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There was not a lot Scott McLaughlin could have done differently to win the second leg of the Iowa Speedway double-header.
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The Team Penske driver dictated the pace at the front of the field and kept Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou at bay until the first round of pit stops.
As the leader, McLaughlin used more fuel than the trailing cars and was among the first at the pointy end of the field to pit as lap 100 approached.
Post-race, Palou said he used McLaughlin to save fuel and ran longer than him to successfully execute an overcut.
However, it was an ill-timed caution when Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Agustin Canapino spun on the apron that ultimately killed the New Zealander’s hopes.
Eventual race winner Will Power ran the longest of all. He benefited from that yellow having not pitted to that point while the rest of the field had.
Once the pit stop sequence was complete, Palou led Power and McLaughlin.
“As soon as I saw that car on the inside of the apron, I knew we were pretty much screwed,” said McLaughlin.
“You have to stay long to eliminate risk of a yellow. As soon as the yellow came out, I pretty much knew that Alex was going to get me, along with Will, who hadn’t pitted yet.
“That is what it is. It’s the game. You have them, you lose them. It’s just part of it.”
If not for the caution, McLaughlin expected he would maintained his lead.
“I was on the undercut. At the end of the day… I would have come out in front of Alex,” he explained.
“Will would have had to pit in a couple laps’ time. That’s just how it rolls, man.
“It’s part of the deal. You just roll with it. I’ve won a race by a delayed yellow. I’ve lost a race now. It’s just part of the deal. I think everyone will have one or two of those in their career.”
Nevertheless, McLaughlin was proud of the weekend’s results.
On Sunday, he scored a dominant win and with his third place finish on Monday put himself back in contention for the IndyCar title.
Palou still leads the points on 376 ahead of Power (344) and McLaren’s Pato O’Ward (327). Scott Dixon remains fourth on 322 while McLaughlin holds down fifth with 314 points.
“Really proud, man. This weekend was just exactly what we needed,” said McLaughlin.
“I feel like we built some really nice momentum. Hopefully we can keep carrying this for the rest of the year.”
The IndyCar Series continues on the streets of Toronto on July 22.
