Theirs was one of several incidents during the final stint, which came when McLaughlin attempted to nab sixth position moments after the race restarted on Lap 79.

The New Zealander looked to outbrake Power at Turn 6 but locked the rears and clattered into the side of Car #12, pushing it wide as his own #3 Chevrolet spun.

A drive-through penalty for Avoidable Contact followed, after which McLaughlin ran off on his next lap having either sustained toe link damage in the Power incident or exacerbated it, given he had clipped Scott Dixon when his compatriot hit the pit wall earlier in the contest.

After more visits to pit lane, Car #3 finished a lap down in 21st spot.

“Not the finish we were looking for with the Good Ranchers Chevy today,” admitted McLaughlin.

“Felt like we had a top five car and strategy played into our hands to bring home a result close to that.

“Had contact and went for a spin. Certainly, did not want that to happen.

“Really proud of the effort by the Thirsty 3’s every week.”

Power somehow finished seventh on a weekend when so much went wrong for the now former series leader.

He had qualified only 15th and understeered off the road on Lap 1, before exploiting a mid-race Caution to get back to the leading group.

The Queenslander emerged ninth after the hit from McLaughlin, while Christian Lundgaard launch through the gravel trap at the Corkscrew as a result of the collision bottling up the pack (See replay below).

Power then passed Pato O’Ward in a four-lap dash to the finish, during which Josef Newgarden in the other Penske entry lost fifth spot with a spin at Turn 6.

“I had a bad first lap and was last,” recalled the two-time IndyCar champion.

“Went back up to sixth, went back to 10th. It was still a good recovery day.

“When you can make the most of those bad days, it is good stuff for the points. It will be a tight battle to the end, but we will keep digging in the Verizon Business Chevrolet.”

Things are getting WILD in the closing laps!

📺: #FirestoneGP on CNBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/4wR6yoV2p8

— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) June 24, 2024

Newgarden’s late spin was in fact his second error in 15 laps at Turn 6, having already thrown away a podium when he ran wide at the left-hander.

He finished 19th on a day when a fortunately timed Caution had gifted him second place with 20 laps remaining.

“Definitely not the day the Hitachi car deserved,” said Newgarden.

“I felt like the strategy played into our hands and unfortunately just spun late.

“It shows the commitment you have to have every lap in the IndyCar Series today.

“We will put it behind us as we get ready for Mid-Ohio in two weeks.”

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou reclaimed the series lead with victory at Laguna Seca, while Power is now second at 23 points behind.