Kiwi Scott McLaughlin followed home teammates Will Power and Josef Newgarden for a Penske podium sweep in this morning’s IndyCar Grand Prix of Road America.
Scott Dixon ran amongst the front runners until an issue with his left-rear tyre mid-race saw him tumble down the order and eventually finish 21st.
Marcus Armstrong, who had qualified third, was involved in a Lap 1 incident that dropped him to the rear of the field with damage. He was also awarded a drive-through penalty for avoidable contact and retired from the race on Lap 35.
Australia’s Will Power powered to a 3.26-second victory over Newgarden, having sat third at the final round of pit stops but running long for an effective overcut.
McLaughlin led a race-high 18 laps on his way to third.
While Penske dominated at the front, Chip Ganassi Racing’s fortunes contrasted. Only Alex Palou finished in the top ten after Armstrong, Dixon, Linus Lundqvist, and Kyffin Simpson all faced issues during the race.
Surprise pole-sitter Lundqvist led the field to green with Armstrong directly behind and Colton Herta alongside, but contact from the Kiwi at Turn 1 sent his leading teammate into a spin. Newgarden also turned Herta as he braked to avoid the incident.
Several trailing drivers were caught up in the incident, either spinning or taking to the grass to avoid the three fastest qualifiers, who were all left facing the wrong way.
Kyle Kirkwood ran the outside line to take the lead, while McLaughlin followed his line to take second.
Strategy was split behind the Safety Car, with the likes of Pato O’Ward, Graham Rahal, and Nolan Siegel switching from alternate tyres to primaries under the caution.
McLaughlin got a good draft off Kirkwood on the Lap 4 restart and took the lead at Turn 1 before a second caution was required for debris on the circuit, which came from Herta’s Honda after he violently climbed a kerb.
Herta’s tough day continued, as he was also then tagged by Lundqvist into a spin.
Christian Rasmussen and Simpson then came together on Lap 7, with the CGR entry tagged into a spin before sliding into the concrete barriers, triggering the race’s third period of caution.
A rhythm was finally established following the Lap 10 restart, and McLaughlin pulled to a 2.3-second lead over Kirkwood over the following laps.
The Kiwi stopped on Lap 17, four seconds to the good of the field, with Newgarden inheriting the lead.
Once the opening round of stops was completed for the leaders, McLaughlin cycled back to the net lead from Newgarden, Power, Dixon and Palou, who ran a lap longer than his rivals.
Palou passed Dixon on Lap 21 before the six-time champion began dropping down the order with issues with his left rear tyre.
McLaughlin continued to build an advantage up front and led by over three seconds when he came in for his second stop on Lap 31 to switch to alternates. Power and Newgarden followed one tour later, with the former also taking alternates but the latter remaining on the harder primary compound, having used alternates earlier in the race.
McLaughlin returned ahead of his teammates as they exited pit lane, while Palou again ran long and retained fourth but some seven seconds behind the Penske trio.
Newgarden went on to take the lead on Lap 36, with his different tyre compound being the difference.
McLaughlin stopped for the final time on Lap 43, and Newgarden followed one tour later, returning to the track over three seconds clear of the Kiwi. Power, meanwhile, remained out until Lap 45 and ran a quick in-lap to take the lead with a successful overcut on both teammates.
Power was unchallenged from here, pulling clear to a 3.2-second win over Newgarden, with McLaughlin a further 4.8 seconds in arrears in third.
Palou was fourth, ahead of Kirkwood, Herta, Romain Grosjean, O’Ward, Marcus Ericsson and Rahal.
Power’s victory elevates him to the championship lead with a five-point advantage over Palou. Dixon drops to third, but he is only 11 points behind the Australian.
McLaughlin is fifth, and Armstrong is 14th.
IndyCar returns for the Grand Prix of Monterey at Laguna Seca on June 23.
Header Image: Penske Entertainment: Joe Skibinski
