Scott McLaughlin led for a race-high 164 laps en route to a victory at the Hy-Vee Homefront 250 on Saturday at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa.
McLaughlin edged Pato O’Ward by 0.4814 seconds in the 250-lap showdown to secure his first career IndyCar victory at an oval.
“I didn’t want to call myself an IndyCar driver until I won on an oval,” McLaughlin said. “So, I’m going to call myself an IndyCar driver now.”
Colton Herta led for the first 86 laps, but he ended up finishing 11th. Momentum shifted following the first stop under caution, as McLaughlin came out of pit road with a head of steam to move in front of Herta, the race’s pole sitter.
“What got it done tonight was the pit stops by the team,” McLaughlin said. “They got out in front of Herta there, and then we showed our pace.”
It marked McLaughlin’s sixth career IndyCar Series victory.
Josef Newgarden came in third, Scott Dixon finished in fourth and Rinus VeeKay landed in fifth.
–Field Level Media
