Josef Newgarden dominates at World Wide Technology Raceway
Josef Newgarden is simply a master of the oval. The Team Penske driver took his sixth win at World Wide Technology Raceway, marking his 34th career victory and tying Al Unser Jr. in the record books. It is a stunning bit of history, especially considering that his last 20 wins have all come on tracks that only turn left. Even with two red-flag periods totaling 50 minutes due to rain, Newgarden was clinical, moving to 2-for-2 on short ovals this season.
While Newgarden celebrated, the field behind him was a chaotic scramble of strategy and fuel concerns. Marcus Ericsson secured a career-best finish in two years by taking second for Andretti Global, having led 114 of the 260 laps. Christian Rasmussen fought hard for ECR to claim third, while Rinus VeeKay rounded out a strong fourth-place run.
It was a difficult night for Chip Ganassi Racing, as both Alex Palou and Kyffin Simpson suffered from fuel woes. Palou, who settled for 17th, also found himself at the center of controversy after a Lap 60 clash with Arrow McLaren’s Nolan Siegel, which ended Siegel’s race against the outside wall. With the dust finally settled on this five-week stretch of racing, the series now heads to Road America.
