Same papaya, different day. Different driver, too. That was Arrow McLaren’s swap at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course where Pato O’Ward – and not polesitter Christian Lundgaard – won The Honda Indy 200 Presented by the 2027 CR-V Hybrid, the 11th race of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.
Lundgaard and O’Ward had started the 90-lap race together on the front row, and they effectively held their positions throughout a caution-free race except when they pitted. But on Lap 42, O’Ward capitalized on the polesitter’s wide exit off Turn 2, swiping the lead and holding it the rest of the way.
The win was the first for O’Ward in nearly a year since he won last season’s Toronto street race. That was 15 races ago, a drought he couldn’t accept, especially as Lundgaard has won two races this year, including the most recent race at Road America.
The win also gave Arrow McLaren its first 1-2 finish in this series.
O’Ward hadn’t even scored a top-three finish this season despite being fifth in the standings. His best runs had been three fourth-place finishes and three fifth-place finishes.
O’Ward’s pass of Lundgaard was noteworthy for a couple reasons, not the least of which stemming from what happens at year’s end. They are in their second season as teammates, but all signs point to Lundgaard driving elsewhere next year as Scott Dixon and Felix Rosenqvist join O’Ward on the team.
That situation made O’Ward’s pouncing opportunity all the more interesting.
Lundgaard drifted a bit wide on the exit of Turn 2, allowing O’Ward to size him up and get a better run down the long straightaway that serves as the race’s starting point. By the time they arrived at the tricky, right-turning fourth corner, the cars were side by side, O’Ward on the outside. They touched at least twice at corner exit, and O’Ward had the preferred line into Turn 5 – and he used it.
By the time the Arrow McLaren twosome charged into Thunder Valley, O’Ward had the lead. Later, he used a key pass of series rookie Dennis Hauger to create additional separation leading into the final pit stop. O’Ward stayed out as Lundgaard, along with two other challengers pitted, and he then ran two laps longer to pad his lead.
O’Ward’s winning margin was .9877 of a second, earning his second Mid-Ohio victory in the past three years. This win was the 10th of his career, almost divided equally by circuit (four on ovals, three on street circuits, three on road courses).
Lundgaard’s second-place finish continued his strong season on road courses. In addition to winning races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Road America, he also finished second at Barber Motorsports Park. With Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou finishing fifth, Lundgaard drew within 65 points of the series leader.
Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood finished third, getting a few points closer to Palou. Their separation is now 56 points, and Kirkwood overtook Team Penske’s David Malukas, who finished eighth, for second place in the standings. Lundgaard also jumped Malukas with O’Ward fifth. The top four drivers are separated by 66 points with seven races remaining, led by the July 19 Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix presented by OnlyBulls at Nashville Superspeedway.
VeeKay scored his second fourth-place finish in the past three races following another such finish last month at World Wide Technology Raceway.
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