Josef Newgarden claimed his fifth victory in the IndyCar race at WWT Raceway at Gateway. Despite an earlier spin, the American driver emerged ahead of teammate Scott McLaughlin after a late pit stop and held onto the lead until the finish. McLaughlin finished second, with a surprising Linus Lundqvist taking third.

Polesitter Scott McLaughlin managed to hold onto the lead at the start, while fourth-place starter Newgarden quickly worked his way up to second position within the first two laps.

The field navigated the opening laps without incident, but after eight laps, the caution flag waved for the first time. Toward the back of the pack, Katherine Legge made a move on Ed Carpenter in Turn 1, but the two gave each other insufficient room and made contact. Although the damage to both cars was minimal, it marked the end of the race for Legge.

Four laps after the restart, Rinus VeeKay got loose coming out of Turn 2, forcing the drivers behind him to lift off the throttle. Kyle Kirkwood then clipped the rear of Conor Daly’s car, causing Daly to spin. Kirkwood was subsequently hit by Romain Grosjean. Kirkwood had to return to the pits for extensive repairs, while Grosjean only needed a new front wing.

Shortly before this caution, David Malukas had taken the lead from McLaughlin, who in turn had to surrender positions to both Malukas and Will Power on lap 16. Malukas didn’t hold the lead for long; after the second restart, Power overtook him.

On lap 42, Pato O’Ward’s race came to an abrupt end – despite hoping to revive his championship hopes at Gateway. A leak led to issues with his Chevrolet engine, forcing him to retire early.

The third caution followed on lap 86 after Kyffin Simpson crashed on his own in Turn 4. This yellow flag presented drivers like Marcus Ericsson, Santino Ferrucci, Scott Dixon, Rinus VeeKay, Nolan Siegel, and Linus Lundqvist the opportunity to employ an alternative pit strategy by making an early second pit stop. The leaders chose to stay out and did not pit.

A long green flag period followed without additional cautions, during which McLaughlin passed Malukas for second place. However, McLaughlin lacked the speed to challenge the leading Power. Midway through the race, the lead shifted to drivers on the alternative strategy, with Ericsson initially leading before being passed by Dixon.

Newgarden had been running a relatively quiet race in fourth place until a quick third pit stop allowed him to overtake Malukas and move up to third. McLaughlin stayed out for an extra lap and emerged ahead of Power. Dixon’s hopes of winning via an alternative pit strategy were dashed by issues during his fourth pit stop.

The extended green flag run ended on lap 196 when Newgarden lost control of his car exiting Turn 2 and spun. This incident dropped the 33-year-old driver back to fourth place, while Malukas moved up to third. During this caution, McLaughlin and Newgarden pitted, while Power and Malukas stayed out.

The pit stops for Newgarden and McLaughlin proved to be a masterstroke. While they could continue running without another stop, rivals like Power and Malukas had to make their final pit stop under green, falling a lap down as a result. Once all pit stops were completed, the leading McLaughlin and Newgarden had a full lap advantage over the rest of the field!

Meanwhile, Herta charged his way through the pack to take third place, while behind him, Malukas launched an attack on Power for fourth. However, this ended in heartbreak on lap 240 when Malukas made a move in Turn 1 and lightly tapped Power. The contact was minimal, allowing Power to continue without issue, but Malukas spun and crashed into the wall after a strong run.

With McLaughlin and Newgarden holding a one-lap lead over the rest of the field, they were able to make a “free” pit stop during the subsequent caution. Newgarden’s crew delivered a flawless stop, putting him in the lead.

The restart with eight laps remaining was chaotic. As drivers prepared for the green flag, Newgarden slowed down unexpectedly. Alexander Rossi, running fifth, was caught off guard, collided with Power’s car, and briefly went airborne. Power then spun into the wall, collecting Grosjean’s car in the process. Further back, Jack Harvey also crashed, bringing out the red flag.

Once the mess was cleared, the race resumed. Newgarden successfully held off McLaughlin to secure his fifth victory at WWT Raceway at Gateway. Lundqvist passed Herta in the closing laps to take third place.

Alex Palou had the best outcome in terms of the championship. The Ganassi Racing driver finished fifth, which became fourth after Herta was penalized for blocking Palou in the final laps. With this fourth-place finish and his rivals failing to score significant points, Palou extended his championship lead to 59 points!

Full results of the race on Gateway