O’Ward took over the lead following the clash between polesitter Romain Grosjean and Scott McLaughlin, and was working hard to hold off the charging Ericsson in the closing stages of the event. However, exiting the final corner at the end of Lap 96 of the 100-lap IndyCar season-opener, the Chevrolet engine in his Arrow McLaren suffered a flash plenum fire, which forces a driver to briefly back off the throttle.
The hiccup was just long enough to allow Ericsson’s Chip Ganassi Racing-Honda into the lead, and O’Ward barely held off the Swede’s teammate Scott Dixon in the final four laps.
