Newgarden Outlasts Mother Nature for WWTR Victory

Josef Newgarden celebrates his second victory of 2026 at the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway. (Photo: Joe Skibinski | Penske Entertainment)

MADISON, Ill. – Coming into Sunday’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline at World Wide Technology Raceway, Josef Newgarden had won five of the last 10 events at the 1.25-mile oval located outside of St. Louis.

An injured left foot from a crash in the Indianapolis 500 did not slow down Newgarden, as he outlasted two separate red flags for rain and fierce battles, to claim his sixth victory in 11 races at the short oval and the 34^th of his career, tying him with legend Al Unser Jr.

“Great job to the group,” said Newgarden. “Just a methodical night. We had a good car to start. It wasn’t perfect, but it really came to us just when we needed it. It was a track position day.”

Marcus Ericsson led a race-high 114 laps to earn his first podium of 2026 with a dominating second-place performance in the No. 28 Delaware Life Andretti Global Honda. ECR’s Christian Rasmussen also gave a valiant effort, bringing the No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet home with a third-place finish.

Rinus VeeKay continued his strong season with a season-best fourth in the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, his third top 10 finish of 2026. Rounding out the top five was Scott McLaughlin in the No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet.

Scott McLaughlin navigating his No. 3 Helio Castroneves-inspired livery around the World Wide Technology Raceway during the Bommarito Automotive Group 500. (Photo: Chris Owens | Penske Entertainment)

Newgarden seized control of the race for good on Lap 221 after an intense battle with Rasmussen in the closing stages. The fight began shortly after a restart on Lap 212, with Rasmussen making an aggressive move to the inside of Newgarden in Turn 1 on Lap 215 to take the lead. Newgarden answered back, reclaiming the top spot in Turn 3.

The duel was far from over. Rasmussen once again slipped by Newgarden entering Turn 1 on Lap 220. Newgarden responded immediately, retaking the lead in Turn 3 one lap later and never looked back.

Ericsson moved past Rasmussen for second place in Turn 3 on Lap 225 and turned his focus to chasing down the two-time series champion. The momentum Ericsson hoped to build was stalled a lap later when Caio Collet’s No. 4 Combitrans A.J. Foyt Racing Chevrolet suffered a mechanical issue, bringing out the yellow flag. Collet was navigating his strongest showing of his rookie season, leading seven laps and running among the top five throughout much of the second half of the race.

The incident brought out the final caution of the evening, adding to the plot twist. Several cars deeper in the field opted for fresh Firestone Firehawk tires, while the top eight remained on track.

McLaughlin was among those who gambled on new tires and made an impressive charge after the restart on Lap 234, gaining four positions in four laps. Despite the charge through the pack, the fresh tires lacked the pace to challenge the leaders over the closing laps.

Newgarden remained in complete control, building a gap over Ericsson during the final 10 laps, who fell short in his challenge for the win.

“I thought he (Ericsson) was incredibly strong,” said Newgarden. “I don’t really think there was much between us, so it was a matter of who was going to get position on each other, and that was going to seal the deal. He drove a great race.”

Marcus Ericsson battling for his first podium finish of 2026 at the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway. (Photo: James Black | Penske Entertainment)

Ericsson, who was searching for his first victory since St. Petersburg in 2023, was still pleased with the effort of his team.

“I’m very proud of our performance, but at the same time it’s tough to lead that many laps,” said Ericsson. “I thought we had it at some points, but Josef is the best in the business on these short ovals.”

NTT P1 Award winner Alex Palou and teammate Scott Dixon rolled the dice and came down pit road for fuel as soon as pit road was open following the first red flag. The Chip Ganassi Racing duo was banking on additional cautions for incoming weather that would allow them to save a stop to gain valuable track position; a plan that never materialized.

Dixon was forced to make an emergency stop on Lap 201 in his No. 9 PNC Bank Honda after nearly running out of fuel, while Palou’s race unraveled two laps later. As Palou entered pit lane in his No. 10 HRC Honda, his car ran out of fuel, forcing him to coast to his pit box.

Although Palou eventually returned to the track, the damage was done. The championship leader salvaged a 17th-place finish after spending much of the night among the frontrunners.

Despite the setback, the reigning series champion remains atop the championship standings. However, his lead over Kyle Kirkwood was diminished to 49 points after Kirkwood drove to a respectable sixth-place finish in the No. 27 Sam’s Club Andretti Global Honda.

The NTT IndyCar Series gets a much-deserved week off before heading to Road America for the XPEL Grand Prix on Sunday, June 21.

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