McLaughlin Wins in Milwaukee; INDYCAR Title Decided in Nashville

Scott McLaughlin achieved his third victory of the season in the second race of the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s doubleheader. The New Zealand driver, at the wheel of the Team Penske Chevrolet, crossed the finish line just .4558 seconds ahead of his compatriot Scott Dixon, who drove for Chip Ganassi Racing.

Third place went to Colton Herta of Andretti Global. McLaughlin, who started from the sixth position, overtook Herta on lap 218 after an intense three-lap battle. This decisive maneuver was made possible by McLaughlin’s fresher tires and traffic on the track that allowed him to close the gap to Herta.

Ferrucci and Ericsson in the Top Five

Santino Ferrucci, driving for A.J. Foyt Enterprises, secured a solid fourth place, repeating his result from the weekend’s first race. Marcus Ericsson, in the Andretti Global Honda, finished fifth, his best result since the Mid-Ohio race in July.

Palou Holds the Lead Despite Mechanical Issues

Reigning series champion Alex Palou had a challenging day in Milwaukee. An electrical problem in his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda forced him to pit and then return to the garage for repairs before completing a lap. Despite finishing 19th, 28 laps behind the leader, Palou maintains a 33-point lead over Will Power, who finished 10th.

With just one race remaining in Nashville, Palou remains the main title contender, while McLaughlin, third in the standings, still has a slim mathematical chance of becoming champion if Palou fails to start the final race.

Nashville Will Decide the Title

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship will be decided on September 15 at Nashville Superspeedway. Palou and Power, both two-time champions, will face off in a direct battle for the Astor Challenge Cup. McLaughlin, who is 50 points behind Palou, needs the Spaniard to miss the race to have any chance of taking the title.