News

Grand Prix of Portland
Portland, OR - August 9, 2026

JOSEF NEWGARDEN No. 2 ASTEMO CHEVROLET

START: 14TH 
FINISH: 8TH 
POINTS: 7TH (-175)

RACE RUNDOWN: Josef Newgarden and the No. 2 Astemo Chevrolet team were flawless in their execution in Sunday's Grand Prix of Portland on their way to an eighth-place finish. After a costly pit lane speeding violation in Saturday's qualifying session, Newgarden began Sunday's race from the 14th position. An early caution on Lap 8 allowed his Astemo team to bring the two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion down pit lane to remove the Firestone primary tire, apply the alternate tire and alter the strategy of the 110-lap event. While it meant Newgarden would need to make one extra pit stop on the day, it allowed him to cycle in and out of the lead in hopes of catching a beneficial yellow flag. Despite not catching that break, Newgarden was one of only four drivers to lead laps on the day and nearly came away with a top five finish before crossing the finish line in eighth.

NEWGARDEN'S THOUGHTS: "A great day of execution by the Astemo Chevy team today. Jonathan (Diuguid) and the team were really on top of the strategy today. It looked like we might be able to come away with a top five but some others kind took our strategy away on the last cycle. Those are the kind of days to build on for sure."

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN No. 3 SONSIO CHEVROLET

START: 13TH 
FINISH: 7TH  
POINTS: 8TH (-189)

RACE RUNDOWN: Scott McLaughlin and the No. 3 Sonsio Chevrolet team turned in a solid performance in Sunday's Grand Prix of Portland, leading Team Penske with a seventh place finish at the NTT INDYCAR SERIES' only stop in the Pacific Northwest. McLaughlin was the only Team Penske driver to start the race on the alternate Firestone tire, which would prove to be the preferred compound on the day. Despite having to deal with an understeer condition on the opening stint, McLaughlin carved his way inside the top 10 following his first pit stop of the day on Lap 27. While the Sonsio crew improved the handling condition with several front wing adjustments on subsequent pit stops, McLaughlin could not crack the top five despite another solid day on pit lane for the No. 3 crew. He would remain just outside that threshold for the rest of the event, crossing the finish line in the seventh position.  

MCLAUGHLIN'S THOUGHTS:  "Moved from 13th to 7th in Sonsio Chevy. Probably maxed out what we could. Pretty solid we moved up in the exchanges, had pretty decent pace and looked after the fuel. Good pit stops again. Handed the boys a bit of a wild card, pitted two laps before I was supposed to. TC says let's just keep opening the drapes. I love that. We'll just keep opening the drapes."

DAVID MALUKAS No. 12 VERIZON CHEVROLET

START: 15TH  
FINISH: 12TH  
POINTS: 3RD (-118)

RACE RUNDOWN: David Malukas and the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet team fought through severe handling ailments early in the 110-lap Grand Prix of Portland to score a respectable, 12th-place finish on Sunday afternoon. After making it into the second round of qualifying on Saturday afternoon and finishing with the ninth fastest lap, Malukas had to serve a six-position grid penalty before the race began for an engine change at the last race weekend in Nashville. When the race began, the first-year Team Penske driver immediately grabbed two positions over the opening laps, but under a Lap 8 caution the INDYCAR officiating crew ruled that he blocked the No. 20 of Alexander Rossi in Turn 4 of the opening lap. He was forced to relinquish two positions before settling back into the 14th position. A severe understeer issue began to show itself just before the team's first pit stop on Lap 30 and after cycling back into the pack, Malukas was not able to advance his position much. After several large adjustments to the front wing over the course of the race, the handling improved to allow Malukas to start working his way back to the front of the field to nearly finish inside the top 10. 

MALUKAS' THOUGHTS: "We went forward at the drop of the green flag, but unfortunately, we had a penalty. Went two positions back. Outside of that, we missed the mark on strategy and missed the mark on car set-up. By the end of the race, we ended up getting into a good window, but it was already 80 or 90 laps too late. Unfortunate. A lot of missed potential in that race. We learned a lot. First year with the new team. It's a lot of learning curves, so we'll take it into next year. Big thank you to Verizon and Chevy, we had a lot of good pace. We'll get them next time."

The 14th round of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season will see the first of two consecutive new circuits as the series makes its annual migration to Canada for the inaugural Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham. The new venue features a 12-turn, 2.19-mile temporary street circuit in the Toronto suburb of Markham, ON. Coverage begins at 12:00 pm ET on FOX.