Pato O’Ward storms to IndyCar Iowa Speedway 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.

Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, Patricio O'ward, Arrow McLaren, Will Power, Team Penske (Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Lumen via Getty Images)

“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.

Start of the IndyCar Synk 275 powered by Sukup at Iowa Speedway (Photo by: Penske Entertainment / Chris Owens)

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 Siegel 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.

Photos from IOWA - Qualifying & Race 1

1 - 2
Cla	Driver	#	Laps	Time	Interval	Mph	Pits	Points	Retirement
1	P. O'Ward Arrow McLaren	5	275	1:45'58.4818		178.631	4
2	J. Newgarden Team Penske	2	275	+0.2352 1:45'58.7170	0.2352	178.478	4
3	W. Power Team Penske	12	275	+1.2128 1:45'59.6946	0.9776	177.684	4
4	S. McLaughlin Team Penske	3	275	+2.3576 1:46'00.8394	1.1448	173.618	4
5	A. Palou Chip Ganassi Racing	10	275	+3.0020 1:46'01.4838	0.6444	175.512	4
6	C. Rasmussen Ed Carpenter Racing	21	275	+3.6218 1:46'02.1036	0.6198	175.477	4
7	C. Daly Juncos Hollinger Racing	76	275	+3.7720 1:46'02.2538	0.1502	177.624	4
8	S. Ferrucci A.J. Foyt Enterprises	14	275	+4.0938 1:46'02.5756	0.3218	175.980	4
9	M. Armstrong Meyer Shank Racing	66	275	+4.9885 1:46'03.4703	0.8947	174.416	4
10	S. Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing	9	275	+5.5263 1:46'04.0081	0.5378	175.221	4
11	G. Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	15	275	+6.1942 1:46'04.6760	0.6679	170.415	4
12	D. Malukas A.J. Foyt Enterprises	4	275	+6.3619 1:46'04.8437	0.1677	175.431	4
13	C. Herta Andretti Global	26	275	+7.2357 1:46'05.7175	0.8738	172.979	4
14	L. Foster Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	45	275	+7.9742 1:46'06.4560	0.7385	173.571	5
15	M. Ericsson Andretti Global	28	275	+8.2510 1:46'06.7328	0.2768	173.545	5
16	R. van Kalmthout Dale Coyne Racing	18	274	+1 Lap 1:46'08.0067	1 Lap	173.236	5
17	F. Rosenqvist Meyer Shank Racing	60	274	+1 Lap 1:46'08.3492	0.3425	173.206	5
18	K. Simpson Chip Ganassi Racing	8	274	+1 Lap 1:46'08.7208	0.3716	173.034	5
19	D. DeFrancesco Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	30	274	+1 Lap 1:46'09.2836	0.5628	173.141	5
20	R. Shwartzman Prema Racing	83	274	+1 Lap 1:46'10.2454	0.9618	170.543	5
21	C. Lundgaard Arrow McLaren	7	274	+1 Lap 1:46'10.9926	0.7472	168.196	5
22	R. Robb Sting Juncos Hollinger Racing	77	274	+1 Lap 1:46'11.3384	0.3458	168.949	5
23	C. Ilott Prema Racing	90	261	+14 Laps 1:44'38.7957	13 Laps	12.759	8		Accident
24	N. Siegel Arrow McLaren	6	246	+29 Laps 1:29'35.0665	15 Laps	168.859	3		Accident
25	A. Rossi Ed Carpenter Racing	20	236	+39 Laps 1:26'52.2532	10 Laps	91.797	4		Mechanical
26	K. Kirkwood Andretti Global	27	151	+124 Laps 54'35.3275	85 Laps	168.121	1		Accident
27	J. Abel Dale Coyne Racing	51	72	+203 Laps 25'40.8275	79 Laps	160.631			Accident
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