Scott McLaughlin dominates to his third win at Portland International Raceway

On Sunday afternoon, the NTT IndyCar Series held its second to last race of the season at Portland International Raceway’s Grand Prix of Portland.

Scott McLaughlin started the race on the pole, with Will Power starting second. Initially, Josef Newgarden qualified second, but a six-spot grid penalty for a premature engine change, and he started in eighth place.

Christian Lundgaard moved up to second place shortly after taking the green flag. McLaughlin led the opening 21 laps before making a pit stop, and Lundgaard was the new leader. Once everyone made pit stops, McLaughlin went back to the lead.

In the back, Josef Newgarden, who did not get off to a good start, passed Alex Palou for fifth place on lap 43. Five laps later, McLaughlin made his second pit stop, and Will Power was the new leader. Once pit stops were completed, Scott McLaughlin was back in the lead.

On lap 67, Conor Daly made a pit stop, and his car caught on fire, ending his day. Eleven laps later, the race’s first caution came out when Rinus VeeKay drove Jimmie Johnson right up the wall heading into turn one. His left rear tire made contact with Johnson’s right front tire, causing Johnson to hit the wall. VeeKay was issued a drive-through penalty for avoidable contact.

Up front, McLaughlin made one more pit stop and led the last 30 laps to win the race by 1.1792 seconds over Will Power for his third win of the season, and he stays alive in the championship with one race to go.

The rest of the top ten finishers were Scott Dixon third, Pato O’Ward fourth, Graham Rahal fifth, Colton Herta sixth, Alexander Rossi seventh, Josef Newgarden eighth, Callum Ilott ninth, and Felix Rosenqvist tenth. There were nine lead changes and four cautions for four laps.

As a result, there will be a new champion as Alex Palou and Pato O’Ward were eliminated from the championship contention. Will Power has a 20-point lead over Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon heading into the final race of the season. In addition, Marcus Ericsson is 39 points behind Power, and Scott McLaughlin is 41 points behind Power in the championship.

“The Freightliner Chevy all weekend has been fast and has been right there when we needed it, and the team, the Thirsty 3’s, got the job done in the pits,” said McLaughlin. “We did exactly what we needed to do this weekend, and that was a win and get max points and keep ourselves in the fight. Yeah, we’re a long shot. I don’t care. But we’re a shot, and I’m looking forward to it.”

“I want to win this championship for the guys that have been with me for more than a decade,” said Will Power. “It’s a lot less selfish for me this time around because they deserve it. I feel their pain over the years of losing so many, so I would love to win it for them.”

The NTT IndyCar Series closes out the 2022 season next Sunday from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca at 3 pm on NBC. Tickets for the race can be purchased on StubHub.

Finishing Order: