Josef Newgarden wins for the sixth time at Gateway
- TSN MOTORSPORTS INSIDER
- Jun 8
- 2 min read
Patience was required at Gateway to discover the outcome of the ninth round of the season, which was notably interrupted due to rain. In total, the red flag waved for 50 minutes on the Missouri oval, but ultimately the scheduled 260 laps were completed, and Josef Newgarden continued his dominance of WorldWide Technology Raceway, winning there for the sixth time in his career
The Team Penske driver, however, had to battle for most of the race against Marcus Ericsson (Andretti Global). The 2022 Indy 500 winner immediately demonstrated the speed of his Dallara-Honda, notably leading the race at the time of the first rain stoppage. The Swede ultimately had to concede to Newgarden, largely due to a perfectly executed overcut by the American and Team Penske, but his performance, the best of the year for the No. 28 car, puts him in the top 10 of the championship standings.
Another short oval specialist, Christian Rasmussen (ECR), completed the podium. The Danish driver, who had already dominated the Phoenix race earlier in the year before contact with Will Power (Andretti Global) ruined his chances, once again showcased his talent on these unique tracks, with several commanding overtakes, notably on Newgarden during the final restart. While he lost some ground on the longer runs, Rasmussen once again achieved a strong result, confirming the expectations Ed Carpenter has for him, just days after extending his contract for the long term.
For championship leader and pole-sitter Álex Palou, the race turned into a long ordeal. Running in the top five at the start, the Spaniard, as is often the case, managed to extend his stints by using more fuel than his rivals. What seemed to be an advantage ultimately backfired on Chip Ganassi Racing when the rain started again with 63 laps to go. It was a light drizzle, not enough to stop the race. Palou and his teammate Scott Dixon were leading, but were running low on fuel. The New Zealander was forced to pit after the pits had closed to add a few more drops of fuel.
Palou was able to wait for the official opening of the pits, which should have put him back in contention for the win. It was at this point that his Honda engine ran out of fuel, and after struggling to reach his garage at the far end of pit lane, the Spaniard had to try several times to restart his engine. As a direct result, he finished 17th, two laps down from the winner, and his championship lead against Kyle Kirkwood (Andretti Global), who finished sixth at Gateway, was reduced.
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