Thanks to his fifth success of the season, won on Saturday at the Illinois Grand Prix, disputed on the oval circuit of Bommarito, Josef Newgarden (Penske) rejoins the leader of the general classification. The American, who topped the 260 laps making up the 15th of the 17 rounds of the championship, is indeed within three points of his teammate at Penske, the Australian Will Power (482 points), sixth of the day.
Second in the Grand Prix, David Malukas (Dale Coyne Racing) electrified the Bommarito crowd with a daring overtaking on the last lap of the race. The 20-year-old rookie won his first podium with this second place, ahead of New Zealander Scott McLaughlin (Penske).
The main loser of the day is Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing), winner of the last round in Nashville. The veteran, seven-time winner of the Championship, takes eighth place and caps third overall, 16 points from Power.
Pagenaud and Grosjean in the soft belly
On the French side, the result is hardly more brilliant. Starting 18th due to an illegal engine change before the weekend, Romain Grosjean (Andretti) finished his race in thirteenth place. His compatriot Simon Pagenaud (Meyer Shank Racing), who for his part thought he might finish near the top 10, suffered a puncture at the last restart, ultimately causing him to fail in twentieth place. In the Championship, Pagenaud (294 points) is in thirteenth position, followed by Grosjean (291 points).
Two final rounds are scheduled for September in Portland (Oregon), then in Monterey (California).
