Josef Newgarden claimed his sixth victory in the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at WWT Raceway by Gateway. In a race that was halted twice due to rain, he passed Marcus Ericsson for the lead on Lap 177 and never looked back. Ericsson crossed the finish line in second, ahead of Christian Rasmussen and Rinus VeeKay.

Palou Leads Opening Stages of the Race

With rain threatening the area, the start of the race was moved forward by twenty minutes. When the green flag waved, Alex Palou maintained the lead ahead of David Malukas and third-place starter Kyle Kirkwood. The entire field made it through the opening laps without incident.

Palou gradually built a lead of as much as two seconds, while Marcus Ericsson, who started 12th, worked his way forward through the field. On Lap 47, Ericsson passed Palou to take the lead of the race.

Following the first round of pit stops, the race saw its first caution period. Just before Turn 1, Palou made contact with Nolan Siegel, with Siegel’s left-front wheel clipping Palou’s right-rear wheel. The contact damaged Siegel’s suspension and sent him into the wall. Palou escaped without damage or a penalty, as race control placed the blame on Siegel.

During the first pit cycle, Ericsson retained the lead while Josef Newgarden moved ahead of Palou into second place. After the restart, it did not take long for Newgarden to challenge Ericsson for the lead, but the Swede successfully defended his position.

The second caution of the evening came on Lap 114 after Graham Rahal lost control in Turn 4 and spun backward into the outside wall. The caution period was extended when Kyffin Simpson ran out of fuel and came to a stop on track.

As the field prepared for the restart, the expected rain arrived over the track and officials were forced to display the red flag. The stoppage lasted approximately forty minutes before conditions improved and the track dried completely. At that point, Ericsson led the field ahead of Caio Collet, Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden.

First Red Flag Due to Rain

During the pace laps following the red flag, several drivers, including Dixon, Palou and Malukas, elected to pit for an additional stop. With more rain potentially approaching, carrying extra fuel would provide greater strategic flexibility.

Out front, Ericsson continued to lead while Newgarden moved past Collet for second place. On Lap 177, Newgarden overtook Ericsson for the lead, prompting Ericsson to immediately pit for his third stop of the race. When Newgarden made his own stop a lap later, he rejoined the track ahead of Ericsson.

Those pit stops handed the lead to drivers who had previously made an extra stop, putting Dixon at the front ahead of Palou.

Second Red Flag Deals Blow to Alex Palou

Just before Lap 200, light rain began to fall once again, forcing race officials to bring out a second red flag. At the time, Dixon led Palou on the alternate strategy, while Newgarden and Ericsson headed the group on the conventional strategy.

Following a delay of roughly fifteen minutes, the engines were fired once more. Dixon immediately pitted a lap later for a splash of fuel. Palou ran out of fuel and came to a halt in pit lane. The incident left the Ganassi Racing driver two laps down. Following the pit sequence, Newgarden emerged as the leader ahead of Rasmussen, Ericsson and VeeKay.

The race resumed on Lap 213, and Rasmussen immediately challenged Newgarden for the lead. Two laps later, Rasmussen completed the pass and moved to the front. Newgarden quickly fought back, however, reclaiming the lead after a thrilling battle. Rasmussen appeared to have overworked his tires during the fight and was subsequently passed by Ericsson as well.

Late caution, late pitstops

The race was neutralized again on Lap 226 when Caio Collet’s Chevrolet engine failed. At that point, Newgarden led Ericsson, Rasmussen and VeeKay.

During the caution period, several drivers outside the lead group, including Scott McLaughlin, Pato O’Ward, Will Power and Christian Lundgaard, made an additional pit stop. The strategy gave them fresh tires for the closing stages and an opportunity to attack the leaders.

Following the restart, McLaughlin immediately began carving through the field on fresh tires, climbing from ninth to sixth before setting his sights on the leading group. His charge eventually stalled in fifth place.

At the front, Newgarden and Ericsson were able to pull away slightly from Rasmussen and VeeKay. With ten laps remaining, VeeKay made several attempts to challenge Rasmussen for third place but was unable to complete the pass. At the front, Newgarden was in a class of his own, opening up a small gap over Ericsson and going on to win the race unchallenged.

Full results of the race on Gateway