Pato O’Ward drowned out the noise caused by Penske Entertainment CEO Mark Miles and drove to the front with the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevy Saturday night in Wisconsin to win his third race of the season in commanding style.
Last Sunday, O’Ward started 22nd and finished 15th as his team was lost at Portland, and six days later O’Ward was hunting for victory, leading 133 of the 250 laps as his squad made an epic turnaround.
“It’s all about, ‘What are we missing?’” O’Ward said. “We’re not going to get it right all the time, but specifically this year has been really tough just to feel like I have something to fight with. It was nice to bounce back like this, you know, after a solid qualifying effort and then really putting it together in the race. It all definitely came together for us.”
He was chased home by Team Penske’s Will Power, who was 1.8s in arrears in the No. 12 Chevy and the charging Conor Daly, who rocketed from the back of the field in 25th to secure an important third for Juncos Hollinger Racing in the No. 78 Chevy and give the Bowtie a sweep of the podium.
Last week’s polesitter Santino Ferrucci motored the No. 14 A.J. Foyt Racing Chevy to fourth and championship leader Alex Palou held on to secure fifth in the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
With his second-place result, Power carved 11 points off of Palou’s lead, which went from 54 to 43 points with two races left to go.
“Shrinks a little more,” Power said. “Another 10 points would have been great. Almost had him there, but just too good. I should say pleasant surprise but well deserved, Conor driving all the way. Shows it doesn’t matter where you qualify. Even my spotter said during that run, ‘Conor already has passed half the field around the outside,’ so the outside works. For Ricardo (Juncos) and that team, couldn’t be happier. Super excited to see that.”
IndyCar’s return to the Milwaukee Mile had a little bit of everything as polesitter Scott McLaughlin led the first 80 laps, was passed by Linus Lundqvist who led 19 tours, and when it mattered, O’Ward kept working and went from running at the tail end of the top five to winning the first of the Hy-Vee Milwaukee doubleheaders.
Behind him, a few drivers had memorable nights, including Lundqvist, who let Palou by to take fifth and duly finished sixth. Ed Carpenter Racing’s Christian Rasmussen improved from 23rd to 11th in his second IndyCar oval race, and at the opposite end, the Andretti Global team misfired with all three cars as Marcus Ericsson and Josef Newgarden tangled and crashed (27th place); Kyle Kirkwood hit some of his crew members and had a drive-through penalty (12th); and Colton Herta’s wheel fell off, which led to receiving a penalty for emergency service in a closed pit and a rare 30s stop-and-hold for unsafe conduct as a result of leaving the pits without the left-front wheel secured (22nd).
The cartoon anvils especially hurt Ericsson, who was running in the top three, and Herta, who had a top five in hand.
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The 250-lap race got off to a disorderly start which was waved off on its first attempt, but polesitter Scott McLaughlin was clear into Turn 1 as Lundqvist took second from Malukas. Daly tore through the field and was up to 14th — 11 spots.
After 10 laps, McLaughlin held 1.1s over Lundqvist and 1.8s on Malukas.
By 20 laps, McLaughlin was preparing to lap the last-place car and had 0.9s over Lundqvist and 2.0s on Malukas. Herta took fourth off of O’Ward.
Lap 26 and McLaughlin lapped Pietro Fittipaldi and Lundqvist was 0.1s behind.
On lap 30, Lundqvist was 0.7s down and Malukas a further 1.1s shy of McLaughlin.
While stuck behind Fittipaldi on lap 35, Lundqvist’s gap swelled to 3.0s before he finally got by.
Lap 40 and it was a 2.2s and a 4.1s deficit for Lundqvist and Malukas.
Eight laps later, Lundqvist went to the lead after McLaughlin was slowed by traffic. Lundqvist eventually had 1.1s over McLaughlin and 1.8s on Malukas.
The first stops came at lap 60. Lundqvist was running 4.1s to the good on McLaughlin and 5.1s on Malukas.
O’Ward pitted from P5 on lap 61. Alex Palou ducked in from P14. Two laps later, Herta was in from P4. McLaughlin and Malukas pit on lap 65.
Lap 66 and Lundqvist and Newgarden pit — a slow right-rear tire change for the leader ensued. Power finally came in a lap later.
McLaughlin retook the lead with Lundqvist behind him on lap 68.
Two laps later, 0.5s separated McLaughlin and Lundqvist as O’Ward and Herta held P1 and P2.
Newgarden appeared to kiss the wall on exit of Turn 2 on lap 72.
Herta finally moved past O’Ward for the lead on lap 77.
Caution flew at lap 83. Katherine Legge spun off of Turn 2 and didn’t hit anything.
McLaughlin and Sting Ray Robb pitted under yellow on lap 87, creating an eventual leading pack of McLaughlin, Robb, Herta, O’Ward, Rossi, Malukas, Romain Grosjean, Ferrucci, Palou, and Lundqvist.
The restart came on lap 95. The lapped Armstrong was behind McLaughlin and was looking to get by.
Ferrucci took fourth from Rossi on lap 97. By lap 105, McLaughlin was 1.8s up on Herta and 2.5s clear of O’Ward. Palou ran P7 and Power, P10.
O’Ward tried to pass Herta into Turn 1 on lap 110 and three laps later finally sealed the deal on the Andretti car to take P2. The McLaren chased down and passed McLaughlin on lap 118 — the Penske on tires 20 laps older after not pitting.
Lap 120 and O’Ward led McLaughlin by 1.1s and Herta by 1.3s. At halfway the leader was driving away with 2.3s on McLaughlin, then 4.1s by lap 127 (and 5.0s on Herta).
Newgarden came in at lap 131 having been buried in traffic. McLaughlin was inexplicably still out, 10.2s behind O’Ward, on lap 133.
Palou and Power pitted together on lap 135. Ferrucci took P2 from McLaughlin two laps later before the Penske driver finally pitted on lap 138, along with Lundqvist — the RLL team suffering a slow stop.
Herta pitted from P3 on lap 140. Ferrucci was in a lap later.
O’Ward had 7.6s on Newgarden and 8.1s on Marcus Ericsson by lap 145. Palou was running P3 with Power in P4.
Ericsson and Newgarden tangled out of P2 and P3 on lap 146. They came together in Turns 1 and 2. Championship leader Palou inherited P2.
The restart came at lap 157 and O’Ward led Palou, Power, McLaughlin and VeeKay. Ferrucci forced his way by Rossi for P6 on lap 160, then took P5 from VeeKay a lap later. He took P4 from McLaughlin on lap 165.
O’Ward was leading Palou by 0.8s, Power by 1.7s, and Ferrucci by 9.1s on lap 170. He stretched it to 1.7s over Palou, who had Power charging behind, 2.2s back from the leader, by lap 180.
Lap 185 and Rossi, Palou, Dixon, Herta and others pit. O’Ward pits and the caution comes out one lap later. Herta came in on lap 187 to have a left-front wheel and tire installed after his fell off upon leaving the pits. He fell to P17.
Lap 190 and Power, who hadn’t yet pitted, was in the lead ahead of Daly, Lundqvist, O’Ward, Lundgaard and Ferrucci on the lead lap, with Palou and McLaughlin the first of the lap-down cars, having gone down a lap while pitting moments before the caution happened.
Power and Daly and Lundqvist pitted on lap 193.
Lap 194 and the leaders were then O’Ward, Ferrucci, Power, Lundqvist, Lundgaard and Daly on the lead lap, with Palou as the first lap-down driver.
Wave-arounds for lap-down cars happened on lap 197. Palou, McLaughlin and the rest were now back to the lead lap.
On the lap 203 restart, Daly charged to P4. Palou got up to P6 with Power in P3.
Grosjean slowed on track and was yelling on the radio on lap 205 as Herta sat on pit lane for a stop-and-hold.
O’Ward stretched his lead to 2.4s on Ferrucci, 2.8s on Power, and 3.6s on Daly by lap 210. Power and Daly fire by Ferrucci on lap 221. Ferrucci was then down to P4. Palou then got by Lundqvist for P5. On lap 224 he took P4 from Power.
A lap later, O’Ward held 1.0s over Power and 2.0s on Daly. Palou was 2.8s behind.
Lap 227 and Ferrucci took P4 back from Palou.
Rossi took P7 from McLaughlin on lap 235.
Two laps later, O’Ward became mired in traffic and Power pulled up to his tail. By lap 240, O’Ward stretched the lead again to 0.8s on Power and 2.3s on Daly just in time to take a comfortable win on lap 250.
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