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Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C. - August 23, 2026

JOSEF NEWGARDEN No. 2 ASTEMO CHEVROLET

START: 14TH 
FINISH: 8TH 
POINTS: 6TH (-177)
 

RACE RUNDOWN: Josef Newgarden and the No. 2 Astemo Chevrolet team battled forward throughout Sunday's Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., turning a 16th-place starting position into an eighth-place finish. Following an early Full Course Yellow on Lap 2, Newgarden steadily worked his way through the field, climbing into the top 10 by Lap 24 while carefully managing tire wear on the demanding street circuit. Throughout the 250-mile event, Newgarden and the team focused on improving rear stability by adjusting during each pit stop to keep pace with changing track conditions. Strong pit work and a consistent race pace allowed the No. 2 Chevrolet to remain in contention, advancing as high as ninth by Lap 57. The team continued to fine-tune the car's handling with wing adjustments during the race's closing stages. After a final stop on Lap 111 for alternate Firestone tires, fuel, and additional aerodynamic adjustments, Newgarden maintained his position inside the top 10 and brought the Astemo Chevrolet home eighth. The result capped off a determined effort by the No. 2 team and added another solid points finish.

NEWGARDEN'S THOUGHTS: "You've got to give a lot of credit to everybody. Fox has given us such great coverage. This entire year, you guys have done a great job. Penske Entertainment really did a phenomenal job getting this off the ground. This is not easy to do and it's the coolest backdrop, I think we've had in sports. Really. It really felt like the Indianapolis 500 here today, which is so unique. We don't have that anywhere else in in the United States. I know we all really enjoyed it and maybe we'll come back. I would love to have another shot. Today in the Astemo Chevy, you know, I've not been in the best shape this year. But, if we come back, that would be amazing. But if not, we'll treasure this. This moment that we had was really cool."

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN No. 3 PPG CHEVROLET

START: 3RD 
FINISH: 22ND  
POINTS: 9TH (-199)
 

RACE RUNDOWN: Scott McLaughlin and the No. 3 PPG Chevrolet team were fixtures at the front of the field for most of Sunday's Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. before an aggressive move for the lead resulted in heavy damage to the PPG Chevy, ending their day early. The New Zealand-American was making his 100th NTT INDYCAR SERIES start on Sunday, and he began the race from the third position for his seventh top five starting spot of 2026. Electing to start the race on the Firestone alternate tire, McLaughlin held firm to the third position through the team's first pit stop of the day following a Lap 38 caution period. After restarting from the seventh position, McLaughlin quickly drove his way back inside the top five, showing the strength of his PPG Chevy. With the race featuring four caution periods through the first 50 laps, there were plenty of varying fuel strategies spread amongst the field. Yet, at the end of the second and third pit cycles, McLaughlin could be found in the second position and closing the gap to the race leader. Unfortunately, the sixth caution of the day came on a Lap 129 restart when McLaughlin pounced on an opening left by eventual race winner, Kyle Kirkwood but locked the rear tires and made heavy contact with the outside wall to cut a historic, milestone day short. 
 

MCLAUGHLIN'S THOUGHTS:  "I felt my tires were pretty solid on the warm-up lap and I was like, I'm going to have a crack here, and misjudged how loose it was down the inside there. It was one of those chances. Kyle has been quick all weekend, and I just want to get some track position. Basically, just lost it. Locked the rears and away she went. Sucks for my PPG Chevy team, I thought we did a really good job all day. I feel for them. I went for it, and sometimes that what happens."

DAVID MALUKAS No. 12 VERIZON CHEVROLET

START: 6TH  
FINISH: 24TH  
POINTS: 4TH (-142)
 

RACE RUNDOWN: David Malukas and the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet team had high hopes for a solid finish in Sunday's Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. before an early incident left them with a 24th-place finish. The Chicago native was one of eight American-born drivers in the field of the patriotic event and he began the weekend by placing his Verizon Chevy inside the Firestone Fast Six for the 10th time in 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. Starting from the sixth position on the red Firestone alternate tire, Malukas and the No. 7 of Christian Lundgaard got the exciting action started with a spirited battle over the opening laps of the event. The crew called Malukas down pit lane for the first time on Lap 24 for a change to the primary tire and he restarted from the 21st position after being one of the few drivers to pit. However, on Lap 38 Malukas slid through the seventh corner and made hard contact with the outside wall and was then hit by the No. 77 of Sting Ray Robb who had nowhere to go to avoid the No. 12 Chevy. 
 

MALUKAS' THOUGHTS: "Yes, all good. Obviously, first, I want to apologize, Stingray (Robb), there was nothing you can really do there. It was just me. I just want to apologize to the teams, the sponsors, everybody. Obviously, big race here, but I don't really know what's been going on with me. Just in a bad run of form here in the past few races. So, need to get back to work, and figure out what's going on, if it's mentally, if it's physically, I don't really know, but I got to work on myself here. Got a few more races to finish off the season, and, have to make sure I can put myself back on form."

The 16th and 17th rounds of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship will take place at the legendary Milwaukee Mile. Coverage of the Snap-on Makers and Fixers 250 takes place on Saturday, August 29th at 2:30 pm E.T. Sunday's Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 coverage will begin at 1:00 pm E.T. Both races will be televised on FOX.