Bobby Travis · NASCAR/IndyCar Correspondent
Between Newgarden's crash, Grosjean's two spins, and a penalty for Will Power, Arrow McLaren secured victory in Wisconsin with a flawless final stop.
Pato O'Ward claimed his eleventh IndyCar victory on Sunday, winning the Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 at the one-mile oval in West Allis. The Mexican driver in the Arrow McLaren pulled away from Scott McLaughlin and teammate Christian Lundgaard following a crucial pit cycle around lap 196, while Josef Newgarden's early exit at lap 142 dealt a significant blow to his championship hopes.
Newgarden's Crash and Grosjean's Second Spin
Josef Newgarden had the quickest car of the weekend, leading free practice and taking command early in the race. By lap 35, the Penske driver had made his move on pole-sitter Álex Palou to seize the lead. The harder the blow, then, when Newgarden lost control at the exit of the final turn in lap 142, nose-first into the outside wall, ending his day on the spot. For him, that meant not just zero points but the end of a weekend he had clearly dominated.
Romain Grosjean faced an equally bitter afternoon. The Dale Coyne driver had fought his way into tenth position early on before spinning on old tires at turn two's exit in lap 35, triggering the day's first caution. At a later restart, he caught the wall again in lap 158, this time with full force. The Frenchman walked away unhurt, but his car was done for the remainder of the day, and the caution reset the field for the decisive final phase.
The Pit Stop That Changed Everything
Following both cautions, Will Power took the lead, passing McLaughlin at lap 174 and appearing the clear favorite for victory for much of the sequence. Yet at the final stop on pit road, a speeding penalty was assessed, effectively ending his chances and leaving him fourteenth at the checkered flag, one lap down.
The real decision came moments later when Arrow McLaren executed a flawless stop for O'Ward during the final cycle around lap 196. The Mexican driver exited pit lane ahead of McLaughlin and teammate Lundgaard, then defended the lead through the final 54 laps as McLaughlin found no opening in traffic. At the line, the margin stood at 0.7916 seconds, slim but secure.
Lundgaard's Milestone and the Open Championship Picture
For Christian Lundgaard, third place was far more than a solid result. It marked his first oval podium in his IndyCar career and confirms that Arrow McLaren has become one of the field's strongest outfits on mile ovals, with O'Ward already proving that up front.
The larger story, though, unfolded in the championship battle. Álex Palou arrived in Milwaukee with a 91-point lead over Kyle Kirkwood and had the chance to clinch his fourth title with the right result. After leading early before losing out to Newgarden, the Spaniard finished fifth while Kirkwood slipped into sixth. The championship remains mathematically open, though Palou's cushion figures to be comfortable enough to merely delay the decision rather than genuinely threaten it. For Newgarden, meanwhile, the lap 142 exit appears to have reduced his title ambitions to hoping for a miracle in the remaining races, while the field now turns its attention to the completion of Saturday's rain-delayed race and the final stops of the season.
