Newgarden was leading the race with his Team Penske teammates, McLaughlin and Power, close behind before the last pit stop.
As the race neared its end, Newgarden had to deal with lapped car Nolan Siegel, driving for Juncos Hollinger Racing, filling in for Agustin Canapino. Canapino took a break after some controversies last week.
Newgarden got stuck behind Siegel, which cost him time. During the final pit stop on lap 43, McLaughlin pitted the lap before, and Power chose a different strategy, which helped him take the lead and win.
Although Newgarden was disappointed with not winning, he was happy about Team Penske’s 1-2-3 podium finish, which hadn’t happened since 2017.
“It was a great team effort,” said Newgarden. “Everyone worked hard to get the cars ready after yesterday’s issues. We’re all pleased with the podium finish. However, I feel like we could have won. All three cars had good pace, and any of us could have won.”
Newgarden knew the tire strategy would be crucial, especially after seeing how the tires behaved in the warm-up session. But encountering Siegel made things tricky.
“We had a significant advantage with our strategy,” Newgarden explained. “But we got stuck behind Siegel, and it cost us. I made the wrong call by pitting. We could have stayed out longer and gained an advantage. It’s disappointing when your strategy doesn’t work out.”
