Toronto crash continues McLaughlin’s IndyCar torment

Driving the Gallagher-backed #3 Team Penske Chevy, McLaughlin started from 14th.

He made an early pit stop to change from the soft compound tyre to the hard compound.

During the pit stop, his tyre changer failed to fasten the left rear wheel nut and it parted company out of Turn 2.

The wheel came loose, which spat McLaughlin into the outside wall and damaged his suspension and rear wing.

“I just went through Turn 2 there and I felt good, car felt good, and then all of a sudden something let go,” a disconsolate McLaughlin told reporters afterwards.

“Yeah, just gutted for everyone on the Gallagher Chevy. We had a piece today and a piece yesterday. I mucked up qualifying but I thought we had a really good chance today, regardless.

“If that yellow – which was ours – but if that had happened it was going to be pretty peachy for us.

“It’s hard right now. I can’t catch a break. I make mistakes, bad luck, it’s just one of those years. I’m just really struggling right now.”

Scott McLaughin loses a tire and gets into the wall. pic.twitter.com/TVvzLJY9GA

— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) July 20, 2025

Just four races remain in the season at Laguna Seca, Portland, Milwaukee, and Nashville.

McLaughlin is still searching for his first win of the season. As it stands, he remains winless for the first time since his debut season in 2021.

“I’ve just got to keep looking forward,” he said.

“I’m a leader of the team and I’ve got to keep working. We’ve got a lot of resilience in the squad and if anything, this year is going to make us really, really strong moving forward.

“I’d say when we have a good day, it’s going to be a great day. A great day for us last week was fourth, so I can only imagine what a win is going to feel like.

“That’s going to come. I truly believe it.”

McLaughlin referenced his winless Supercars season in 2015 with Garry Rogers Motorsport as his previous worst year.

“2015 was probably the toughest career [year], this is by far the toughest year of my life,” he said.

“But the best thing about it is I’ve got a beautiful baby girl and a beautiful wife at home waiting for me and that makes everything better.”

The contest was won by McLaren’s Pato O’Ward, who led 30 laps of the race. Rinus VeeKay was second for Dale Coyne Racing while Kyffin Simpson was the standout for Chip Ganassi Racing in third.

“I can’t say I saw this one coming,” said O’Ward.

“I was feeling so good on the prime (hard compound) tyre all weekend really. We were just struggling a bit to get the alternate (soft compound) working in qualifying.

“I knew I had a great car under me to race with and the guys nailed it on the strategy.

“We just keep making our Sundays difficult. Before warm-up, there was bird that dropped a load on the car on one of my guys, and I said that’s going to be a good day today – and it was.

“I’m stoked for everybody. I would never have expected to gone this much better in Toronto because it’s been the most challenging circuit for us in the past.”

Colton Herta, who started from pole position for Andretti Autosport, caught the wrong side of the strategy but recovered to fourth.

Scott Dixon was New Zealand’s leading light in 10th ahead of Australia’s Will Power in 11th who slumped from fourth on the grid. Marcus Armstrong was 14th after starting third for Meyer Shank Racing.

Jacob Abel’s car lands on top of Josef Newgarden’s No. 2. pic.twitter.com/Az1uQEbGR3

— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) July 20, 2025

The race was punctuated by a pile-up on Lap 37 when Dale Coyne Racing’s Jacob Abel spat into the outside wall at Turn 1, which left Josef Newgarden with nowhere to go.

Abel’s car wound up sat on top of Newgarden’s in bizarre scenes that continued a rotten run for the Team Penske driver.

“Weont place, wrong time,” said Newgarden, who kept his interview brief.

“I just want to say thanks to PPG, Chevy, and all our supporters at home.”

IndyCar continues its season at Laguna Seca on July 26-28 (AEST).

Results: IndyCar Series Honda Dealers Indy Toronto, Exhbition Place