the pits to get help refastening it. The
time wasted with that extra pit-stop sent him to the very back, where he would finish.
Herta and Marcus Ericsson pit on lap 5 from the top 5. Herta then came under pressure
fast from the Penskes. Fast action and passing ensued.
Kirkwood pit from the lead on lap 7 and Christian Lundgaard took over the lead.
All the other drivers who had started the race on alternates pit by lap 10.
Following Lundgaard were the other drivers on primaries - Scott Dixon, Kyffin Simpson,
Sting Ray Robb and Santino Ferrucci. They ran at the front until they finally had to pit,
between laps 26-29.
Kirkwood resumed the lead, however, he pit 5 laps later to get rid of the alternate tires
and for a while, Robb led! Once Robb pit on lap 53, Kirkwood took over, followed by
Alex Palou, Felix Rosenqvist and Lundgaard! Lundgaard then passed Rosenqvist with 5
laps to go and made the podium.
This was Kirkwood's 3rd victory. He also won Long Beach in 2023, in his first year with
Andretti Global.
There were no yellows during the race.
Santino Ferrucci was the Biggest Mover of the race, having started last in 27th and
finishing in 11th.
| Inaugural Winner - Brian Redman and his winning Lola 332 |
This was the 50th Long Beach Grand Prix. The first race was a SCCA Formula 5000
Series race and included such drivers as Al Unser, Sr., Mario Andretti, Jody Schekter,
Gordon Johncock, Danny Ongais and David Hobbs.
Al Unser, Jr., who won this grand prix the most - 6 times, shared grand marshall duties
with Mario Andretti, who won the race both in F1 and in CART.
Also on hand was the winner of the inaugural race in 1975, Brian Redman, a Formula 1
driver.
The Long Beach Grand Prix became a Formula 1 race the following year.
Series race and included such drivers as Al Unser, Sr., Mario Andretti, Jody Schekter,
Gordon Johncock, Danny Ongais and David Hobbs.
Al Unser, Jr., who won this grand prix the most - 6 times, shared grand marshall duties
with Mario Andretti, who won the race both in F1 and in CART.
Also on hand was the winner of the inaugural race in 1975, Brian Redman, a Formula 1
driver.
The Long Beach Grand Prix became a Formula 1 race the following year.
| Long Beach Winner Kyle Kirkwood |
Alex Palou qualified on pole.
Race day was cloudy in the low 60s.
The softer tires were the preference.
This ended up being a 3-stop race.
Palou led the entire race but for pit stops. He won, finishing 16
seconds ahead of 2nd place finisher Christian Lundgaard.
For the third race in a row, there were no cautions. That has not
happened since 1986!
All of the top 10 finishers started in the top 10; though, technically,
Alexander Rossi started in 15th and jumped to 10th on the first lap.
The biggest mover of the race was Scott Dixon, who advanced
from P27 to P12.
Race day was cloudy in the low 60s.
The softer tires were the preference.
This ended up being a 3-stop race.
Palou led the entire race but for pit stops. He won, finishing 16
seconds ahead of 2nd place finisher Christian Lundgaard.
For the third race in a row, there were no cautions. That has not
happened since 1986!
All of the top 10 finishers started in the top 10; though, technically,
Alexander Rossi started in 15th and jumped to 10th on the first lap.
The biggest mover of the race was Scott Dixon, who advanced
from P27 to P12.
Sunny and 75 degrees.
In a new twist affecting race strategy, the drivers were required to run both types of
tires - hard black primaries and softer red alternates - twice during the race.
Alex Palou won pole. All three Rahal Letterman Lanigan cars made it to the top 6,
with Graham Rahal starting on the front row.
Rahal grabbed the lead at the first turn and managed to stay out in front of the reigning
IndyCar champion, who has been almost unbeatable this season. However, on Lap 56
as Rahal's rear tires were going away, Palou got around him for the lead.
At the last round of pit stops, the leaders were all able to switch to the preferred
alternate tires, except for Rahal, who had to run the harder primary tires. The result
was that Rahal fell back to finish 6th.
It was looking to be the 4th IndyCar race in a row with no cautions, but on Lap 69,
David Malukas suffered a mechanical problem that put him in the grass, and the
yellow flag waved.
That bunched up the field, but Palou kept the lead and won his 4th race of the season!
Pato O'Ward and Will Power finished 2nd and 3rd.
Rinus VeeKay was the biggest mover of the race, starting in P24 and finishing in P9.
In a new twist affecting race strategy, the drivers were required to run both types of
tires - hard black primaries and softer red alternates - twice during the race.
Alex Palou won pole. All three Rahal Letterman Lanigan cars made it to the top 6,
with Graham Rahal starting on the front row.
Rahal grabbed the lead at the first turn and managed to stay out in front of the reigning
IndyCar champion, who has been almost unbeatable this season. However, on Lap 56
as Rahal's rear tires were going away, Palou got around him for the lead.
At the last round of pit stops, the leaders were all able to switch to the preferred
alternate tires, except for Rahal, who had to run the harder primary tires. The result
was that Rahal fell back to finish 6th.
It was looking to be the 4th IndyCar race in a row with no cautions, but on Lap 69,
David Malukas suffered a mechanical problem that put him in the grass, and the
yellow flag waved.
That bunched up the field, but Palou kept the lead and won his 4th race of the season!
Pato O'Ward and Will Power finished 2nd and 3rd.
Rinus VeeKay was the biggest mover of the race, starting in P24 and finishing in P9.
| Graham Rahal Led the Most Lap |
| Winner Alex Palou |
| Miss America Grand Marshal |
| Alex Palou Wins Another for Chip Ganassi Racing |
Rookie driver Robert Shwartzman surprised the world by winning pole for the Indianapolis
500. It was his first time on an oval and he was on a new Italian IndyCar team - PREMA
Racing.
Team Penske's bad luck picked up for the 500. First, Scott McLaughlin crashed his car
during practice before Top 12 qualifying and missed it. Then before the qualifying could take
place, his two team-mates, Will Power and Josef Newgarden, were disqualified when their
cars failed a pre-qualifying technical inspection. They did not take part either. The next day,
IndyCar decided to penalize the team by moving both drivers to the back row of the starting
grid. Their cars were fast this month, but luck was not their friend.
Race day was unusually cold. The air temperature was in the 60s. Track temp was 72.
Due to rain sprinkles, the race was delayed a while and drivers sat in their cars for a half hour
waiting for the track to be dried.
During the warm up laps, as the cars were slaloming back and forth to warm their tires,
McLaughlin, who was on the inside of row 4, suddenly veered hard left and crashed into the
inside wall along the front straight, then slid into the infield. He was out and that prolonged the
start. Scott Dixon's left rear wheel caught fire, but he kept going and it went out.
As the race went green on lap 4, Marco Andretti got squeezed or hit by Jack Harvey and
ended up in the wall. Andretti was now out and there was another caution.
Shwartzman held onto the lead as the race went green, but fell back to 4th by Lap 11.
Takuma Sato took the lead.
More sprinkles brought out another caution on Lap 20. Some cars pit and there were
numerous problems at the end of pit lane as cars almost collided. Then, Kyle Larson grabbed
the wrong gear and stalled his car trying to leave his pit box. Shwartzman lost time with a delay
getting his right rear tire on and Dixon lost time when his air jack failed.
Still under caution, Dixon returned to the pits to get a new left rear brake and caliber, where the
fire had been. By the time they fixed it, he was down a few laps and would never recover.
When the race went green on lap 30, Sato was now down in 8th. All four of the ECR cars had
stayed out and were at the front of the field. Alex Rossi and Christian Rasmussen began
swapping the lead, with team owner Ed Carpenter right behind them. That gamble would not
pay off. They all had to pit under green on Lap 43.
Sato was back in the lead, followed by Conor Daly and David Malukas.
Everyone pit on lap 61 and Daly fell back to 7th as Alex Palou moved into 3rd.
On Lap 72, Rossi's car began blowing oil into Palou's face and he was called into the pits from
P2. He turned off his car and there was a fuel spill that ignited and Rossi hurried to exit his
burning car as the team worked to put out the fire. Rossi was out of the race as the race
continued under green flag.
On Lap 81, Rinus VeeKay had a brake failure as he entered pit lane and crashed into the wall,
bringing out the 4th caution. No one was injured, but he was out of the race. He had moved up
25 spots during the race!
Everyone pit under yellow on Lap 87 except for Ryan Hunter-Reay and two ECR cars. That
moved them to the front of the field.
Sato over shot his pit box by 6 feet and had to be pushed back, losing valuable seconds.
Shwartzman, who had been in P13, suffered some brake problem and crashed into his pit
crew, which was a scary moment. One of the crew members had a broken foot.
Shwartzman's race was over.
The race went green on Lap 91. Larson downshifted in the short chute and lost control of his
car and slid into the Turn 2 wall, knocking Kyffin Simpson and Sting Ray Robb out of the
race.
That was the last caution of the race, until the last lap, when it didn't matter.
The race went green on lap 109 with Devlin DeFrancisco leading until he had to pit. Daly took
over the lead, followed by Malukas, Palou and Santino Ferrucci.
During the next set of stops on Lap 133, Newgarden had moved up to P6 from last place!
However his car suffered a fuel pressure problem and he did not return to the race.
By Lap 175, the pit stops were all out of the way and the top 5 running order was
1. Ericsson
2. Palou
3. Malukas
4. Pato O'Ward
5. Felix Rosenqvist
With 14 laps remaining, Ericsson got sloppy and left the door open, thinking Palou was saving
fuel. Palou grabbed the opportunity and passed him on the inside going into Turn 1.
Palou had two cars in front of him, Louis Foster and Devlin DeFrancesco, but they were fast.
He stayed behind them to the end and won his first oval race.
The next day, three drivers were penalized after post-race inspections and moved to the back
of the field:
Ericsson was moved from P2 to P31.
Kyle Kirkwood was moved from P6 to P32 and
Callum Ilott was moved from P14 to P33.
The biggest mover of the race was Power, who improved 17 positions to finish 16th, a lap
down.
500. It was his first time on an oval and he was on a new Italian IndyCar team - PREMA
Racing.
Team Penske's bad luck picked up for the 500. First, Scott McLaughlin crashed his car
during practice before Top 12 qualifying and missed it. Then before the qualifying could take
place, his two team-mates, Will Power and Josef Newgarden, were disqualified when their
cars failed a pre-qualifying technical inspection. They did not take part either. The next day,
IndyCar decided to penalize the team by moving both drivers to the back row of the starting
grid. Their cars were fast this month, but luck was not their friend.
Race day was unusually cold. The air temperature was in the 60s. Track temp was 72.
Due to rain sprinkles, the race was delayed a while and drivers sat in their cars for a half hour
waiting for the track to be dried.
During the warm up laps, as the cars were slaloming back and forth to warm their tires,
McLaughlin, who was on the inside of row 4, suddenly veered hard left and crashed into the
inside wall along the front straight, then slid into the infield. He was out and that prolonged the
start. Scott Dixon's left rear wheel caught fire, but he kept going and it went out.
As the race went green on lap 4, Marco Andretti got squeezed or hit by Jack Harvey and
ended up in the wall. Andretti was now out and there was another caution.
Shwartzman held onto the lead as the race went green, but fell back to 4th by Lap 11.
Takuma Sato took the lead.
More sprinkles brought out another caution on Lap 20. Some cars pit and there were
numerous problems at the end of pit lane as cars almost collided. Then, Kyle Larson grabbed
the wrong gear and stalled his car trying to leave his pit box. Shwartzman lost time with a delay
getting his right rear tire on and Dixon lost time when his air jack failed.
Still under caution, Dixon returned to the pits to get a new left rear brake and caliber, where the
fire had been. By the time they fixed it, he was down a few laps and would never recover.
When the race went green on lap 30, Sato was now down in 8th. All four of the ECR cars had
stayed out and were at the front of the field. Alex Rossi and Christian Rasmussen began
swapping the lead, with team owner Ed Carpenter right behind them. That gamble would not
pay off. They all had to pit under green on Lap 43.
Sato was back in the lead, followed by Conor Daly and David Malukas.
Everyone pit on lap 61 and Daly fell back to 7th as Alex Palou moved into 3rd.
On Lap 72, Rossi's car began blowing oil into Palou's face and he was called into the pits from
P2. He turned off his car and there was a fuel spill that ignited and Rossi hurried to exit his
burning car as the team worked to put out the fire. Rossi was out of the race as the race
continued under green flag.
On Lap 81, Rinus VeeKay had a brake failure as he entered pit lane and crashed into the wall,
bringing out the 4th caution. No one was injured, but he was out of the race. He had moved up
25 spots during the race!
Everyone pit under yellow on Lap 87 except for Ryan Hunter-Reay and two ECR cars. That
moved them to the front of the field.
Sato over shot his pit box by 6 feet and had to be pushed back, losing valuable seconds.
Shwartzman, who had been in P13, suffered some brake problem and crashed into his pit
crew, which was a scary moment. One of the crew members had a broken foot.
Shwartzman's race was over.
The race went green on Lap 91. Larson downshifted in the short chute and lost control of his
car and slid into the Turn 2 wall, knocking Kyffin Simpson and Sting Ray Robb out of the
race.
That was the last caution of the race, until the last lap, when it didn't matter.
The race went green on lap 109 with Devlin DeFrancisco leading until he had to pit. Daly took
over the lead, followed by Malukas, Palou and Santino Ferrucci.
During the next set of stops on Lap 133, Newgarden had moved up to P6 from last place!
However his car suffered a fuel pressure problem and he did not return to the race.
By Lap 175, the pit stops were all out of the way and the top 5 running order was
1. Ericsson
2. Palou
3. Malukas
4. Pato O'Ward
5. Felix Rosenqvist
With 14 laps remaining, Ericsson got sloppy and left the door open, thinking Palou was saving
fuel. Palou grabbed the opportunity and passed him on the inside going into Turn 1.
Palou had two cars in front of him, Louis Foster and Devlin DeFrancesco, but they were fast.
He stayed behind them to the end and won his first oval race.
The next day, three drivers were penalized after post-race inspections and moved to the back
of the field:
Ericsson was moved from P2 to P31.
Kyle Kirkwood was moved from P6 to P32 and
Callum Ilott was moved from P14 to P33.
The biggest mover of the race was Power, who improved 17 positions to finish 16th, a lap
down.
| 109th Indy 500 Winner Alex Palou and Chip Ganassi Racing |
The weather was sunny, but cool - 59 degrees at the start of the race.
Colton Herta was on Pole.
The race began with lots of rubbing on the tight, bumpy course.
It was thought the soft alternate 'green' tires would last 20 laps, but 10 drivers who started on
them began pitting early, between laps 6-13.
The first of five cautions came out on Lap 14. Scott McLaughlin had waited and could now
switch to primaries under yellow. He came out leading the pack of drivers who had pit, but two
laps later, he clipped Nolan Siegel, sending him sideways into the wall and earned himself a
drive-through penalty. Siegel was able to turn around and keep going, but it brought out a 2nd
yellow.
The drivers who had started on hard tires stayed out during both yellows and moved to the
front, with Christian Rasmussen leading until he finally pit on Lap 36. All but one of the
drivers who had started on primaries, switched to the alternates for their middle stint. It was
thought the race would probably require 3 pit stops, but due to later cautions, most drivers
ended up pitting four times or more.
Kyle Kirkwood appeared to have the fastest car of the weekend and he took the lead on Lap
39. Behind him was Will Power, Herta, Alex Palou, David Malukas, Rasmussen and Pato
O'Ward. Kirkwood would lead 48 of the remaining 61 laps.
PREMA Racing did not get the lugnuts put on Callum Ilott's wheel and it came off as he
entered the track, bringing out the 3rd caution, where upon everyone pit except for Santino
Ferrucci, Kyffin Simpson and Marcus Armstrong. Those three would now lead.
As the race restarted, Malukas punted Palou into the tire barrier. Palou was out, ending his
podium streak. Malukas was penalized and sent to the back.
On the restart, Kirkwood quickly began to put the moves on the three cars in front. He
misjudged his first pass on Armstrong, damaging his own front wing. Within a few laps, he was
leading again, but the wing bounced and drooped. None the less, he pulled away from the field
and soon had a 4-sec lead!
With 17 laps to go, Power passed Ferrucci for 2nd. Suddenly, the whole right front end of
Louis Foster's car collapsed as he approached Turn 3 at 180mph. He collected Felix
Rosenqvist and they both suffered hard hits into tire barriers. That accident brought out the
last yellow.
On the restart, Herta and Ferrucii passed Power to move into 2nd and 3rd. The order at the
front remained unchanged for the final 10 laps and Kirkwood won his second race of the year.
This was Ferrucci's best finish. He was also the biggest mover of the race, having improved
19 positions!
Kyffin Simpson had his best IndyCar finish too, coming in 5th.
Colton Herta was on Pole.
The race began with lots of rubbing on the tight, bumpy course.
It was thought the soft alternate 'green' tires would last 20 laps, but 10 drivers who started on
them began pitting early, between laps 6-13.
The first of five cautions came out on Lap 14. Scott McLaughlin had waited and could now
switch to primaries under yellow. He came out leading the pack of drivers who had pit, but two
laps later, he clipped Nolan Siegel, sending him sideways into the wall and earned himself a
drive-through penalty. Siegel was able to turn around and keep going, but it brought out a 2nd
yellow.
The drivers who had started on hard tires stayed out during both yellows and moved to the
front, with Christian Rasmussen leading until he finally pit on Lap 36. All but one of the
drivers who had started on primaries, switched to the alternates for their middle stint. It was
thought the race would probably require 3 pit stops, but due to later cautions, most drivers
ended up pitting four times or more.
Kyle Kirkwood appeared to have the fastest car of the weekend and he took the lead on Lap
39. Behind him was Will Power, Herta, Alex Palou, David Malukas, Rasmussen and Pato
O'Ward. Kirkwood would lead 48 of the remaining 61 laps.
PREMA Racing did not get the lugnuts put on Callum Ilott's wheel and it came off as he
entered the track, bringing out the 3rd caution, where upon everyone pit except for Santino
Ferrucci, Kyffin Simpson and Marcus Armstrong. Those three would now lead.
As the race restarted, Malukas punted Palou into the tire barrier. Palou was out, ending his
podium streak. Malukas was penalized and sent to the back.
On the restart, Kirkwood quickly began to put the moves on the three cars in front. He
misjudged his first pass on Armstrong, damaging his own front wing. Within a few laps, he was
leading again, but the wing bounced and drooped. None the less, he pulled away from the field
and soon had a 4-sec lead!
With 17 laps to go, Power passed Ferrucci for 2nd. Suddenly, the whole right front end of
Louis Foster's car collapsed as he approached Turn 3 at 180mph. He collected Felix
Rosenqvist and they both suffered hard hits into tire barriers. That accident brought out the
last yellow.
On the restart, Herta and Ferrucii passed Power to move into 2nd and 3rd. The order at the
front remained unchanged for the final 10 laps and Kirkwood won his second race of the year.
This was Ferrucci's best finish. He was also the biggest mover of the race, having improved
19 positions!
Kyffin Simpson had his best IndyCar finish too, coming in 5th.
| Santino Ferrucci - P2 |
| Kirkwood Leading |
| Winner Kyle Kirkwood |
The weather was warm and cloudy for IndyCar's first Sunday night race.
Will Power was on pole. (His 71st, but his first since 2023.) Team Penske's chances
were looking good, with Scott McLaughlin starting 2nd and Josef Newgarden 5th.
The team is traditionally good at this track. Could they finally turn their poor season
around?
David Malukas grabbed the lead on the first lap from P4. Exciting racing as cars were
going 3 & 4 wide into the turns, as the high side was clean and sticky.
Conor Daly began moving up quickly from P15 and by lap 22, was in 4th.
By Lap 38, all three Penske cars were at the front, just behind Malukas.
On lap 47, a tire going down sent Power glancing into the wall and he was out of the
race. During the resultant caution, Felix Rosenqvist and Christian Lundgaard
received penalties which dropped them down a lap.
McLaughlin took the lead, followed by Malukas and Newgarden. In 15 laps, Newgarden
took over P2.
During the next cycle of pit stops, McLauglin lost two positions and now Newgarden was
leading.
On Lap 131, Louis Foster went high and hit the wall. His car spun back across the
track right into the path of Newgarden, who had no where to go. It was a savage hit
with Foster and the inside wall. Newgarden's car flippped up and over landing upside
down and skittering to a stop by the finish line. Neither driver appeared to have suffered
any major injuries. The wreck resulted in a long caution period.
The 12 drivers on the lead lap were allowed to pit first. The exit from their pit boxes
resulted in a melee that miraculously did not end in accidents. McLaughlin and Malukas
though, received penalties and had to yield 3 positions.
Christian Rasmussen, who had worked his way up to 4th from P25, received a penalty
for emergency service during closed pits and had to restart from the back of the field.
Sweepers had came out during the caution and the track was clean of marbles. Exciting
racing ensued as Daly hounded Pato O'Ward for the lead. After 5 laps, Daly pulled it off
and took the lead. Behind O'Ward were Malukas and Kyle Kirkwood, in P3 and P4.
They maintained their positions over the next 35 laps, when a pit cycle began under
green flag. Everyone had pit, except Scott Dixon, when Malukas slid up and touched
the wall, bringing out a caution on Lap 195. At this time, Dixon was in the lead and the
only car on the lead lap. He was able to then pit and come out still in the lead of the
race!
After the restart, Dixon was followed by Kirkwood, O'Ward and Daly. Intense racing
prevailed as cars once again were going 3 and 4 wide. McLaughlin had a mechanical
problem and retired on lap 216 from P6. Now all three Penske cars were out!
Rasmussen and Rosenqvist had rebounded during the race and by Lap 235 were in the
top 10.
After the leaders pit, Callum Ilott and Rosenqvist began fighting for the lead, but they
would have to pit in the final laps.
Kirkwood took the lead with 5 laps to go and won his 3rd race of the year. O'Ward
finished 2nd for the 3rd time this year, and Rasmussen got his first podium.
Rasmussen was the biggest mover of the race, having moved up 21 positions from
the start.
Will Power was on pole. (His 71st, but his first since 2023.) Team Penske's chances
were looking good, with Scott McLaughlin starting 2nd and Josef Newgarden 5th.
The team is traditionally good at this track. Could they finally turn their poor season
around?
David Malukas grabbed the lead on the first lap from P4. Exciting racing as cars were
going 3 & 4 wide into the turns, as the high side was clean and sticky.
Conor Daly began moving up quickly from P15 and by lap 22, was in 4th.
By Lap 38, all three Penske cars were at the front, just behind Malukas.
On lap 47, a tire going down sent Power glancing into the wall and he was out of the
race. During the resultant caution, Felix Rosenqvist and Christian Lundgaard
received penalties which dropped them down a lap.
McLaughlin took the lead, followed by Malukas and Newgarden. In 15 laps, Newgarden
took over P2.
During the next cycle of pit stops, McLauglin lost two positions and now Newgarden was
leading.
On Lap 131, Louis Foster went high and hit the wall. His car spun back across the
track right into the path of Newgarden, who had no where to go. It was a savage hit
with Foster and the inside wall. Newgarden's car flippped up and over landing upside
down and skittering to a stop by the finish line. Neither driver appeared to have suffered
any major injuries. The wreck resulted in a long caution period.
The 12 drivers on the lead lap were allowed to pit first. The exit from their pit boxes
resulted in a melee that miraculously did not end in accidents. McLaughlin and Malukas
though, received penalties and had to yield 3 positions.
Christian Rasmussen, who had worked his way up to 4th from P25, received a penalty
for emergency service during closed pits and had to restart from the back of the field.
Sweepers had came out during the caution and the track was clean of marbles. Exciting
racing ensued as Daly hounded Pato O'Ward for the lead. After 5 laps, Daly pulled it off
and took the lead. Behind O'Ward were Malukas and Kyle Kirkwood, in P3 and P4.
They maintained their positions over the next 35 laps, when a pit cycle began under
green flag. Everyone had pit, except Scott Dixon, when Malukas slid up and touched
the wall, bringing out a caution on Lap 195. At this time, Dixon was in the lead and the
only car on the lead lap. He was able to then pit and come out still in the lead of the
race!
After the restart, Dixon was followed by Kirkwood, O'Ward and Daly. Intense racing
prevailed as cars once again were going 3 and 4 wide. McLaughlin had a mechanical
problem and retired on lap 216 from P6. Now all three Penske cars were out!
Rasmussen and Rosenqvist had rebounded during the race and by Lap 235 were in the
top 10.
After the leaders pit, Callum Ilott and Rosenqvist began fighting for the lead, but they
would have to pit in the final laps.
Kirkwood took the lead with 5 laps to go and won his 3rd race of the year. O'Ward
finished 2nd for the 3rd time this year, and Rasmussen got his first podium.
Rasmussen was the biggest mover of the race, having moved up 21 positions from
the start.
| Winner Kyle Kirkwood's Andretti Global Honda |
| Louis Foster / Josef Newgarden Crash |
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
Rating
Weather was hot, in the 90s.
Rookie Louis Foster from Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing was on pole.
The red soft tires were markedly faster than the primaries.
There was little fuel saving strategies throughout the race, so the racing was often
furious.
All five caution periods happened during the first half of the race - the first ten laps
had 3 cautions, which saw Sting Ray Robb and Robert Schwartzman crash out of
the race. All the drivers chose to pit during one of the first three cautions which
ended up putting them on slightly different fuel strategies.
Christian Lundgaard was in the lead on Lap 26. He got pushed wide off the track
by Colton Herta who was in P17. He hit a bump and spun around, but did not hit
any thing. He was able to keep going, but would finish last.
A few laps later, Josef Newgarden went wide into Turn 14 and spun off, breaking
his suspension. That put Newgarden out - his 3rd DNF in the last 4 races, and
brought out the final caution on Lap 30.
Scott Dixon had the lead on the restart. He pit on Lap 38. His Ganassi team-mate
Alex Palou took the lead. Santino Ferucci pit on lap 39 from 3rd, then Palou pit on
lap 40. Felix Rosenqvist took the lead and then he too pit on Lap 42, as did Kyle
Kirkwood.
With 10 laps to go, Dixon was in the lead, followed by Palou.
Much suspense arose over whether the lead drivers could make it to the end on fuel.
Chip Ganassi Racing was in 1st and 2nd. They decided to leave Dixon out longer
than they should have, hoping he could make it to lap 53 of 55. If he made it, they
would know that Palou, who had pit 2 laps later than Dixon, could make it to the
end. If Dixon ran out of fuel first, they would know that Palou would have to pit for a
splash of fuel.
Dixon did not run out of fuel and Palou stayed out and won the race - .his 6th of the
year.
Dixon finished 9th. Perhaps Dixon could have made it to the end. Ferrucci did and
he had pit just 1 lap after Dixon. However, both drivers could have ran out of fuel
and finished last, so it was the right gamble by the Ganassi team.
The other lead drivers who were short on fuel, except for Alexander Rossi , also
stayed out and made it to the end. However, numerous cars ran out of fuel heading
to pit lane after the race.
Kyffin Simpson, who also drives for Ganassi, was the biggest mover of the race,
improving from P23 to P6.
Rookie Louis Foster from Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing was on pole.
The red soft tires were markedly faster than the primaries.
There was little fuel saving strategies throughout the race, so the racing was often
furious.
All five caution periods happened during the first half of the race - the first ten laps
had 3 cautions, which saw Sting Ray Robb and Robert Schwartzman crash out of
the race. All the drivers chose to pit during one of the first three cautions which
ended up putting them on slightly different fuel strategies.
Christian Lundgaard was in the lead on Lap 26. He got pushed wide off the track
by Colton Herta who was in P17. He hit a bump and spun around, but did not hit
any thing. He was able to keep going, but would finish last.
A few laps later, Josef Newgarden went wide into Turn 14 and spun off, breaking
his suspension. That put Newgarden out - his 3rd DNF in the last 4 races, and
brought out the final caution on Lap 30.
Scott Dixon had the lead on the restart. He pit on Lap 38. His Ganassi team-mate
Alex Palou took the lead. Santino Ferucci pit on lap 39 from 3rd, then Palou pit on
lap 40. Felix Rosenqvist took the lead and then he too pit on Lap 42, as did Kyle
Kirkwood.
With 10 laps to go, Dixon was in the lead, followed by Palou.
Much suspense arose over whether the lead drivers could make it to the end on fuel.
Chip Ganassi Racing was in 1st and 2nd. They decided to leave Dixon out longer
than they should have, hoping he could make it to lap 53 of 55. If he made it, they
would know that Palou, who had pit 2 laps later than Dixon, could make it to the
end. If Dixon ran out of fuel first, they would know that Palou would have to pit for a
splash of fuel.
Dixon did not run out of fuel and Palou stayed out and won the race - .his 6th of the
year.
Dixon finished 9th. Perhaps Dixon could have made it to the end. Ferrucci did and
he had pit just 1 lap after Dixon. However, both drivers could have ran out of fuel
and finished last, so it was the right gamble by the Ganassi team.
The other lead drivers who were short on fuel, except for Alexander Rossi , also
stayed out and made it to the end. However, numerous cars ran out of fuel heading
to pit lane after the race.
Kyffin Simpson, who also drives for Ganassi, was the biggest mover of the race,
improving from P23 to P6.
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
| SOLO Cup Is a new sponsor |
| Winner Alex Palou |
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
It was a hot sunny day, near 90.
Teams were undecided on which tire would prove best today and the strategies were
mixed.
The three Penske cars all started toward the back of the field with Josef Newgarden in
row 9, two rows ahead of his teammates. Their luck was as bad as ever today.
On the first lap, Newgarden's rear wheel suddenly locked up, ripping his car to the left,
right in front of Graham Rahal. Both cars went off into the gravel, while cars behind
them dodged the incident. Will Power and Scott McLaughlin's cars made contact.
Newgarden's race was over and Power pit with damage. He returned, but was soon
out with mechanical problems. After being pulled from the gravel, Rahal went on to
finish the race, but in last place. McLaughlin also continued, but would finish just
ahead of Rahal, a lap down.
On Lap 29, Christian Rasmussen pit, but something went wrong and his car did not
receive any fuel. He ran out of gas on the next lap, bringing out the 2nd and last
caution. When the race restarted, he had to pit again and then never returned to the
race.
Alex Palou started on pole. Chip Ganassi Racing had him and Scott Dixon on
opposite strategies - Dixon raced softly, saving fuel, while Palou ran hard the whole
race. Dixon ended up making only two pit stops.
Palou led the whole race, but by the end, Dixon was in 2nd. With just 6 laps to go,
Palou ran wide going into Turn 9 and went off track. Dixon was able to get by and
take the lead. Both drivers had the same amount of Push-to-pass time left. Dixon
was able to hold him off and take his first win of the season by a margin of 0.418
seconds. This was the 59th win of Dixon's IndyCar career and his 7th at Mid-Ohio.
Rinus VeeKay was the biggest mover of the race. He started 26th and finished in 9th.
Teams were undecided on which tire would prove best today and the strategies were
mixed.
The three Penske cars all started toward the back of the field with Josef Newgarden in
row 9, two rows ahead of his teammates. Their luck was as bad as ever today.
On the first lap, Newgarden's rear wheel suddenly locked up, ripping his car to the left,
right in front of Graham Rahal. Both cars went off into the gravel, while cars behind
them dodged the incident. Will Power and Scott McLaughlin's cars made contact.
Newgarden's race was over and Power pit with damage. He returned, but was soon
out with mechanical problems. After being pulled from the gravel, Rahal went on to
finish the race, but in last place. McLaughlin also continued, but would finish just
ahead of Rahal, a lap down.
On Lap 29, Christian Rasmussen pit, but something went wrong and his car did not
receive any fuel. He ran out of gas on the next lap, bringing out the 2nd and last
caution. When the race restarted, he had to pit again and then never returned to the
race.
Alex Palou started on pole. Chip Ganassi Racing had him and Scott Dixon on
opposite strategies - Dixon raced softly, saving fuel, while Palou ran hard the whole
race. Dixon ended up making only two pit stops.
Palou led the whole race, but by the end, Dixon was in 2nd. With just 6 laps to go,
Palou ran wide going into Turn 9 and went off track. Dixon was able to get by and
take the lead. Both drivers had the same amount of Push-to-pass time left. Dixon
was able to hold him off and take his first win of the season by a margin of 0.418
seconds. This was the 59th win of Dixon's IndyCar career and his 7th at Mid-Ohio.
Rinus VeeKay was the biggest mover of the race. He started 26th and finished in 9th.
| Scott Dixon Won |
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
Friday rain storms caused practice to be postponed until Saturday morning.
Scott McLaughlin was fastest in practice, but wrecked. The car suffered enough
damage that he missed qualifying at 1:30pm. Team Penske got the car fixed in time
for the race though, but McLaughlin had to start from the back. His teammate,
Josef Newgarden won the pole for today's race and Will Power started from P7.
Before the practice session, the cars ran the highline around the track to rubber it in,
in hopes that there would be enough room for making passes. As luck would have it,
caution periods came out spaced far enough apart that no one was having to pit
under green (Lap 74, Lap 153) until the very end, which enabled sweeper trucks to
come out and regularly clean the track of marbles. That helped keep passing lanes
open.
On Lap 233, Newgarden pit from the lead under green. A slight bobble attaching
one wheel would only cost him a second, but would prove fateful. Over the next 11
laps. all the other cars pit. Pato O'Ward, who had been running in 2nd behind
Newgarden, had a faster pit stop and came out in front of Newgarden, taking the
lead of the race. Behind Newgarden was Power and McLaughlin. O'Ward was able
to fend off Newgarden until the end and captured his first win of the season.
While Christian Rasmussen had been very impressive, charging from P19 to finish in
P6, no one compared to McLaughlin who had worked his way up to finish 4th, and was
the biggest mover of the race!
Even though Newgarden had led almost the entire race and finished 2nd, it was a
glorious day for Team Penske as they had 3 cars in the Top 4 after having suffered
through all kinds of misfortune this season.
This was O'Wards 100th Indycar race.
Scott McLaughlin was fastest in practice, but wrecked. The car suffered enough
damage that he missed qualifying at 1:30pm. Team Penske got the car fixed in time
for the race though, but McLaughlin had to start from the back. His teammate,
Josef Newgarden won the pole for today's race and Will Power started from P7.
Before the practice session, the cars ran the highline around the track to rubber it in,
in hopes that there would be enough room for making passes. As luck would have it,
caution periods came out spaced far enough apart that no one was having to pit
under green (Lap 74, Lap 153) until the very end, which enabled sweeper trucks to
come out and regularly clean the track of marbles. That helped keep passing lanes
open.
On Lap 233, Newgarden pit from the lead under green. A slight bobble attaching
one wheel would only cost him a second, but would prove fateful. Over the next 11
laps. all the other cars pit. Pato O'Ward, who had been running in 2nd behind
Newgarden, had a faster pit stop and came out in front of Newgarden, taking the
lead of the race. Behind Newgarden was Power and McLaughlin. O'Ward was able
to fend off Newgarden until the end and captured his first win of the season.
While Christian Rasmussen had been very impressive, charging from P19 to finish in
P6, no one compared to McLaughlin who had worked his way up to finish 4th, and was
the biggest mover of the race!
Even though Newgarden had led almost the entire race and finished 2nd, it was a
glorious day for Team Penske as they had 3 cars in the Top 4 after having suffered
through all kinds of misfortune this season.
This was O'Wards 100th Indycar race.
| Pato O'Ward Took the Lead with 31 Laps to Go, beating Josef Newgarden to the Checkered Flag. |
It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the mid 70s.
Nolan Siegel suffered a concussion from a crash yesterday and could not race,
leaving his No. 6 Chevy McLaren sitting unused.
Alex Palou was on pole.
As soon as the race began, the RLL car of Devlin DeFrancesco slid up into the
wall, tagging the Penske of Scott McLaughlin and sending him into the wall too.
Both drivers were out of the race.
20 laps later, Will Power had engine trouble and now two Team Penske drivers
were out!
On Lap 66, Penske driver Josef Newgarden passed Ganassi driver Palou for
the lead.
On Lap 129, Newgarden had to pit early for fuel. As he headed for pit lane,
Marcus Ericsson got high and slid into the wall bringing out a caution. It was a
bad break for Newgarden as everyone else could not pit under yellow, and
Newgarden fell back to 11th.
By the time another caution flew, Newgarden had worked his way up to 10th and
then made up 3 more places during the pit stop.
By Lap 240, Newgarden had reached the front and passed Palou for the lead,
with David Malukas following along to take 2nd.
Six laps later, Both Chevy-powered Foyt cars, Santino Ferrucci and Malukas,
had to pit for fuel. Two laps later, Newgarden and Pato O'Ward were forced to
pit for fuel in their Chevys as well.
Four laps later, the race leaders in their Hondas had not yet pit, when Colton
Herta slid up into the wall bringing out a caution. Once again, it was disastrous
timing for Newgarden, and the other Chevy drivers whom had just pit, as the
Honda drivers could now get the fuel they needed to finish the race under yellow
flag conditions.
Malukas, Newgarden and O'Ward were relegated to the back of the cars on the
lead lap, which were seven Hondas - led by Palou, Marcus Armstrong and Scott
Dixon,
With 12 laps left at the restart, Dixon immediately passed Armstrong for 2nd.
Malukas and O'Ward were able to work their way up to finish 4th and 5th
respectively, but Newgarden fell back a position and finished 10th.
The Hondas might have been a bit slower than the Chevys, but their fuel
efficiency proved the determining factor in this race, due to the timing of cautions.
The biggest mover of the race was Christian Lundgaard, who started 22nd and
finished in 6th.
Nolan Siegel suffered a concussion from a crash yesterday and could not race,
leaving his No. 6 Chevy McLaren sitting unused.
Alex Palou was on pole.
As soon as the race began, the RLL car of Devlin DeFrancesco slid up into the
wall, tagging the Penske of Scott McLaughlin and sending him into the wall too.
Both drivers were out of the race.
20 laps later, Will Power had engine trouble and now two Team Penske drivers
were out!
On Lap 66, Penske driver Josef Newgarden passed Ganassi driver Palou for
the lead.
On Lap 129, Newgarden had to pit early for fuel. As he headed for pit lane,
Marcus Ericsson got high and slid into the wall bringing out a caution. It was a
bad break for Newgarden as everyone else could not pit under yellow, and
Newgarden fell back to 11th.
By the time another caution flew, Newgarden had worked his way up to 10th and
then made up 3 more places during the pit stop.
By Lap 240, Newgarden had reached the front and passed Palou for the lead,
with David Malukas following along to take 2nd.
Six laps later, Both Chevy-powered Foyt cars, Santino Ferrucci and Malukas,
had to pit for fuel. Two laps later, Newgarden and Pato O'Ward were forced to
pit for fuel in their Chevys as well.
Four laps later, the race leaders in their Hondas had not yet pit, when Colton
Herta slid up into the wall bringing out a caution. Once again, it was disastrous
timing for Newgarden, and the other Chevy drivers whom had just pit, as the
Honda drivers could now get the fuel they needed to finish the race under yellow
flag conditions.
Malukas, Newgarden and O'Ward were relegated to the back of the cars on the
lead lap, which were seven Hondas - led by Palou, Marcus Armstrong and Scott
Dixon,
With 12 laps left at the restart, Dixon immediately passed Armstrong for 2nd.
Malukas and O'Ward were able to work their way up to finish 4th and 5th
respectively, but Newgarden fell back a position and finished 10th.
The Hondas might have been a bit slower than the Chevys, but their fuel
efficiency proved the determining factor in this race, due to the timing of cautions.
The biggest mover of the race was Christian Lundgaard, who started 22nd and
finished in 6th.
| Alex Palou Winner |
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
The weather was 77 degrees and cloudy.
Santino Ferrucci had a big crash during the morning warmup session and missed the race
due to heavy damage as well as injuries.
Colton Herta was on pole.
The race got off to a trouble free start. After just 2 laps, four cars pit to get off the soft
tires - Marcus Ericsson (p6), Pato O'Ward (p9), Nolan Siegel (p11) and Scott
McLaughlin (p12).
Team Penske did not get the left rear wheel nut tightened down during McLaughlin's pit
stop. Once on track, it came off, then his wheel fell off and he was sent into the wall,
bringing out the first caution.
9 cars, including the top 3 (Herta, Marcus Armstrong, Kyle Kirkwood) used the caution to
pit and put on the harder tires. Rinus VeeKay stayed out on the soft tires and moved into
P2. Behind him were Louis Foster and Kyffin Simpson who also stayed out.
On the restart, Alex Palou led. He had started on hard tires and would not pit until lap 41,
still in the lead, under the 4th caution.
On Lap 13, VeeKay's tires were toast and he had to pit. A lap later, Will Power bumped
Christian Rasmussen, sending him into the wall and brining out the 2nd caution. VeeKay
fell back to P20 for the restart.
On Lap 30, Alex Rossi brushed the wall at a point where a concrete barrier was misaligned
a tad, and it ripped his right rear off, creating a lot of debris and putting him out of the race.
O'Ward had been charging through the field and had climbed to P9. He dove into the pits
right before the yellow light and was able to pit while the other cars slowed for the caution.
IndyCar waited until the mess was cleaned up before opening the pits finally on lap 34. As
Kirkwood was entering the pits, he was spun around by Armstrong, who then received a
drive-through penalty for avoidable contact. Kirkwood ended up at the end of the field.
All 3 Ganassi cars stayed out as they attempted to make it a 2-stop race. VeeKay also
stayed out and all four cars led at the restart with O'Ward in P7.
No sooner had the race returned to green, when Jacob Abel crashed. David Malukas and
Louis Foster made an inside pass on Abel as they entered turn 1 and Abel was forced
wide and into the wall. Josef Newgarden had no where to go and hit his right rear tire,
lifting Abel's car up and on top of him. Both drivers were out of the race. The crash
stopped three cars on the course - Siegel did not appear to hit anything, but Callum Ilott
tapped Devlin DeFancesco, spinning him around. All three cars were able to continue as
the course went yellow for the 4th time.
Palou and Dixon took the opportunity to make their first pit stop and taking on soft tires, and
were now in P16 & P17 at the restart, as VeeKay became the leader. O'Ward then passed
Will Power for 4th. As Power tried to get back around a few turns later, contact was made
with O'Ward and Power came to a stop into the wall. He was able to reverse and keep
going, so there was no full-course yellow, but now Power was at the end of the field.
O'Ward then passed Conor Daly and Simpson to take over 2nd place while Foster
damaged a wheel against the wall, which eventually led to his exit from the race about 20
laps later as he ran around a lap down.
Palou had worked his way up to P11, and then pit on Lap 54 to take on hard tires. Dixon
then followed suit. Both Ganassis were to make it to the end with just 2 pit stops.
On Lap 58, Veekay made his 2nd and final pit stop from the lead. OWard soon pit for the
3rd time and he made it out in front of VeeKay.
After Ericsson and Herta pit, O'Ward became the new leader, followed by VeeKay.
Several laps later, Malukas pit and Simpson took over 3rd.
O'Ward, VeeKay and Simpson led for the next 10 laps, when, with 3 laps left to go, Siegel
and Felix Rosenqvist wrecked and the race finished under yellow.
The Andretti cars just missed the podium, Power was the only Penske car to finish - P11,
splitting the Ganassi cars of Dixon and Palou.
There was a lot of 3-wide racing over the bumpy street course which featured a speed
bump. The racing was fierce throughout with lots of wheel contact and bumping.
The large attendance in Canada was a welcome relief after the dismal attendance at Iowa
last week.
Simpson was the biggest mover of the race, having advanced from P13 to P3.
Santino Ferrucci had a big crash during the morning warmup session and missed the race
due to heavy damage as well as injuries.
Colton Herta was on pole.
The race got off to a trouble free start. After just 2 laps, four cars pit to get off the soft
tires - Marcus Ericsson (p6), Pato O'Ward (p9), Nolan Siegel (p11) and Scott
McLaughlin (p12).
Team Penske did not get the left rear wheel nut tightened down during McLaughlin's pit
stop. Once on track, it came off, then his wheel fell off and he was sent into the wall,
bringing out the first caution.
9 cars, including the top 3 (Herta, Marcus Armstrong, Kyle Kirkwood) used the caution to
pit and put on the harder tires. Rinus VeeKay stayed out on the soft tires and moved into
P2. Behind him were Louis Foster and Kyffin Simpson who also stayed out.
On the restart, Alex Palou led. He had started on hard tires and would not pit until lap 41,
still in the lead, under the 4th caution.
On Lap 13, VeeKay's tires were toast and he had to pit. A lap later, Will Power bumped
Christian Rasmussen, sending him into the wall and brining out the 2nd caution. VeeKay
fell back to P20 for the restart.
On Lap 30, Alex Rossi brushed the wall at a point where a concrete barrier was misaligned
a tad, and it ripped his right rear off, creating a lot of debris and putting him out of the race.
O'Ward had been charging through the field and had climbed to P9. He dove into the pits
right before the yellow light and was able to pit while the other cars slowed for the caution.
IndyCar waited until the mess was cleaned up before opening the pits finally on lap 34. As
Kirkwood was entering the pits, he was spun around by Armstrong, who then received a
drive-through penalty for avoidable contact. Kirkwood ended up at the end of the field.
All 3 Ganassi cars stayed out as they attempted to make it a 2-stop race. VeeKay also
stayed out and all four cars led at the restart with O'Ward in P7.
No sooner had the race returned to green, when Jacob Abel crashed. David Malukas and
Louis Foster made an inside pass on Abel as they entered turn 1 and Abel was forced
wide and into the wall. Josef Newgarden had no where to go and hit his right rear tire,
lifting Abel's car up and on top of him. Both drivers were out of the race. The crash
stopped three cars on the course - Siegel did not appear to hit anything, but Callum Ilott
tapped Devlin DeFancesco, spinning him around. All three cars were able to continue as
the course went yellow for the 4th time.
Palou and Dixon took the opportunity to make their first pit stop and taking on soft tires, and
were now in P16 & P17 at the restart, as VeeKay became the leader. O'Ward then passed
Will Power for 4th. As Power tried to get back around a few turns later, contact was made
with O'Ward and Power came to a stop into the wall. He was able to reverse and keep
going, so there was no full-course yellow, but now Power was at the end of the field.
O'Ward then passed Conor Daly and Simpson to take over 2nd place while Foster
damaged a wheel against the wall, which eventually led to his exit from the race about 20
laps later as he ran around a lap down.
Palou had worked his way up to P11, and then pit on Lap 54 to take on hard tires. Dixon
then followed suit. Both Ganassis were to make it to the end with just 2 pit stops.
On Lap 58, Veekay made his 2nd and final pit stop from the lead. OWard soon pit for the
3rd time and he made it out in front of VeeKay.
After Ericsson and Herta pit, O'Ward became the new leader, followed by VeeKay.
Several laps later, Malukas pit and Simpson took over 3rd.
O'Ward, VeeKay and Simpson led for the next 10 laps, when, with 3 laps left to go, Siegel
and Felix Rosenqvist wrecked and the race finished under yellow.
The Andretti cars just missed the podium, Power was the only Penske car to finish - P11,
splitting the Ganassi cars of Dixon and Palou.
There was a lot of 3-wide racing over the bumpy street course which featured a speed
bump. The racing was fierce throughout with lots of wheel contact and bumping.
The large attendance in Canada was a welcome relief after the dismal attendance at Iowa
last week.
Simpson was the biggest mover of the race, having advanced from P13 to P3.
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
| Pato O'Ward Winner |
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
There were many offs during Friday practice. Devlin DeFrancesco and Alex Rossi only had 9
& 10 laps of practice respectively. On Saturday, practice was cancelled due to rain, so those
driver's performance in qualifying were not good.
The softer red tires were favored for the race.
Alex Palou started on pole.
On the first lap. Conor Daly and Robert Shwartzman ran off course into the gravel, but got
out. Seconds later, Kyffin Simpson plowed into the back of Felix Rosenqvist, sending him off
into the tires while sending himself into the wall and then into the tires. Rosenqvist was able to
get his car repaired and return, but Simpson was out.
After the restart, Jaob Abel went off into the tire barrier, ending his race. It appeared a stuck
throttle caused the accident.
On Lap 25, Rinus VeeKay went off into the gravel at Turn 3, but was able to get out. A few
laps later, Kyle Kirkwood punted VeeKay off track bringing out a caution. VeeKay lost a few
laps in the pits and Kirkwood got a drive-through penalty for avoidable contact.
After the restart, Nolan Siegel and Palou pulled away in the lead. Palou passed Siegel on Lap
37.
By Lap 52, Christian Lundgaard and Colton Herta ran behind Palou, the leader. That order
would be maintained and those drivers would finish on the podium.
A scary minute happened when Marcus Ericsson spun and came to a stop on the track at Turn 6
and IndyCar did not call a full course yellow. Numerous cars zipped by the stranded driver, who
could have easily gotten t-boned. Eventually the caution came out. Once back in the pits, it was
determined Ericsson's skid plate was bent during his off road excursion and he was now out of
the race, with 15 laps left.
Another caution came out after Santino Ferrucci spun while going through the corkscrew and
ended up stuck in the gravel.
With 3 laps left, the race restarted and Pato O'Ward was able to pass Scott Dixon for 4th
place when Dixon made a mistake and ran too deep.
Palou had a fast car and dominated the race. He was ahead of Lundgaard by 3.9 seconds
on the last lap. This was Palou's 8th win of the year.
Callum Ilott was the biggest mover of the race, starting 24th and finishing 6th.
& 10 laps of practice respectively. On Saturday, practice was cancelled due to rain, so those
driver's performance in qualifying were not good.
The softer red tires were favored for the race.
Alex Palou started on pole.
On the first lap. Conor Daly and Robert Shwartzman ran off course into the gravel, but got
out. Seconds later, Kyffin Simpson plowed into the back of Felix Rosenqvist, sending him off
into the tires while sending himself into the wall and then into the tires. Rosenqvist was able to
get his car repaired and return, but Simpson was out.
After the restart, Jaob Abel went off into the tire barrier, ending his race. It appeared a stuck
throttle caused the accident.
On Lap 25, Rinus VeeKay went off into the gravel at Turn 3, but was able to get out. A few
laps later, Kyle Kirkwood punted VeeKay off track bringing out a caution. VeeKay lost a few
laps in the pits and Kirkwood got a drive-through penalty for avoidable contact.
After the restart, Nolan Siegel and Palou pulled away in the lead. Palou passed Siegel on Lap
37.
By Lap 52, Christian Lundgaard and Colton Herta ran behind Palou, the leader. That order
would be maintained and those drivers would finish on the podium.
A scary minute happened when Marcus Ericsson spun and came to a stop on the track at Turn 6
and IndyCar did not call a full course yellow. Numerous cars zipped by the stranded driver, who
could have easily gotten t-boned. Eventually the caution came out. Once back in the pits, it was
determined Ericsson's skid plate was bent during his off road excursion and he was now out of
the race, with 15 laps left.
Another caution came out after Santino Ferrucci spun while going through the corkscrew and
ended up stuck in the gravel.
With 3 laps left, the race restarted and Pato O'Ward was able to pass Scott Dixon for 4th
place when Dixon made a mistake and ran too deep.
Palou had a fast car and dominated the race. He was ahead of Lundgaard by 3.9 seconds
on the last lap. This was Palou's 8th win of the year.
Callum Ilott was the biggest mover of the race, starting 24th and finishing 6th.
| Alex Palou Winner |
It was a sunny hot day and the temperature rose above 90 degrees.
Christian Lundgaard appeared to have the fastest car in practice and qualifying. However,
he started 7th on the grid because of a 6-place grid penalty due to an engine swap. Drivers
Josef Newgarden, Santino Ferrucci and Kyffin Simpson also received that penalty.
On Lap 3 of the race, Ferrucci was near the back of the field. He lost the back end of his
car as he came out of turn 12, spun and hit the concrete pit wall with the rear of his car. He
walked away unscathed, but his race was over.
The six drivers at the back pit to switch to the preferred soft tires during that caution.
On the restart, Simpson hit Louis Foster, causing both Foster and Rinus VeeKay to spin,
but they quickly got back going in the right direction. None the less, the yellow came out and
a few more drivers at the back pit. Simpson was penalized for having caused it.
A couple laps after the restart, Christian Rasmussen had fallen back from P12 to P15 while
Conor Daly had advanced from P18 to P16. Daly tried to pass Rassmussen on the outside
of turn 7 and Rasmussen went so wide that he not only drove Daly off track and into the dirt,
he himself went off! Daly was mad.
On the next lap (14), Daly speared Rasmussen at the apex of turn 2 in retaliation.
Rasmussen wiggled, but kept ahead of Daly.
Racing down the back straight and into turn 10, Daly was half-a-length ahead of Rassmussen.
He cut the corner forcing Rasmussen off. After returning to the track, the two appeared to
come together between turns 10 and 11. Daly spun and flew off the track at around 150
mph. He skimmed across the grass and hit the tire barrier with the left side of his car. The
heavy impact tossed the car back and into the air. Daly was lucky he was not injured.
IndyCar did not penalize either driver. Daly was out and Rasmussen went on to finish 15th.
Christian Lundgaard appeared to have the fastest car in practice and qualifying. However,
he started 7th on the grid because of a 6-place grid penalty due to an engine swap. Drivers
Josef Newgarden, Santino Ferrucci and Kyffin Simpson also received that penalty.
On Lap 3 of the race, Ferrucci was near the back of the field. He lost the back end of his
car as he came out of turn 12, spun and hit the concrete pit wall with the rear of his car. He
walked away unscathed, but his race was over.
The six drivers at the back pit to switch to the preferred soft tires during that caution.
On the restart, Simpson hit Louis Foster, causing both Foster and Rinus VeeKay to spin,
but they quickly got back going in the right direction. None the less, the yellow came out and
a few more drivers at the back pit. Simpson was penalized for having caused it.
A couple laps after the restart, Christian Rasmussen had fallen back from P12 to P15 while
Conor Daly had advanced from P18 to P16. Daly tried to pass Rassmussen on the outside
of turn 7 and Rasmussen went so wide that he not only drove Daly off track and into the dirt,
he himself went off! Daly was mad.
On the next lap (14), Daly speared Rasmussen at the apex of turn 2 in retaliation.
Rasmussen wiggled, but kept ahead of Daly.
Racing down the back straight and into turn 10, Daly was half-a-length ahead of Rassmussen.
He cut the corner forcing Rasmussen off. After returning to the track, the two appeared to
come together between turns 10 and 11. Daly spun and flew off the track at around 150
mph. He skimmed across the grass and hit the tire barrier with the left side of his car. The
heavy impact tossed the car back and into the air. Daly was lucky he was not injured.
IndyCar did not penalize either driver. Daly was out and Rasmussen went on to finish 15th.
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
| Will Power Won |
| Alex Palou and Chip Ganassi Racing Clinched IndyCar Championship |
| Christian Rasmussen Winner |
Alex Palou won the pole.
Race day was cloudy and 70 degrees.
Scott Dixon, Kyffin Simpson and Louis Foster each received a 9-place grid penalty due to
an unapproved engine swap.
On the first lap, Conor Daly went high and passed four cars, moving into 4th, before Nolan
Siegel crashed in turn 2, bringing out the first caution.
Another caution came out prematurely on the restart because Graham Rahal lost power and
began to spin, but he recovered and kept going.
On the next restart, Lap 16, David Malukas passed Palou for the lead. Scott McLaughlin,
Daly and Pato O'Ward rounded out the top 5.
After the first round of pit stops, around Lap 57, McLaughlin got out in front of Malukas. He
was followed by Alex Rossi, Will Power, OWard and Christian Lundgaard.
The next set of green-flag pit stops happened around lap 100-104. Malukas had problems in
the pits and he fell a lap down to Palou, who regained the lead.
On Lap 141, Will Power got too high and ended up hitting the wall twice and bringing out
another caution. This gave the track cleaners a chance to open the high lines again and
everyone took the opportunity to pit. Everyone except Marcus Ericsson. Meyer Shank
Racing made the strange decision to leave him out and when the race restarted, he quickly fell
from P1 to P17 due to his worn out tires. He lost 4 positions from where he'd been on lap 141.
Rasmussen, who had been running mid-pack all day, quickly moved up 6 positions to P8 after
the restart.
Palou was now being chased by McLaughlin, Newgarden, O'Ward and Rossi.
The race stayed green and the next set of pit stops happened around Lap 195. The leaders
were now Palou, McLaughlin, Newgarden, O'Ward, Rossi, Lundgaard and Rasmussen.
A few rain drops began to fall and the caution came out on lap 209. All the driver pit except
for the top 3. The caution was short
The race soon restarted and Rasmussen began slicing through the field, passing back
markers as well as the leaders.
Within 14 laps, he caught up with Palou and began running beside him on the outside. Palou
did not give up, but after a few turns, Rasmussen got by him and took the lead.
He kept racing hard, pulling away from Palou and was soon passing back markers. He went
high to pass Felix Rosenqvist, squeezing through a space that was only a few inches wider
than his car! His team had to be worrying at that point that his adrenaline-fueled charge was
risking his win. They radioed that he didn't need to pass any more cars and to just keep it
smooth. At one point, his car even twitched. He held on though and won his first IndyCar
race, beating Palou by 2 seconds.
The crowd went crazy!
Rasmussen has shown all year that he races on the ragged edge, has absolutely no fear and
somehow always makes it work. He takes no prisoners and has probably angered quite a
few drivers along the way, but he is probably the most exciting driver in the world to watch.
This is his 2nd year in Indycar. He's driven both seasons for Ed Carpenter Racing. Rossi,
his teammate, finished 4th.
Colton Herta was the biggest mover of the race, advancing from P24 to P11.
Race day was cloudy and 70 degrees.
Scott Dixon, Kyffin Simpson and Louis Foster each received a 9-place grid penalty due to
an unapproved engine swap.
On the first lap, Conor Daly went high and passed four cars, moving into 4th, before Nolan
Siegel crashed in turn 2, bringing out the first caution.
Another caution came out prematurely on the restart because Graham Rahal lost power and
began to spin, but he recovered and kept going.
On the next restart, Lap 16, David Malukas passed Palou for the lead. Scott McLaughlin,
Daly and Pato O'Ward rounded out the top 5.
After the first round of pit stops, around Lap 57, McLaughlin got out in front of Malukas. He
was followed by Alex Rossi, Will Power, OWard and Christian Lundgaard.
The next set of green-flag pit stops happened around lap 100-104. Malukas had problems in
the pits and he fell a lap down to Palou, who regained the lead.
On Lap 141, Will Power got too high and ended up hitting the wall twice and bringing out
another caution. This gave the track cleaners a chance to open the high lines again and
everyone took the opportunity to pit. Everyone except Marcus Ericsson. Meyer Shank
Racing made the strange decision to leave him out and when the race restarted, he quickly fell
from P1 to P17 due to his worn out tires. He lost 4 positions from where he'd been on lap 141.
Rasmussen, who had been running mid-pack all day, quickly moved up 6 positions to P8 after
the restart.
Palou was now being chased by McLaughlin, Newgarden, O'Ward and Rossi.
The race stayed green and the next set of pit stops happened around Lap 195. The leaders
were now Palou, McLaughlin, Newgarden, O'Ward, Rossi, Lundgaard and Rasmussen.
A few rain drops began to fall and the caution came out on lap 209. All the driver pit except
for the top 3. The caution was short
The race soon restarted and Rasmussen began slicing through the field, passing back
markers as well as the leaders.
Within 14 laps, he caught up with Palou and began running beside him on the outside. Palou
did not give up, but after a few turns, Rasmussen got by him and took the lead.
He kept racing hard, pulling away from Palou and was soon passing back markers. He went
high to pass Felix Rosenqvist, squeezing through a space that was only a few inches wider
than his car! His team had to be worrying at that point that his adrenaline-fueled charge was
risking his win. They radioed that he didn't need to pass any more cars and to just keep it
smooth. At one point, his car even twitched. He held on though and won his first IndyCar
race, beating Palou by 2 seconds.
The crowd went crazy!
Rasmussen has shown all year that he races on the ragged edge, has absolutely no fear and
somehow always makes it work. He takes no prisoners and has probably angered quite a
few drivers along the way, but he is probably the most exciting driver in the world to watch.
This is his 2nd year in Indycar. He's driven both seasons for Ed Carpenter Racing. Rossi,
his teammate, finished 4th.
Colton Herta was the biggest mover of the race, advancing from P24 to P11.
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
The only driver who had a mathematical chance of beating Alex Palou for the championship
was Pato O'Ward. O'Ward led the first 15 laps, 7 of which were under caution. After the restart on
lap 20, O'Ward suffered a mechanical malfunction which cost him a lot of time in the pits. He finished
10 laps down to the rest of the field at the end.
Meanwhile, Will Power took the lead.
Power finally took on primary tires on lap 61 and got out in front of Lundgaard. He was also
being chased by Palou, Graham Rahal and Alex Rossi.
Most drivers pit during laps 80-84, including Newgarden who was in P5. Upon re-entering the track,
he was hit by a hard-charging Scott Dixon. Newgarden spun and was able to continue, but was now
at the back of the field. Dixon was penalized for the hit.
Lundgaard and Palou fought fiercely with each other as they chased Power for the lead, but
Power was able to hold on and win his 1st race of 2025, which was also Team Penske's first
win of the season.
Palou clinched the championship. This is his 4th championship as well as his 3rd in a row!
Rahal was the biggest mover of the race, improving from 22nd to 4th.
was Pato O'Ward. O'Ward led the first 15 laps, 7 of which were under caution. After the restart on
lap 20, O'Ward suffered a mechanical malfunction which cost him a lot of time in the pits. He finished
10 laps down to the rest of the field at the end.
Meanwhile, Will Power took the lead.
Power finally took on primary tires on lap 61 and got out in front of Lundgaard. He was also
being chased by Palou, Graham Rahal and Alex Rossi.
Most drivers pit during laps 80-84, including Newgarden who was in P5. Upon re-entering the track,
he was hit by a hard-charging Scott Dixon. Newgarden spun and was able to continue, but was now
at the back of the field. Dixon was penalized for the hit.
Lundgaard and Palou fought fiercely with each other as they chased Power for the lead, but
Power was able to hold on and win his 1st race of 2025, which was also Team Penske's first
win of the season.
Palou clinched the championship. This is his 4th championship as well as his 3rd in a row!
Rahal was the biggest mover of the race, improving from 22nd to 4th.
Race day weather was 84-88 degrees, partly cloudy.
Christian Rasmussen, Nolan Siegel and Callum Ilott had a 9-spot grid penalty for unapproved
engine change.
All the drivers started the race on the primary tires except for Alex Rossi and Rinus VeeKay. In
an unusual twist for an oval race, the drivers had to use the softer alternate tires twice during the
race.
Pato O'Ward was on pole.
On the first lap, Rasmussen, who had started near the back, spun when his rear stepped out and
he hit the wall, ending his race and bringing out the first caution. Felix Rosenqvist had to restart
from the rear for jumping the start.
The race restarted on Lap 9. Scott McLaughlin jumped into 3rd place. Palou caught O'Ward
and tried to pass him on the outside. They ran lap after lap, side by side, until Lap 19, when Palou
had to give up!
Still chasing after O'Ward, Palou had a front tire going down. He felt it and slowed down, luckily in
time to turn into the pit lane. The tire came apart but he made it to his pit box and was quickly
away again, and ended up in P25.
On Lap 57, OWard pit and was soon joined by the rest of the field, most switching to the red tires.
Surprisingly, Palou ended up in P3. O'Ward led, followed by David Malukas.
On Lap 82, Louis Foster jerked to the right as Malukas was preparing to pass him. They ended
up making contact and Malukas spun and hit the wall. He was slow getting from the car and was
taken away to a hospital on a helicopter. Foster received a blocking penalty and had to do a drive-
through once the race went back to green.
Santino Ferrucci, who was in 5th when the caution came out, received a penalty for improper pit
entry (he slowed and allowed 3 cars to go by him before entering the pit lane) and had to restart
at the back of the field in P24.
The sweeper trucks came out during the caution to clean the track.
McLaughlin came out ahead of Palou and moved into P2, still behind O'Ward.
The race went back to green on Lap 101. Within a few laps Colton Herta, Palou and Josef
Newgarden passed McLaughlin. Then Will Power went on a tear and by Lap 115 had moved into
2nd!
Christian Lundgaard had been running in 10th, when a mechanical problem took him out on lap
124.
Two laps later, his McLaren teammate and leader of the race, O'Ward, suffered a front tire failure
which sent him into the wall, ending his race and bringing out another caution. O'Ward had led for
116 laps.
Most drivers pit and switched back to the primary tires during the caution. Power slid and overshot
his pit box a bit. He stalled the car which cost him more time and he did not make it back out on
track before the pace car and lost a lap! He wound up back in 20th. Then he received a drive-
through penalty for hitting his equipment. From what could have been a podium finish, Power
ended up 3 laps down at the end.
Herta also received a drive-through penalty for unsafe release from his pit box when he nearly hit
Jacob Abel as he tried to enter his pit box. That penalty sent him from P3 to P17, dashing his
podium hopes as well.
The race restarted on Lap 140. Rossi had stayed out and was now in the lead.
Palou was soon passed by Marcus Armstrong, Conor Daly, and Kyle Kirkwood and fell back to
P7. Meanwhile, Newgarden got by Rossi for the lead. Rossi held on to 2nd for ten laps, even
though his tires had 34 more laps on them, but by Lap 157 he had to pit, going a lap down.
Palou made his final pit stop on Lap 182. Newgarden pit on Lap 187 and McLaughlin pit on Lap
190. Both drivers came out behind Palou who was now the new race leader. Newgarden was
behind McLaughlin who had red tires, and was unable to pass him. Palou was slowed up by
Siegel and the two Penskes caught and then passed him! They had no trouble with the back-
markers and pulled out their lead over Palou.
On Lap 205, Newgarden went high and grazed the wall with his right rear tire. The caution came
out immediately, but Newgarden had passed McLaughlin! Newgarden regained control of his car
and crossed his fingers that his car was not damaged.
IndyCar reordered the field so that the backmarkers were out of the way when the race restartred
on Lap 214. Palou ducked inside McLaughlin and took P2! Then Kyffin Simpson tried to pass
McLaughlin on the inside. They went round and round side by side! On Lap 221, Simpson got by
him for 3rd place!
Meanwhile, Robert Shwartzman received a drive-through penalty for blocking Ferrucci.
As Palou tried to chase down Newgarden, McLaughlin was once again running side by side with
Simpson. As they crossed the finish line, McLaughlin was ahead and denied Simpson his first
podium.
Newgarden won his first race of the season. He resides in Nashville, so it is his "home track." He
stopped his car on track by the finish line and ran into the stands, like he has done after winning
the Indy 500. Meanwhile, Palou did donuts in the dirt to celebrate his championship.
It was an exciting race with twists and turns in the drama. While some drivers came away
heartbroken, it was nice to see Newgarden finally get a break in a season where he suffered a lot
of misfortune.
Foster and Shwartzman were battling for "Rookie of the Year" honors today. Both made
mistakes, and Foster ended up coming away with it.
The Biggest Mover of the race was Conor Daly, who drove from P24 to finish P5.
Christian Rasmussen, Nolan Siegel and Callum Ilott had a 9-spot grid penalty for unapproved
engine change.
All the drivers started the race on the primary tires except for Alex Rossi and Rinus VeeKay. In
an unusual twist for an oval race, the drivers had to use the softer alternate tires twice during the
race.
Pato O'Ward was on pole.
On the first lap, Rasmussen, who had started near the back, spun when his rear stepped out and
he hit the wall, ending his race and bringing out the first caution. Felix Rosenqvist had to restart
from the rear for jumping the start.
The race restarted on Lap 9. Scott McLaughlin jumped into 3rd place. Palou caught O'Ward
and tried to pass him on the outside. They ran lap after lap, side by side, until Lap 19, when Palou
had to give up!
Still chasing after O'Ward, Palou had a front tire going down. He felt it and slowed down, luckily in
time to turn into the pit lane. The tire came apart but he made it to his pit box and was quickly
away again, and ended up in P25.
On Lap 57, OWard pit and was soon joined by the rest of the field, most switching to the red tires.
Surprisingly, Palou ended up in P3. O'Ward led, followed by David Malukas.
On Lap 82, Louis Foster jerked to the right as Malukas was preparing to pass him. They ended
up making contact and Malukas spun and hit the wall. He was slow getting from the car and was
taken away to a hospital on a helicopter. Foster received a blocking penalty and had to do a drive-
through once the race went back to green.
Santino Ferrucci, who was in 5th when the caution came out, received a penalty for improper pit
entry (he slowed and allowed 3 cars to go by him before entering the pit lane) and had to restart
at the back of the field in P24.
The sweeper trucks came out during the caution to clean the track.
McLaughlin came out ahead of Palou and moved into P2, still behind O'Ward.
The race went back to green on Lap 101. Within a few laps Colton Herta, Palou and Josef
Newgarden passed McLaughlin. Then Will Power went on a tear and by Lap 115 had moved into
2nd!
Christian Lundgaard had been running in 10th, when a mechanical problem took him out on lap
124.
Two laps later, his McLaren teammate and leader of the race, O'Ward, suffered a front tire failure
which sent him into the wall, ending his race and bringing out another caution. O'Ward had led for
116 laps.
Most drivers pit and switched back to the primary tires during the caution. Power slid and overshot
his pit box a bit. He stalled the car which cost him more time and he did not make it back out on
track before the pace car and lost a lap! He wound up back in 20th. Then he received a drive-
through penalty for hitting his equipment. From what could have been a podium finish, Power
ended up 3 laps down at the end.
Herta also received a drive-through penalty for unsafe release from his pit box when he nearly hit
Jacob Abel as he tried to enter his pit box. That penalty sent him from P3 to P17, dashing his
podium hopes as well.
The race restarted on Lap 140. Rossi had stayed out and was now in the lead.
Palou was soon passed by Marcus Armstrong, Conor Daly, and Kyle Kirkwood and fell back to
P7. Meanwhile, Newgarden got by Rossi for the lead. Rossi held on to 2nd for ten laps, even
though his tires had 34 more laps on them, but by Lap 157 he had to pit, going a lap down.
Palou made his final pit stop on Lap 182. Newgarden pit on Lap 187 and McLaughlin pit on Lap
190. Both drivers came out behind Palou who was now the new race leader. Newgarden was
behind McLaughlin who had red tires, and was unable to pass him. Palou was slowed up by
Siegel and the two Penskes caught and then passed him! They had no trouble with the back-
markers and pulled out their lead over Palou.
On Lap 205, Newgarden went high and grazed the wall with his right rear tire. The caution came
out immediately, but Newgarden had passed McLaughlin! Newgarden regained control of his car
and crossed his fingers that his car was not damaged.
IndyCar reordered the field so that the backmarkers were out of the way when the race restartred
on Lap 214. Palou ducked inside McLaughlin and took P2! Then Kyffin Simpson tried to pass
McLaughlin on the inside. They went round and round side by side! On Lap 221, Simpson got by
him for 3rd place!
Meanwhile, Robert Shwartzman received a drive-through penalty for blocking Ferrucci.
As Palou tried to chase down Newgarden, McLaughlin was once again running side by side with
Simpson. As they crossed the finish line, McLaughlin was ahead and denied Simpson his first
podium.
Newgarden won his first race of the season. He resides in Nashville, so it is his "home track." He
stopped his car on track by the finish line and ran into the stands, like he has done after winning
the Indy 500. Meanwhile, Palou did donuts in the dirt to celebrate his championship.
It was an exciting race with twists and turns in the drama. While some drivers came away
heartbroken, it was nice to see Newgarden finally get a break in a season where he suffered a lot
of misfortune.
Foster and Shwartzman were battling for "Rookie of the Year" honors today. Both made
mistakes, and Foster ended up coming away with it.
The Biggest Mover of the race was Conor Daly, who drove from P24 to finish P5.
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
| Josef Newgarden Winner |
