By: Spencer Neff
July 4, 2021
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES marked the July 4th weekend by traveling to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.
By running their 38th race on the 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course, Mid-Ohio is second only to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in races run among tracks currently on the schedule and first among all road and street courses in the series.
Here’s a look at how the 80-lap race played out on Sunday.
Newgarden earns dominant win
After multiple near-misses during the course of the season, Team Penske and Josef Newgarden earned their first win of 2021 on Sunday. A day after celebrating the 50th anniversary of their first IndyCar win, Newgarden earned their 220th and his second at Mid-Ohio.
It is Newgarden’s 19th career win, passing Ryan Hunter-Reay as the winningest active American-born driver. He is the 8th different winner in 10 races so far.
Despite a late charge from Chip Ganassi Racing’s Marcus Ericsson, the Hendersonville, Tennessee native finished .879 of a second ahead. Ericsson’s teammate Alex Palou completed the podium, giving him a 39-point lead over Arrow McLaren SP’s Pato O’Ward with six races to go.
Race Recap
During the start, Andretti Autosport teammates Hunter-Reay and Janes Hinchcliffe spun near the entrance to Turn 4. Further back, Arrow McLaren SP’s Felix Rosenqvist also spun but stalled as the other two continued on. The caution flag was brought out before a lap could be finished under green.
On the Lap 4 restart issues continued, Team Penske’s Will Power spun after contact in Turn 5 with Dixon. With nowhere to, Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan’s Ed Jones was collected as well. Both drivers would be done for the day.
During the first round of pit stops, refueling issues dropped Herta from second to seventh in the running order. Herta stalled on his next pit stop as well, keeping him out of contention for the victory.
Up front, Newgarden held strong for the bulk of the race and earned the victory.
Up Next
After a four-week break, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES makes its debut on the streets of Nashville, Tennessee. First Practice for the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix will be at 5:00 p.m. Eastern on August 6. The 80-lap event on the brand-new street circuit will run at 5:30 p.m. on August 8.
Keep tabs on the action with IndyCar1909.com and our social media platforms, listed at the bottom of our webpage.
Header Image By Joe Skibinsi/INDYCAR
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