Iowa Race 1

Josef Newgarden was still utterly dominant and Team Penske finally flexed its muscles on Saturday at Iowa Speedway. But when it counted most, it was a different driver and team that broke through for their first win of 2025.

Pato O’Ward and Arrow McLaren snatched the lead away from Newgarden with an overcut on the final round of pit stops and the Mexican star withstood a fierce late challenge from Newgarden to claim the Sukup 275. It was O’Ward’s eighth-career win in his 100th start and the first for any Chevrolet driver in 2025, ending a stretch of dominance from Honda.

“This is great,” O’Ward said. “We’ve been waiting for this one all year. It’s crazy. My 50th race was also a win here in Iowa, and that’s the only other win I have here, so it’s a cool story.

“Great job by my Arrow McLaren guys and gals. This Chevy-powered machine was (great). … I’m super happy I’m the Chevy guy that gave them their first win this year.”

Before the final round of pit stops, it seemed like Newgarden’s race to lose. The two-time Indianapolis 500 winner claimed pole and led 232 of Saturday’s 275 laps.

But when his team brought him to pit road on lap 233, O’Ward and others stayed out.

They came in two laps later and O’Ward cycled out ahead of Newgarden. The Tennessean hounded O’Ward over the run to the checkered, as two late cautions closed the field and brought about restarts. But the 26-year-old withstood the pressure to secure a brilliant victory.

Saturday’s result was the 10th 1-2 finish for the pair, with Newgarden claiming seven wins and O’Ward now prevailing three times.

“Josef’s the master at these races,” O’Ward said. “He rules around here. So I knew that we had to be spot-on and I had to be so precise on the in-laps to beat him at his own game.

Newgarden fell .2352s shy of O’Ward as the checkered flag flew. “O’Ward got track position there and it was game over,” he said. “Simple as that.”

It was all Team Penske in O’Ward’s mirror, with Will Power completing the podium in third and Scott McLaughlin mounting a fierce charge from 27th to finish fourth. Alex Palou wrapped up the top-five to keep his championship advantage comfortably intact.

Christian Rasmussen, Conor Daly, Santino Ferrucci, Marcus Armstrong and Scott Dixon wrapped up the top 10.

Saturday’s race was predictably busy, with the challenging Iowa track catching drivers out as they pushed to make gains on a day when passing proved difficult.

The first caution came right at the start of the race, when Colton Herta spun through the infield grass. Jacob Abel crashed on lap 75, Kyle Kirkwood got into the turn 2 wall on lap 153 and both Nolan seal and Callum Ilott suffered shunts in the final stint. Five of the race’s 27 drivers failed to make the finish and only 15 made it to the checkered flag on the lead lap.

Of them all, none stood taller than O’Ward. Now he’ll come back on Sunday and try to repeat the success.
“We have another chance tomorrow,” O’Ward said. “It’d be sweet to double up.”

The IndyCar field will go live from Iowa on FOX again Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET for the Farm to Finish 275.