Scott McLaughlin broke through to take the first oval win of his NTT IndyCar Series career under the light during Saturday (July 13) night’s race at Iowa Speedway.
McLaughlin controlled much of the race after beating polesitter Colton Herta off pit road during one of several caution periods which dotted the complexion of the race.
“What got it done tonight is the pit stops, the team,” McLaughlin said after the race. “They got me out in front of Herta there and we sure showed our pace. That’s a big deal today, man. I’ve been working on that for a couple of years. It takes a lot of hard work … I’m really stoked for this whole team, the whole team at Penske. We have another race tomorrow and we start from pole, so let’s go again!”
Though many surely expected him to be the deciding factor in corn country, Josef Newgarden could only manage a third-place finish under the lights. Saying a driver could only manage a podium result does feel strange, but such has been Newgarden’s dominance at Iowa in recent years.
Newgarden had run in the lower half of and just outside of the top 10 for much of the race, but used a fast pit stop to jump to fourth on lap 181. This move elicited calls from the booth that the race was “not over yet,” though it was, in fact.
Despite being graced by the presence of the driver who has owned Iowa in recent years, McLaughlin held control of the remaining laps, leading Pato O’Ward and Newgarden to the flag.
Nonetheless, from his 22nd-place starting position, Newgarden collected the honors of Biggest Mover at the end of the night.
McLaughlin’s main competition throughout the night was Herta until Alex Palou hit the wall on lap 177. Herta had pitted moments before Palou lost control of his car coming off turn 4, trapping the No. 26 driver down the order.
Palou was joined in retirement by several drivers who crashed out or retired due to mechanical woes, balancing the race which saw very little action at the front of the pack.
The first caution of the day came in turn 2 on lap 1 where a four-car pileup eliminated David Malukas and Agustin Canapino from the race. Also involved were Christian Lundgaard and Romain Grosjean, who were both able to rejoin the race after lengthy repairs.
Next, Graham Rahal suffered mechanical issues relating to a cracked wheel spoke on lap 80, triggering another yellow.
Will Power, Pietro Fittipaldi and Ed Carpenter piled up in turn 4 coming to the restart on lap 229. Both Fittipaldi and Carpenter retired, while Power picked up his second penalty of the night for avoidable contact. Power’s first penalty had been for speeding on pit road on lap 96.
Linus Lundqvist retired on lap 209 due to mechanical woes not otherwise specified.
2024 IndyCar Hy-Vee Homefront 250 Results
Sunday’s Hy-Vee One Step 250 will get underway at 12 p.m. ET with coverage on NBC and Peacock.
Alex is the IndyCar Content Director at Frontstretch, having initially joined as an entry-level contributor in 2021. He also serves as Managing Director of The Asia Cable, a publication focused on the international affairs and politics of the Asia-Pacific region which he co-founded in 2023. With previous experience in China, Japan and Poland, Alex is particularly passionate about the international realm of motorsport and the politics that make the wheels turn - literally - behind the scenes.