A very rainy Friday and Saturday were followed up by a nice and dry Sunday for the race. With first-time polesitter Linus Lundqvist ahead of Colton Herta is is Marcus Armstrong who has a great start as the green flag falls. Unfortunately he hits teammate Lundqvist in turn 1, spinning them both. Herta is collected by Josef Newgarden, and the caution is immediately out. Pato O’Ward has to take evasive action through the grass, and Luca Ghiotto hits Graham Rahal in a separate incident. Both Armstrong and Ghiotto are penalised with a drive-through for their antics.
Kyle Kirkwood leads the restart, but Scott McLaughlin overtakes out of the slipstream. The caution comes out again before end of lap for debris from Herta’s diffuser. The young American also get’s spun by Lundqvist, dropping him to last.
For the second restart McLaughlin leads the field, as Newgarden passes Alexander Rossi for third. Further back both Rinus VeeKay and Marcus Eriscsson pass the struggling Theo Pourchaire, as Felix Rosenqvist gets shoved by Sting Ray Robb, who subsequently has to give up seven places as a penalty.
Down towards final turn Christian Rasmussen tries to get inside of Kyffin Simpson, but hits the fifth Ganassi-driver and sends him into the concrete wall. The young Dane eventually get’s a stop-and-go penalty for this incident.
At the third restart of the day Romain Grosjean passes Christian Lungaard, and a little later also passes Álex Palou into turn 5, as just in front of them Will Power passes Scott Dixon.
The race settles down a bit, with McLaughlin creating a little gap to Kirkwood. Pourchaire is the first one to make a regular stop in lap 16, switching to the primary tyres. On track VeeKay passes Lundgaard in turn 6. The Dane fights back into Canada corner, but has to give up the place to VeeKay, who immediatly stops for fresh tyres and fuel.
Scott McLaughlin also stopped, just as a bunch of other drivers, giving the lead to his teammate Newgarden. Newgarden stops a lap later, handing over the lead to Palou. Newgarden re-enters the track right in front of McLaughlin, but cannot defend on his cold tyres.
Palou finally stops in lap 19, as the last one of the leading pack, eventually dropping back behind teammate Dixon. VeeKay wrestles himself past Grosjean, as Palou refuses to be passed by Kirkwood on the outside of Canada Corner.
Dixon is struggling as he gets passed by Palou, Kirkwood, Rossi and O’Ward in a single lap, as VeeKay passes Dixon’s compatriot Armstrong up the hill to turn 1. VeeKay also passes Dixon into turn 5, followed by an attempt by Grosjean. Dixon defends from the Frenchman, giving Lundgaard the opportunity to look to the outside of Grosjean. The Juncos-Hollinger-driver refuses to yield, giving Ericsson the chance to take Lundgaard’s place.
Grosjean finally passes Dixon in the Kink and with both the Kiwi’s keep dropping down the order, both immediately tend to the pits for new tyres. Closer inspection reveals blisters on Dixon’s red tyres which he had for just a few laps.
Up front it is a Penske 1-2-3, with McLaughlin leading from Newgarden and Power, just before the second round of pitstops is imminent. VeeKay opens this second round of stops, dropping him back to 21st.
McLaughlin is the first of the leading trio to make the second stop and he switches to the alternate tyre. Newgarden and Power stop a lap later, both coming out in front of McLaughlin. The Kiwi’s tyres are warmed up however, and he can pass both his teammates quite easily.
When the tyres come in however, it is Newgarden that closes the gap to McLauglin and as Herta stops Newgarden passes his teammate for first place.
In the meantime the instigator of the first turn shenanigans, Marcus Armstrong, is in the pits for what seems to be a terminal mechanical issue.
Rossi is passed by Herta, who is on fresher, softer tyres, into Canada Corner, and loses another place shortly thereafter to Ericsson.
Rosenqvist makes his final stop in lap 40, but he has to have either a massive fuel-save stint or a caution to make it to the finish. Rossi follows a lap later, as both VeeKay and Jack Harvey are on pit road for lengthy mechanical repairs.
The first of the front-runners to blink is Álex Palou, who stops with 14 laps to go. McLaughlin covers him a lap later, switch back from the reds to the blacks.
Newgarden pits another lap later as he runs into Siegel and Tim Cindric feels his driver is going to be held up by the rookie. He comes back on track in front of McLaughlin, and with enough margin to safely warm up his tyres.
Power is the last one of the Penske’s to stop, and he comes back out ahead of Newgarden, so within a few laps the top three has reversed.
Herta is currently leading, but the Andretti-driver still needs to make another stop, so the fight for the win is between the Penske’s. Newgarden has a run on Power on the start/finish straight, but can’t set up a proper attempt.
When Herta finally stops with seven laps to go it is Power in the lead, closely followed by his teammates. The Ozzy slowly but surely extends his lead, and with Dixon at 21st after his final pitstop, a victory would propel him into the championship lead.
Little more happens and Will Power leads his teammates Newgarden and McLaughlin to the first Penske 1-2-3 since the Sonoma race in 2017, and Power’s first victory since Detroit 2022. Palou finishes fourth from Andretti teammates Kirkwood and Herta. Grosjean finishes eight, O’Ward ninth and Ericsson tenth.
