STEAM CORNERS, Ohio — What started as an Arrow McLaren 1-2 sweep of the front row, finished with a 1-2 sweep of the podium but the positions were reversed at the end of 90 laps in Sunday’s Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Christian Lundgaard started on the pole ahead of teammate Pato O’Ward, but at the checkered flag it was O’Ward who won the race over Lundgaard.
It was O’Ward’s first NTT IndyCar Series win of the season, and his first podium finish in 2026. Lundgaard, who earlier in the weekend got the news that he was free to look for another ride in 2027, was attempting to win his second-straight race after winning two weekends ago at Road America
O’Ward’s No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet won at Mid-Ohio for the second time in the last three races. His last win at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course was in 2024.
The driver from Monterrey, Mexico defeated Lundgaard by 0.9877 seconds. It was the first time Arrow McLaren has finished 1-2 in an IndyCar Series race.
The race was completed without a caution period.
It was O’Ward’s 10th IndyCar win of his career.
“It’s been a year, it’s been a tough one for sure,” O’Ward said. “Today is a perfect example of execution. I waited for the perfect time to pounce and from there, we just controlled it. The guys were amazing in the pits and have worked very hard to give me that every single weekend.
“This car has been a joy to drive all weekend. Glad to win again here at Mid-Ohio. The best result as a team we have had with a 1-2.
“I’m toasty. I’m catching my breath.”
Lundgaard has two wins and two second-place finishes on road courses this season.
“I’m just trying to catch my breath,” Lundgaard said. “That was a very long, very tough race. We were very loose. In these conditions when you are loose, the car is very tough to drive. I wasn’t happy with the rear of the car, but congrats to Pato for winning.
“He was much stronger in Turn 2 than I was. I wasn’t fast where I needed to be fast.”
Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood was third in the No. 27 Honda followed by Rinus VeeKay in the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet and Palou’s No. 10 OpenAI Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
“The 76 crew did a good job and we made a good strategy plan because the Reds would be hard to hold onto,” VeeKay said. “We started on the Reds and had some really good pit stops by the crew.
“For the really small team we are, once we got up front, we can run with the big guys.”
With eight laps to go, Lundgaard had cut O’Ward’s lead to just over one second. When O’Ward left pit lane after his final pit stop on Lap 65, the lead was over four seconds so Lundgaard was making progress but running out of laps to catch his teammate.
O’Ward’s lead stabilized and was able to keep Lundgaard in his side-view mirrors all the way to the checkered flag.
Alex Palou, who entered the race with a 60-point lead over David Malukas, finished fifth. That has jumbled the NTT IndyCar Series Championship as the top four are now within 66 points from first to fourth.
Palou leads Kirkwood by 56 points, Lundgaard by 65 and Team Penske’s Malukas by 66. O’Ward is fifth, 94 points behind Palou with six races remaining.
“We needed a bit more speed today,” Palou said. “I had speed on the soft tires, but when we went on the Blacks, I struggled for speed. But we moved from P8 to P5 today so looking ahead to the next one.”
It was another hot, humid day at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and by running green flag start to finish, it took its toll on the drivers.
O’Ward led the most laps in the race with 45. Lundgaard was next with 41. Josef Newgarden and Will Power led two laps each.
Because of the heat, the harder Firestone Black tires were the preferred rubber, so teams used the Firestone Reds for the mandatory minimum single run.
When the closing portion of the race was a battle between two of the three Arrow McLaren drivers, Sporting Director Ryan Hunter-Reay expressed his thoughts.
“It’s tough, man,” Hunter-Reay said. “I feel like I’m watching my kids. It’s been a great effort all weekend. We’ve got the best in the business out there. Clean air is crucial. The gap hasn’t been closing at an alarming rate. Pato has been very quiet today, which for a driver is a very good thing.”
With 16 laps to go, Lundgaard cuts O’Ward’s lead in half to 2.192. The gap got even smaller but there was little Lundgaard could do to catch O’Ward at the end.
