O’Ward’s Arrow McLaren was a consistent frontrunner throughout the race, the only driver able to keep fellow-Chevrolet runner Team Penske’s Newgarden in sight. Through the middle of the portion of the 250-lap race, O’Ward gained preeminence as Newgarden confessed to calling for setup changes that didn’t work as the track rubbered up.
But when a long full-course caution allowed Newgarden to backstep those changes, the pair appeared evenly matched. A tight battle in the last dozen laps, also involving Palou’s Honda-powered Ganassi car, was ended early when Romain Grosjean’s Andretti Autosport car hit the wall on the penultimate lap and brought out the yellow with Newgarden’s car less than two-tenths ahead of the McLaren.
