Fellow-Kiwis McLaughlin, Dixon prevail at the Milwaukee Mile
Scott McLaughlin – Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 – Photo by Joe Skibinski
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio
Native New Zealanders Scott McLaughlin and Scott Dixon spent Sunday afternoon interrupting an NTT IndyCar Series title chase between Alex Palou and Will Power that will be decided during the 2024 season-finale.
Scott McLaughin takes the checkered flag – Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 – Photo by Chris Jones
McLaughlin held off six-time series champion Dixon to win Race 2 of the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s doubleheader in West Allis, Wis. McLaughlin earned his series high-tying third victory of the season in the No. 3 Gallagher Team Penske Chevrolet, finishing 0.4558-seconds ahead of fellow-Kiwi Dixon in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Colton Herta completed the podium in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian.
“That was the most fun race I’ve had in INDYCAR,” McLaughlin said. “It was a blast. We just stuck with it. The car wasn’t quite good at the start, and we just tuned her up and it was awesome. A lot better in traffic today, which helped a lot. That was awesome. I’m pumped!”
Alex Palou – Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 – Photo by Chris Owens
Palou, the two-time/reigning series champion from Spain, will carry a 33-point lead over native Australian Power into the season-ending Big Machine Music City Grand Prix at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday, Sept. 15. Palou finished a disastrous 19th in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, while Power placed 10th in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet on a day of disappointment and lost chances for a pair of aces each chasing his third series title.
Santino Ferrucci finished fourth in the No. 14 Phoenix Investors Chevrolet fielded by A.J. Foyt Racing of Waller, Texas, mirroring the team’s result in Saturday’s Race 1. Ever-aggressive, Ferrucci put on a show with 63 on-track passes _ most of any driver in one race this season.
Santino Ferrucci – Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 – Photo by Chris Owens
“Pretty stout weekend overall,” said Ferrucci, a resident of Dallas who remained 10th in the point standings. “You know, obviously rough to miss the podium twice, but we’ve been working really hard at it and it’s just so hard to be competitive and be in the top-five in this series. Everything needs to be so perfect. But it’s awesome for points. I’ve got my own personal goals of being on a trophy hunt by the end of the year and we’ve got one more race to make it happen.
“The crew’s done a great job all weekend. It’s really, really tough, especially in these quite tight turnarounds. Great job on (pit) stops all day. We only had one bobble all weekend. But considering we did probably 10 or so pit stops under pressure, they did a great job. And Engineering did a great job, all around hard to beat.”
Santino Ferrucci – Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 – Photo by Chris Owens
Ferrucci earned his second straight top-five finish and tenth top-10 of the season. Moreover, “Santucci” was the only driver to finish in the top-five in both Milwaukee races.
Team President Larry Foyt, youngest son of team-owner and open-wheel icon A.J. Foyt Jr., indicated his 89-year-old father may attend the season-finale at Nashville in support of Ferrucci and teammate Sting Ray Robb.
“It’s a really rewarding weekend here at Milwaukee, especially for the No. 14 team and Santino,” Larry Foyt said. “I can’t think of any drivers that were more exciting to watch than Santino this weekend, and the crew did a great job in the pits. For us to get two top-fives here just really shows how far our team’s come. Everyone, including the No. 41 team (of Robb), has really put a big effort in and I think it’s really showing with the way we’ve been performing lately.”
Marcus Ericsson – Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 – Photo by Joe Skibinski
Marcus Ericsson placed fifth in the No. 28 Delaware Life Honda of Andretti Global, the Swede’s best result since finishing fifth at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on July 7.
McLaughlin, who started sixth, passed Herta on Lap 218 of 250 to take the lead for good. That decisive dive under Herta in Turn 1 came after a feisty, three-lap joust between the two young stars, as McLaughlin took advantage of fresher Firestone Firehawk tires and traffic in front of Herta to erase Herta’s seven-second lead in just 14 laps.
Alexander Rossi – Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 – Photo by James Black
It appeared Alexander Rossi might have a chance to challenge McLaughlin after the Kiwi took the lead, as Rossi was gaining ground in his No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. But Robb crashed the No. 41 Goodheart Vet/Pray.com Chevrolet of Foyt Racing in Turn 2 on Lap 228, triggering the last of six caution periods.
All five cars on the lead lap at the time had to decide whether to pit for fresh tires or stay out, and the entire quintet dove onto pit road on Lap 230. McLaughlin powered away from the field on the restart on Lap 239, and Dixon passed Rossi for second in Turn 1.
Colton Herta – Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 – Photo by Chris Owens
Herta and Dixon then engaged in a spirited fight for second _ racing side-by-side and inches apart _ through Turns 3 and 4. Dixon finally passed Herta for second on Lap 241 and set his sights on McLaughlin, but never got closer than six-tenths of a second. McLaughlin took the checkered by leading his race-high 85th lap.
“I think had it gone a few more laps, it looked like he was starting to burn off his fronts (tires) a little bit,” Dixon said. “But congrats to McLaughlin. Pretty sweet to have a Kiwi 1-2 there.”
McLaughlin’s victory was just one of the ebbs-and-flows in the race, which featured a series track-record 13 lead changes around the historic 1.015-mile Milwaukee Mile oval.
Alex Palou – Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 – Photo by James Black
Perhaps the one lead change that appeared probable early in the race did not happen. Palou held onto the championship lead despite one of his most challenging days of the season. Palou finished 29 laps down after an electrical issue on the pace laps relegated his car to the pits and the garage for repairs. Power placed 10th as last car on the lead-lap, squandering a chance to gain even more ground and perhaps take the championship lead after spinning in Turn 4 on a restart on Lap 131 while running in the top-five.
“It was not a great day, but it could have been a lot worse,” Palou said. “It could have been a lot better, obviously. On to Nashville.”
Will Power – Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 – Photo by Joe Skibinski
Power, Roger Penske’s longest-tenured driver, offered a pragmatic look at his title chances after an uncharacteristic unforced error. “A long-shot now,” said Power, who began the weekend 54 points behind Palou and trailed by 43 points when Sunday’s race started. “God gave us a chance then, but kind of let it go. That’s the season, man. You just can’t have those mistakes.”
McLaughlin is the only other driver mathematically eligible for the title at Nashville, 50 points behind Palou. But the championship tussle will quickly morph into a two-driver duel for the Astor Challenge Cup between Palou and Power, as McLaughlin will be eliminated if Palou starts the race.
Alex Palou – Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 – Photo by Joe Skibinski
Palou, strategist Barry Wanser and the entire Chip Ganassi Racing crew avoided catastrophe when Palou’s car stopped at the exit of pit lane at the start of the pace laps with an apparent electrical problem. Palou returned to the track but then headed back to the paddock for additional diagnosis and repairs. Palou mercifully returned to the track at-speed on Lap 37 _ a massive 28 laps down.
“We couldn’t really do anything,” Palou lamented. “We tried everything to try and not lose many laps.”
Palou was the most notable of a handful drivers struck by mechanical misfortune in this race. Another was Race 1 winner Pato O’Ward, who started seventh and finished 24th after completing just 87 laps due to a gearbox problem.
Pato O’Ward – Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 – Photo by Joe Skibinski
“I think this weekend represents our year so far _ the highest of highs and the lowest of lows,” said O’Ward, a native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio. “We won the first race, but then had a gearbox issue in the second race. It’s a bummer because I thought we had another chance to take a win.”
On Saturday, O’Ward and his No. 5 Arrow McLaren crew emerged from a three-race, summertime swoon with a victory in Race 1. O’Ward scored his third series victory of the season by finishing 1.8215-seconds in front of Power.
O’Ward’s seventh career victory and 25th-career podium put a definitive end to a frustrating stretch that had seen him finish 17th on the Streets of Toronto on July 21; second-to-last 26th on the World Wide Technology Raceway oval in Madison, Ill., on Aug. 18 and 15th one week ago on Portland International Raceway’s natural terrain road-course in Oregon. Those results effectively eliminated Pato from championship contention.
“Now we have one more to go in Nashville with the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix,” O’Ward said. “Hopefully, we can help make it a pretty special race.”
Sunday’s Race 2 took an eventful tone from the start. Besides Palou’s car shockingly sitting silent at the exit of pit lane, NTT P1 Award-winner Josef Newgarden was eliminated in a three-car incident on Lap 1. The race start was called off because the rear of the field wasn’t in order, and the No. 8 American Legion Chip Ganassi Racing Honda of rookie Linus Lundqvist of Sweden hit the rear of the No. 11 Ridgeline Lubricants CGR Honda of teammate and native New Zealander Marcus Armstrong, who then pinballed into Newgarden’s No. 2 Snap-on Team Penske Chevrolet, punting it into the inside wall.
After that melee, the race settled into a pattern of nonstop action. There were a season-high 763 on-track passes _ most on record in an INDYCAR race at The Milwaukee Mile _ and 56 passes in the top- five, another track record.
Results of the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s Race 2 NTT IndyCar Series event on the 1.015-mile The Milwaukee Mile, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):
- (2) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 250, Running
2. (17) Scott Dixon, Honda, 250, Running
3. (18) Colton Herta, Honda, 250, Running
4. (12) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 250, Running
5. (16) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 250, Running
6. (6) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 250, Running
7. (15) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 250, Running
8. (19) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 250, Running
9. (14) Romain Grosjean, Chevrolet, 250, Running
10. (4) Will Power, Chevrolet, 250, Running
11. (8) Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, 249, Running
12. (25) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 248, Running
13. (24) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, 248, Running
14. (13) Jack Harvey, Honda, 247, Running
15. (22) Katherine Legge, Honda, 246, Running
16. (23) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, 243, Running
17. (20) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 230, Retired
18. (21) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, 221, Contact
19. (10) Alex Palou, Honda, 221, Running
20. (5) Linus Lundqvist, Honda, 215, Contact
21. (27) Pietro Fittipaldi, Honda, 181, Mechanical
22. (9) David Malukas, Honda, 126, Mechanical
23. (26) Graham Rahal, Honda, 123, Contact
24. (7) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 86, Mechanical
25. (11) Nolan Siegel, Chevrolet, 23, Mechanical
26. (3) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 6, Contact
27. (1) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 5, Contact
Race Statistics
Winner’s average speed: 120.334 mph
Time of race: 2:06:31.3981
Margin of victory: 0.4558-seconds
Cautions: 6 for 57 laps
Lead changes: 13 among 7 drivers
Lap leaders
Newgarden, Josef 1 – 4
McLaughlin, Scott 5 – 43
Power, Will 44 – 54
Ferrucci, Santino 55 – 56
Legge, Katherine 57 – 58
Power, Will 59 – 96
Ferrucci, Santino 97 – 100
Power, Will 101 – 115
Rossi, Alexander 116 – 161
McLaughlin, Scott 162 – 163
Herta, Colton 164 – 187
McLaughlin, Scott 188 – 198
Herta, Colton 199 – 217
McLaughlin, Scott 218 – 250
NTT IndyCar Series point standings _ 1, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 525; 2, Will Power, Team Penske, 492; 3, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, 475; 4, Colton Herta, Andretti Global, 462; 5, Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 443; 6, Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, 419; 7, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, 384; 8, Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 365; 9, Alexander Rossi, Arrow McLaren, 350; 10, Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, 339;
11, Christian Lundgaard, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 301; 12, Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 301; 13, Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global, 292; 14, Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing, 282; 15, Marcus Armstrong, Chip Ganassi Racing, 272; 16, Linus Lundqvist, Chip Ganassi Racing, 255; 17, Romain Grosjean, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 246; 18, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 244; 19, Pietro Fittipaldi, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 177; 20, Sting Ray Robb, A.J. Foyt Racing, 175;
21, Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, 174; 22, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, 147; 23, Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren, 142; 24, Jack Harvey, Dale Coyne Racing, 126; 25, David Malukas, Meyer Shank Racing, 125; 26, Augustin Canapino, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 109; 27, Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 99; 28, Theo Pourchaire, Arrow McLaren, 91; 29, Katherine Legge, Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing, 56; 30, Tom Blomqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 46;
31, Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing, 45; 32, Toby Sowery, Dale Coyne Racing, 45; 33, Callum Ilott, Arrow McLaren, 39; 34, Luca Ghiotto, Dale Coyne Racing, 27; 35, Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing, 26; 36, Kyle Larson, Hendrickcars.com Arrow McLaren, 21; 37, Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 19; 38, Tristan Vautier, Dale Coyne Racing, 12; 39, Juri Vips, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 11; 40, Colin Braun, Dale Coyne Racing, 10;
41, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing-Cusick Motorsports, 6; 42, Hunter McElrea, Dale Coyne Racing, 6; 43, Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta with Marco & Curb Agajanian, 5.
