News

XPEL Grand Prix at Road America
Elkhart Lake, WI - June 22, 2025

JOSEF NEWGARDEN No. 2 PPG CHEVROLET

START: 10TH  
FINISH: 25TH  
POINTS: 17TH (-249)

RACE RUNDOWN: Josef Newgarden and the No. 2 PPG Chevrolet team finished 25th in Sunday's XPEL Grand Prix at Road America on a hot, humid Wisconsin day. A tight qualifying session saw Newgarden qualify in the 10th position on Saturday afternoon. He picked up three spots early in the race that featured three quick caution periods before bringing the PPG Chevy to pit lane for the first time on Lap 11 for fuel and a second set of the soft Firestone tires. Newgarden's second stint of the race featured several bouts of intense racing that may have resulted in the punctured tire that brought the two-time Road America winner back to pit lane for an unscheduled pit stop on Lap 22. Needing to lay down quick lap times on an updated strategy, Newgarden began to work his way through the field once he returned to the track. Unfortunately, Newgarden would spin his Chevy in Turn 14 on Lap 31, making heavy contact with the inside tire barrier. The damage was too severe for him to continue.

NEWGARDEN'S THOUGHTS: "I really feel that the PPG Chevy was a top five car today. Our strategy likely wasn't going to work out to where we could win but it is disappointing to find ourselves with another DNF. We had to pit off strategy for our second stop for a tire puncture, which put us in the strategy position we were in. Just pushing hard there on black tires to try and keep up with the 9 car and just pushed too hard in Turn 14."

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN No. 3 XPEL CHEVROLET

START: 4TH  
FINISH: 12TH 
POINTS: 8TH (-196)

RACE RUNDOWN: Scott McLaughlin and the No. 3 XPEL Chevrolet team fell victim to strategy in their 12th-place finish in Sunday's XPEL Grand Prix at Road America after leading laps early in the event. The New Zealander made quick work of the competition at the drop of the green flag, moving up two spots from his fourth place starting position before a quick caution fell on the first lap. When the race resumed on the third lap, McLaughlin used a strong move to take the lead in the first corner and would maintain the top spot until making his first pit stop at Lap 11. McLaughlin would stay inside the top five for most of the race, but untimely caution flags altered the team's strategy as the race began to favor the teams that stopped earlier during the multiple yellow flag periods early in the race. The XPEL Chevy team performed their final pit stop on Lap 40, forcing McLaughlin to save fuel for most of the final stint and not allowing him to show the speed he exhibited early in the race. McLaughlin was able to stretch his fuel for a 12th-place finish before he ran out on the cool down lap.

MCLAUGHLIN'S THOUGHTS: "Just an unfortunate day today. That's about all I can say. We drove out to the lead there but those early yellows just gave so many opportunities to do something different with strategy. In the end that is what got us. I appreciate all of the support from XPEL for the No. 3 team and we really want to win this race for them and for Chevy. That's racing."

WILL POWER No. 12 VERIZON CHEVROLET

START: 8TH 
FINISH: 14TH 
POINTS: 7TH (-189)

RACE RUNDOWN: Will Power and the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet team finished 14th in Sunday's XPEL Grand Prix at Road America following a mid-race spin that lost them considerable track position. Power nearly transferred to the Firestone Fast Six in the Saturday qualifying session before starting the race from the eighth position. The two-time Road America winner quickly set his sights on the top five as the race began, reaching that threshold on the fifth lap after an entertaining battle with eventual race winner, Alex Palou. After hitting pit lane with his teammates under a caution on Lap 11, Power restarted from the 11th position. He then entered a hard-fought battle with the No. 27 of Kyle Kirkwood, eventually being forced off track on Lap 14 before settling back into a rhythm. Power was able to work his way back inside the top 10 before making his second stop of the day on Lap 23 for fuel and the harder Firestone primary tire. He restarted from the 15th position but spun his Chevy in "Canada Corner" just four laps later to drop to the 18th position. Despite being off the preferred strategy that materialized during the 55-lap event, Power was able to nearly work his way back to a top 10 finish before crossing the line in the 14th position.

POWER'S THOUGHTS: "Tough day for the Verizon Chevy team with where the yellows fell for us. Couldn't do much with that. Another rough day for us, man. Very, very, very tough season. Move onto the next one."

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES will take a week off before the traditional Fourth of July weekend race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on July 6. The green flag drops at 1:00 pm ET on FOX.