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Will Power, Gateway

By the Numbers: The Bommarito Automotive Group 500

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The Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at WWT Raceway (Gateway) was a spectacular race that remained exciting all the way to the finish. The race featured slightly more on-track passes for position than last year, with Kyle Kirkwood winning by making his final pit stop four laps earlier, gaining nearly three seconds. What else stood out? Let’s look back at the race weekend through the numbers!

700 - Will Power’s pole position marked the 700th in the history of Team Penske, across all racing series the team has competed in.

263 - During the race, just over one pass for position per lap was recorded: 263 total (in 260 laps). That’s slightly more than last year’s 254.

73 - With Alex Palou finishing a disappointing eighth and both Pato O'Ward and Kyle Kirkwood scoring points, Palou’s championship lead shrinks to 73 points over O’Ward and 75 over Kirkwood.

71 - Will Power secured his 71st career pole position on Saturday, further extending his all-time record.

55 - Christian Rasmussen’s third-place finish marked the first podium for Ed Carpenter Racing in 55 races. The last podium came at Barber Motorsports Park in 2022, with Rinus VeeKay.

31 - Will Power took his first pole position since the Sunday race at Iowa Speedway in 2023 — 31 races ago.

22 - With an incredible gain of 22 positions, Christian Rasmussen earned the award for most positions gained. The Dane started a seemingly hopeless 25th and finished third.

19 - Team Penske was strong in qualifying with positions one, two, and five, but the poor race results continued: Will Power crashed, apparently due to a puncture, Josef Newgarden collided with a spinning Louis Foster and Scott McLaughlin retired early with what appeared to be a suspension issue. None of the Penske drivers finished. They earned 19 points collectively, with 15 being the minimum total.

18 - With a 10th-place finish, Robert Shwartzman extended his lead in the Rookie of the Year standings to 18 points over direct rival Louis Foster.

14 - Just over half the field led at least one lap. In total, 14 drivers led laps: David Malukas (67 laps), Scott McLaughlin (51), Scott Dixon (43), Conor Daly (36), Josef Newgarden (25), Kyle Kirkwood (8), Santino Ferrucci (8), Callum Ilott (5), Felix Rosenqvist (3), Alexander Rossi (2), Marcus Ericsson (2), Christian Rasmussen (1), and Rinus VeeKay (1).

10 - By finishing 10th, Robert Shwartzman not only scored his first-ever top-ten finish, but also secured Prema’s first top-ten result.

8 - Kyle Kirkwood led only eight of the 260 laps on his way to victory.

8 - A total of eight penalties were handed out during the race:
  • Felix Rosenqvist received a drive-through penalty for an unsafe release during his pit stop, which escalated to a stop-and-go penalty after ignoring race control.
  • Christian Lundgaard was penalized with a drive-through for missing his pit crew and subsequently retired from the race.
  • Nolan Siegel was handed a drive-through for improperly blocking other drivers (Scott McLaughlin).
  • Scott McLaughlin and David Malukas were both penalized three positions for entering the fast lane directly after their stops instead of accelerating in the slow lane.
  • Christian Rasmussen and Felix Rosenqvist had to drop to the back of the field after pitting while the pit lane was closed.

  • 8 - Chevrolet must be growing frustrated: Kyle Kirkwood’s win gave Honda its eighth victory in as many races this season.

    5 - Prema nearly celebrated its first win: Callum Ilott gambled on a late caution and stayed out as long as possible. But five laps from the finish, he had to pit for a splash of fuel and fell to 18th place.

    5 - Kyle Kirkwood’s win was the fifth of his IndyCar career and his first on an oval. With five career wins, he now ranks 95th on the all-time wins list, tied with drivers like Greg Moore, Nigel Mansell and Jacques Villeneuve.

    3 - Christian Rasmussen’s third place marked the young Dane’s first-ever IndyCar podium finish.

    2.98 - Scott Dixon appeared to be in a great position after a late caution, being the only driver who hadn’t pitted yet and allowed to stop under yellow with a full lap lead. So where did he lose the race? Dixon made his final stop four laps later than Kyle Kirkwood and lost 2.98 seconds during those laps, including 0.25 seconds in the pits (despite needing less fuel). As a result, he dropped to third and then to fourth after being overtaken by Christian Rasmussen.

    2 - With Kyle Kirkwood scoring his third win of the season at WWT Raceway, the number of different race winners this season remains at just two. Alex Palou won the other five races held so far.

    0 - Surprisingly for a polesitter: Will Power lost the lead right after the start and did not officially lead a single lap.

    0 - Alex Palou still hasn’t found his stride at WWT Raceway. In seven races at the venue, he has yet to lead a single lap. His eighth-place finish keeps him far from his best result on this track: fourth (in 2024).


    PhotographyPenske Entertainment
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