Will Power outsmarted his teammates by waiting an extra lap to make his final stop and ended a 34-race winless streak by capturing the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America.
The two-time IndyCar champion came in from the lead on lap 44 under green and rejoined the track ahead of Josef Newgarden, who had pitted from first place a lap earlier. Scott McLaughlin had started Team Penske’s final pit cycle by retiring from second on lap 42.
It is the first 42nd career win for Power, but the first for the No. 12 Dallara-Chevrolet driver since the Grand Prix of Detroit on June 5, 2022 (the last race at Belle Isle Raceway).
“Finally you deserve it,” Power told his team on the radio after they beat Newgarden by 3.2609 seconds. “It feels great to finally win a race.”
Newgarden finished second, followed by McLaughlin, giving Team Penske a podium finish in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. It’s Penske’s first 1-2-3 finish since the 2017 season finale in Sonoma.
Each of the Penske trio has a win this season (over the last five races).
L36 — Newgarden passes McLaughlin for lead
Josef Newgarden took the lead back from teammate Scott McLaughlin on lap 36 of 55, and the two-time Indy 500 winner now looks to be in control of the XPEL Grand Prix.
McLaughlin had taken the lead on lap 35 when Colton Herta and Linus Lundqvist pitted. But the tires on his No. 3 Dallara-Chevrolet were fading, and Newgarden moved past the lead (with a friendly wave from his No. 2) just as lap 36 began.
With 16 laps remaining at Road America, Newgarden leads by 1.176 seconds over McLaughlin with Penske teammate Will Power in third, followed by Alex Palou and Kyle Kirkwood.
The Team Penske trio will each make one final pit stop, which will likely determine the winner of the race.
L32 — Penske in control at second pit stops
Beyond the midpoint of the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America, Scott McLaughlin appears to have the upper hand over teammate Josef Newgarden, while Team Penske’s third threat, Will Power, lurks just behind.
McLaughlin came from the lead on lap 30 of 55 on the 14-turn, 4.014-mile road course. Newgarden inherited first and pitted with Power on the next lap.
McLaughlin caught both and was able to weave through traffic to take third.
On lap 35, Colton Herta leads, followed by Linus Lundqvist, with both drivers coming out of the pits after an incident on the first lap.
McLaughlin is third, followed by Newgarden and Power.
Lap 25 — The race settles into a Penske rhythm
After an extremely choppy start, it looks like the XPEL Grand Prix will culminate in a Team Penske showdown.
Scott McLaughlin led the first fifteen laps in his No. 3 Dallara Chevrolet before pitting and handing the lead to Josef Newgarden, who appears to have maintained his pace despite starting in a backup No. 2.
After pitting a lap later, Newgarden rejoined the track just behind McLaughlin.
The teammates are tied 1-2 on lap 25 of 55 after the first round of pit stops, while Penske’s third driver, Will Power, is in third place.
McLaughlin, who is looking for his first win in over a year, has a comfortable lead of 3.5 seconds over Newgarden.
Round 10 — Dirty driving
If you’re looking for a shining beacon of exemplary race car driving, the NTT IndyCar Series may not be the place for you lately.
It wasn’t until the 10th round of the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America on Sunday that the series completed a full lap under green.
The start was marred when polesitter Linus Lundqvist was knocked out of the lead by Marcus Armstrong in an incident that also involved Colton Herta.
Shortly after a restart on lap 4, the yellow flew again due to debris from Herta’s car after contact with Lundqvist again.
And after a restart two laps later, the caution soon came out again for Kyffin Simpson, who ended up in the Turn 14 wall after colliding with Christian Rasmussen.
Although no action was taken at the start, the IndyCar stewards penalized Rasmussen with a stop and go for avoidable contact.
In an interview with Georgia Henneberry of NBC Sports, Simpson attributed it to a racing incident he was in
trying to keep drivers off better tires.
“Just a shame; we had a pretty good race up to that point,” said Simpson. “We were able to get ahead at the start. Everyone behind me was very fast on the red tires. It was difficult to stay in front on the restarts. We fought hard.
“I was just fighting hard with Ras. Things happen in racing. He thought I was going to do something, but I didn’t, and in the end that caused that.”
In a separate incident, Sting Ray Robb was ordered to give up seven positions due to avoidable contact with Felix Rosenqvist.
The penalties and rough driving came in the aftermath of a Detroit Grand Prix, which was marred by more than 40 percent of the race being held under caution.
Lap 1: Lundqvist is taken from the lead by teammate
The XPEL Grand Prix at Road America picked up where last Sunday’s chaotic Detroit Grand Prix left off and began with team violence at Chip Ganassi Racing.
Pole sitter Linus Lundqvist was kicked by teammate Marcus Armstrong entering the first corner. As the Ganassi drivers spun, Colton Herta was also involved in the incident.
Herta, who NBC Sports’ Marty Snider had reported as a paddock favorite before the race, had to pit. He restarts from the back after the second qualifying.
After three laps of full caution, the race resumed on lap 4 with Scott McLaughlin in the lead ahead of Kyle Kirkwood, Alexander Rossi, Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon.
But the yellow immediately flew again when Herta’s No. 26 Dallara-Honda was hit by Lundqvist, leaving debris on the track after going over a curb.
After a restart on lap 6, the yellow flag flew again for Ganassi rookie Kyffin Simpson’s spin in the Turn 14 barrier. Simpson appeared to be forced off course by Ed Carpenter Racing rookie Christian Rasmussen.
It was not the start Chip Ganassi Racing was hoping for.
Linus Lundqvist and Marcus Armstrong spun on lap 1.
Kyffin Simpson crashed on lap 7. pic.twitter.com/Q2dd7E4Rxu— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) June 9, 2024
Prerace storylines
After a historic start Sunday at Road America, the NTT IndyCar Series takes center stage at the historic road course in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Chip Ganassi Racing rookie Linus Lundqvist will lead the field to the green flag at the XPEL Grand Prix for the first time in his IndyCar career. Colton Herta, who has been identified as the favorite for the race, will start second in search of his first win since 2022.
After a huge crash in qualifyingJosef Newgarden starts fifth in a spare car. The two-time Indy 500 champion was fine after suffering an impact he told NBC Sports freelancer Bruce Martin registered at 95 Gs.
You can watch the race on NBC and Peacock and follow along here for live updates.
Nolan Siegel replaces Agustin Canapino at IndyCar Road America after online abuse incident
The move comes after Arrow McLaren’s Theo Pourchaire reportedly received death threats following an incident with Canapino in Detroit.
It’s already been a news week in IndyCar, with David Malukas announced as Tom Blomqvist’s replacement in Meyer Shank Racing’s No. 66, and Nolan Siegel replacing Agustin Canapino in Juncos Hollinger Racing’s No. 78 at Road America.
Sunday afternoon was already eventful on the 14-turn, 4.014-mile road course.
In the Indy NXT warm-up event, Jamie Chadwick became the first woman to win on a road course in the history of the series, leading all twenty laps from pole position.
Jamie Chadwick is the first woman to win on the Indy NXT road course, leading every lap from pole at Road America
The England native held off challenges from Louis Foster and Jacob Abel for her first career victory in the series.
