Pato O'Ward claimed his first victory of the 2026 IndyCar season at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The Arrow McLaren driver passed teammate Christian Lundgaard on Lap 42 and never relinquished the lead. Lundgaard crossed the finish line less than a second behind in second place, ahead of Kyle Kirkwood, Rinus VeeKay and championship leader Alex Palou in fifth.

Despite forecasts of thunderstorms, a few raindrops falling around 20 minutes before the start and dark clouds surrounding the circuit at the time of the start, the race itself remained dry at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Lundgaard holds the lead at the start

When the green flag waved, polesitter Christian Lundgaard maintained the lead ahead of teammate Pato O'Ward. Starting sixth on the alternate tires, Rinus VeeKay made an excellent getaway, passing Will Power and Christian Rasmussen in Turn 1 to move into fourth behind David Malukas.

The field quickly split into two different strategies. Drivers who had started on the alternate tires pitted after just ten laps for a fresh set of primary tires, while those who had started on the primary compound stayed out significantly longer. That made VeeKay the leader among the alternate-strategy runners, while Lundgaard continued to lead the race overall.

O'Ward passes Lundgaard for the lead

Lundgaard remained out front until Lap 42, when he became trapped behind lapped traffic. That allowed O'Ward to close the gap through the Keyhole before making a bold move around the outside in the following corner to take over the race lead.

Malukas' race unraveled after a slow second pit stop, costing him significant track position and leaving him stuck behind slower cars. As a result, VeeKay moved up to third, ahead of Kirkwood.

For much of the race, VeeKay looked on course to secure Juncos Hollinger Racing's first podium finish on a road or street course. However, a slightly slower final pit stop than Kirkwood's dropped the Dutchman behind the Andretti Global driver.

O'Ward holds off Lundgaard

The battle for the win remained close. O'Ward consistently maintained a margin of around one second over Lundgaard, helped in part by lapped traffic preventing the Dane from mounting a serious challenge. Even so, the Mexican kept his composure and crossed the finish line just under a second ahead of his teammate.

The victory was O'Ward's first of the season and also secured a one-two finish for Arrow McLaren.

Full results of the race on Mid-Ohio