A very strange start, where only the top eight or nine cars were in formation, saw Team Penske-Chevrolet’s Josef Newgarden easily convert his pole into the lead, while Simon Pagenaud and Helio Castroneves passed Takuma Sato to claim second and third for Meyer Shank Racing-Honda.
Behind ran Pato O’Ward and Colton Herta, while Alexander Rossi immediately started slicing through the field, and by Lap 3 he was into sixth having dismissed Scott Dixon, Scott McLaughlin, and Marcus Ericsson.