NTT INDYCAR SERIES Race Report - Laguna Seca

July 28, 2025

Grand Prix of Monterey
Salinas, CA - July 27, 2025

JOSEF NEWGARDEN No. 2 ASTEMO CHEVROLET

START: 4TH  
FINISH: 11TH  
POINTS: 15TH (-358)

RACE RUNDOWN: Josef Newgarden and the No. 2 Astemo Chevrolet team scored a solid, much-needed finish by taking the checkered flag in Sunday's Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in the 11th position. The two-time Indianapolis 500 winner led the Team Penske qualifying effort on Saturday afternoon and started the 95-lap event from the fourth position on the softer Firestone tires. Two quick caution flags interrupted the racing action early allowing several competitors an opportunity to visit pit lane while the Astemo team stuck to their pre-race strategy. After making their first pit stop on Lap 26 for an additional round of the softer compound tire, Newgarden drove his way into the third position before making his second trip to pit lane on Lap 52. This time, the pit crew applied the harder Firestone tire for its mandatory usage on a day when the softer tire was preferred. That, coupled with an overcut by other competitors during the pit cycle, resulted in Newgarden cycling to just outside the top 10. As the racing intensified over the final laps, Newgarden was nearly able to return to the top 10 but was not able to get past several cars that elected to stop during the early caution periods that proved to be the advantageous strategy.

NEWGARDEN'S THOUGHTS: "Honestly, it was great to get a solid, fairly stress-free finish this weekend. We've had a tough stretch here with DNFs and that has us behind a bit from where we need to be. Everyone on the Astemo Chevy has kept their head down and has put in the work necessary for us to pull out of this valley we're in currently. Today was a lot about pit and tire strategy and we just came out on the wrong side of that, particularly on our second stint when we were overcut on a primary tire run. That cost us quite a bit of position and we did our best to claw that back before the checkered."

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN No. 3 XPEL CHEVROLET

START: 13TH  
FINISH: 10TH 
POINTS: 11TH (-331)

RACE RUNDOWN: Scott McLaughlin and the No. 3 XPEL Chevrolet team came home with a 10th-place finish in Sunday's Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Team Penske's all-time leader in pole positions just missed transferring to the second round of qualifying on Saturday and took the green flag from the 13th position. As with his Team Penske teammates, McLaughlin and crew elected to start the race on the softer Firestone tire compound and they stuck to their pre-race strategy through two early caution periods that resulted in McLaughlin racing his way inside the top 10. On a day when the harder Firestone compound was the preferred tire, McLaughlin and crew chose to change to that compound on the team's third pit stop of the day, losing only a few positions as McLaughlin pushed hard after returning to the track. The seven-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES race winner was able to make his way around teammate Josef Newgarden late in the event to score a top 10 finish.

MCLAUGHLIN'S THOUGHTS: "Not a bad day for XPEL Chevy. I felt like our potential was probably into the top five or top eight, but we still salvaged a top ten. Not everything went our way, but we finished, and it's nice to get a full race in with the boys. The car was OK. It can be better, but making improvements. Just trying to get a little bit of our mojo back, and we started that this weekend."

WILL POWER No. 12 VERIZON CHEVROLET

START: 5TH 
FINISH: 7TH 
POINTS: 9TH (-301)

RACE RUNDOWN: Will Power and the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet team paced the Team Penske trio of drivers with a seventh-place finish in Sunday's Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. After starting from the fifth position, Power was able to maintain his spot until the team's first pit stop on Lap 26 where a second set of the Firestone soft compound tire was placed on his Verizon Chevy. Power would cycle back to the 12th position before driving his way to the race lead during the second pit cycle of the 95-lap event. His stint on the Firestone primary tire resulted in Power dropping to the back half of the top 10, but he was able to settle in and turn competitive lap times to hold his track position through the checkered flag. 

POWER'S THOUGHTS: "I think we end up around the top five if we start on the primary tire. That would have allowed us to run reds to the end but also come in under that second yellow flag. If we are able to pit there for the red tires we run with (Scott) Dixon and (Callum) Illot and I think we may have had them on pace. The weekend break comes at a good time for everyone on the Verizon Chevy team because there has been a lot of work going on the last few weeks."

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES will enjoy a weekend off before visiting the Pacific Northwest and the Portland International Raceway on Sunday, August 10 for Round 15 of the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule. All of the racing action can be seen on FOX beginning at 3:00 pm ET.