News

Bommarito Automotive Group 500
Madison, IL - June 7, 2026

JOSEF NEWGARDEN No. 2 ASTEMO CHEVROLET
START: 8TH 
FINISH: 1ST 
POINTS: 6TH (-104)

RACE RUNDOWN: Neither an injured left foot nor the threat of inclement weather could keep Josef Newgarden and the No. 2 Astemo Chevrolet team from scoring their second victory of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season in the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 on Sunday evening at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR). The win runs Newgarden's WWTR-record to six victories at the 1.25-mile oval as he continues to cement his legacy as one of the series' greatest oval racers. The Nashville native began the race from the eighth position but quickly raced his way into the top five on the first lap of action, and Newgarden would cycle to the second position following the team's first pit stop of the day on Lap 51. He would keep his Astemo Chevy at the front of the field through the first half of the 160-lap event before two red-flag periods for rain began to shake up the strategies up and down pit lane. Newgarden assumed the lead for the first time on Lap 178, and great pit work resulted in him keeping the lead after pitting just one lap later. As the race entered the final 50 laps, Newgarden and Christian Rassmussen swapped the lead on several occasions before Newgarden took control of the race and cruised to his 34th career victory. He is now tied for ninth on the all-time series wins list with Al Unser, Jr., just one victory away from the eighth position held by Bobby Unser.

NEWGARDEN'S THOUGHTS: "This team right here. This Astemo crew. Team Chevy, we had everything we needed tonight with Team Penske. Great job to the group. It was a methodical night. we had a good car at the start. It wasn't perfect and it came to us just as we needed, as we tweaked on it. They called the race (the timing stand). It was a track position race. You have to give a lot of credit to Marcus. He was incredibly strong. I don't think there was much between us. It was a matter of who was going to get positioning on each other and that's what is going to seal the deal. He drove a great race and certainly could have won this as well. This team did the job tonight and that's why we are here."

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN No. 3 DEX CHEVROLET
START: 5TH 
FINISH: 5TH  
POINTS: 7TH (-120)

RACE RUNDOWN: Scott McLaughlin and the No. 3 DEX Chevrolet team used a timely pit stop for fresh tires late in Sunday's Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway to come home with a fifth-place finish. It was a special weekend for the No. 3 team as they raced a paint scheme that Helio Castroneves made famous by winning the 2009 Indianapolis 500 as part of Team Penske's year-long 60th anniversary celebration. McLaughlin qualified his DEX Chevy in the fifth position on Saturday afternoon, but from the drop of the green flag he was forced to deal with handling issues that resulted in the loss of several positions. McLaughlin continued to adjust the tools at his disposal inside the cockpit while the No. 3 Chevy team continued to make improvements to the handling on each pit stop, eventually working his way back to the seventh position when a caution flag flew on Lap 227. Race strategist Tim Cindric called McLaughlin down pit lane for fresh Firestone tires and his pit crew ensured he was the first car off pit lane following service. Restarting in the ninth position, McLaughlin quickly diced through the field on the opening laps back to green to grab his third top-five finish of the year.

MCLAUGHLIN'S THOUGHTS:  "An up and down day for the No. 3 DEX Chevy. The car wasn't that great to start with, but we tuned her up as the race went on. Pretty happy overall with how the day went. We were looking at P15 for a little bit and we managed to get a top five. Good tune up on the cars. Then we just managed to wheel ourselves forward when we had better tires. A good run."  

DAVID MALUKAS No. 12 VERIZON CHEVROLET
START: 2ND  
FINISH: 7TH  
POINTS: 3RD (-68)

RACE RUNDOWN: David Malukas and the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet team overcame the challenges of an ill-handling racecar to score a solid, seventh-place finish in Sunday night's Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway. The Chicago native continued his strong run of qualifying in 2026 by securing the outside pole position on Saturday afternoon. He quickly settled into the second position when the race began, but handling issues began to arise just before the team made their first pit stop of the day on Lap 51 as Malukas entered pit lane from the fourth position. Two red-flag periods for light rain gave Malukas and team opportunities to discuss what adjustments would be needed to finish the 260-lap event with a strong Chevy capable of racing towards the front. In the end, Malukas proved his mettle by holding on to a loose Chevy over the last stint of the race, gaining seven positions over the last 50 laps to grab his seventh finish of seventh or better on the year. 
 

MALUKAS' THOUGHTS: "Overall, a really good recovery on what was a tough start with the setup. We just missed the window, and we were going into every stop to mess with the front wing and do whatever we can we this car to get it into a raceable window. In the end we had to commit with it being loose on exits, on entries, everywhere on those last few runs just to have any sort of pace. So, I was holding on for dear life, but thankfully we brought it home. Big thank you to Chevy, Verizon and everybody on Team Penske to not give up and keep pushing on. We learned a lot."

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES will enjoy a welcomed off weekend before visiting Road America on Sunday, June 21 for the 10th round of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship.