The NTT IndyCar Series returned to Texas Motor Speedway for the PPG 375 over the weekend and delivered an exciting finish.
The race was the second event of the 2023 IndyCar season and featured the most lead changes in a race at Texas Motor Speedway since 2000 and the second-most passes since the organization began tracking the stat in 2006.
Josef Newgarden of Penske Racing took home the crown over second-place finisher Pato O’Ward after a race filled with crashes, restarts, and lead changes.
Alex Palou finished in third, while David Malukas and Scott Dixon rounded out the top five.
Newgarden has won back-to-back races at Texas Motor Speedway after winning the same event in a similar fashion last season.
The 250-lap victory was the 26th of Newgarden’s career and gave him at least one win for the ninth consecutive season. It was also Team Penske’s 12th win at Texas Motor Speedway and the second time Penske and Arrow McLaren have finished first and second at the track in the last three years.
O’Ward led by more than a lap for much of the race before a Felix Rosenqvist crash forced a restart that allowed other drivers to catch up.
After the restart, there were 14 lead changes between five different drivers before Newgarden and O’Ward pulled away from the rest of the field again.
The top two finishers battled back and forth for the final eight laps, and Newgarden took the lead permanently on Lap 249.
Romain Grosjean also crashed in the final laps, forcing the race to finish under yellow and bringing the total number of cautions to five.
Social media, including legendary driver Mario Andretti, was still buzzing about the finish on Monday.
“Still thinking about the amazing @IndyCar race in @TXMotorSpeedway yesterday,” the Hall of Famer tweeted. “It was riveting to watch from the green to the checker!! If you’re looking for an adrenaline fix, IndyCar has it.”
The NTT IndyCar Series season resumes April 16 with the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, which features a street circuit around the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California.
The next event at Texas Motor Speedway will be its monthly NASCAR Racing Experience on Saturday, which allows fans to experience driving a racecar on the track.
