Overview

• In his 100th IndyCar start, O’Ward held off Josef Newgarden after a final-lap restart to claim his first victory of the season.
• Newgarden led 232 of 275 laps and became the first driver to surpass 2,000 laps led at Iowa but settled for second place.
• O’Ward’s triumph ended Chevrolet’s winless streak and halted Honda’s midseason dominance under Alex Palou.
• Palou retained pole for Sunday’s doubleheader finale and saw his points buffer reduced to 461–356 over O’Ward.
• Attention now shifts to Sunday’s 275-lap race at Iowa Speedway where pit-stop strategies are poised to shape the outcome again.