The series returned to the country club-style circuit, this time for testing and racing, although for cash rather than championship points.
Palou (#10 Honda) lined up on pole position for the 20-lap Final, which was run in two, 10-lap ‘halves’, without tyre changes in the break.
The Chip Ganassi Racing driver led all 20 laps and was able to bolt clear in the second half, winning by 5.7929s in the end.
McLaughlin (#3 Team Penske Chevrolet) started fourth but drove the #3 Team Penske Chevrolet around the outside and into second position at the start of the race, and remained there for the duration.
Felix Rosenqvist (#60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda), who narrowly beat McLaughlin in Heat Race 1, finished almost four seconds further back in third place in the Final.
Colton Herta (#26 Andretti Global w/ Curb-Agajanian Honda) opted to drive in tyre conservation mode for the first half, given the field would be closed up again anyway, then scythed his way to fourth in the latter 10 laps.
Marcus Armstrong (#11 CGR Honda) finished fifth, from Linus Lundqvist (#8 CGR Honda), Alexander Rossi (#7 McLaren Chevrolet), series leader Josef Newgarden (#2 Penske Chevrolet), Christian Lundgaard (#45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda), and Agustin Canapino (#78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet).
Graham Rahal (#15 Honda) did not make the finish due to a throttle issue while RLL team-mate Pietro Fittipaldi (#30 Honda) was disqualified over a breach of fuel regulations.
The 12-car starting grid for the Final was determined by earlier heat races, with half the field going into one and the other half into the other.
Among those not to make the cut were Scott Dixon (#9 CGR Honda), who shunted Romain Grosjean (#77 JHR Chevrolet) into a spin as they took the green flag in Heat 1 after he received a touch from behind from Herta.
Will Power (#12 Penske Chevrolet) managed to evade the mess but emerged in 11th and could only get back to ninth by the chequered flag.
The 2024 IndyCar Series resumes with the Grand Prix of Long Beach, on April 19-21 (local time), when the field will be racing for points again.
Discussion about this post