Newgarden Triumphs Over McLaughlin in Penske Top-Two Finish at IndyCar Iowa

In the 250-lap race, Newgarden secured his position as the frontrunner just past the midpoint, skilfully overtaking his Penske counterparts Scott McLaughlin and pole-sitter Will Power. This critical manoeuvre was pivotal in Newgarden’s race, helping him retain the leading position for his first victory since the Indy 500 in May and continuing his unbeaten run on ovals this year.

The race began with Power leading McLaughlin and Newgarden, followed by Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing) in fourth. Fifth place was fiercely contested between Colton Herta (Andretti Autosport) and Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren), with O’Ward seizing the spot by the third lap.

Throughout the race, Dixon and Herta seemed to struggle with their tyres. Herta was forced to make his first pitstop on lap 41 due to this issue and a problem with his right-front wheelnut that cost him four laps.

At the one-fifth mark of the race, Power maintained a slight lead over McLaughlin, with Newgarden trailing by 2s. O’Ward was the first leader to pit on lap 58, with Power, McLaughlin, and Newgarden making their stops a few laps later.

Newgarden boldly seized the lead from Power on lap 121, right before the second round of pitstops. Power’s subsequent struggles resulted in Newgarden establishing a significant lead. When the first caution of the race occurred, it brought a reprieve for drivers like Ericsson and Kyle Kirkwood (Andretti), who managed to gain ground.

After the race restarted, Newgarden extended his lead to 7s over McLaughlin. As the race concluded, despite a few last-minute scares, Newgarden held on to his lead, eventually lapping every driver up to fifth place.

O’Ward ended the race in a solid third position, followed by Ericsson, Power, and Dixon. Alex Palou, the current points leader, finished eighth.

Final Standings:

1. Josef Newgarden – Team Penske – 1:33’40.4758
2. Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske – +3.3755
3. Patricio O’Ward – Arrow McLaren – +9.6072
4. Marcus Ericsson – Chip Ganassi Racing – +14.6385
5. Will Power – Team Penske – +22.4025
6. Scott Dixon – Chip Ganassi Racing – +1 Lap
7. Kyle Kirkwood – Andretti Autosport – +1 Lap
8. Alex Palou – Chip Ganassi Racing – +1 Lap
   [… See full results]

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More about IndyCar Iowa Victory

• Official IndyCar Website
• Team Penske Official Website
• Josef Newgarden’s Career Stats
• Race Recap on Motorsport.com
• Scott McLaughlin’s Career Stats
• Patricio O’Ward’s Career Stats