5 Takeaways from St. Louis

(MADISON, IL.) – Congratulations to Josef Newgarden and the whole No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet crew for winning last night’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline and to Josef for collecting his 34th career victory.

Here are my 5 takeaways from St. Louis:

5.) Championship leader Alex Palou suffered a major setback.

Despite starting from the pole, Palou finished 17th after a fuel‑strategy gamble failed, costing him valuable championship points and tightening the title fight.

4.) Weather delays and red flags shaped strategy and shuffled the field.

The race featured 2 red flags for moisture and multiple cautions, creating major strategic swings that influenced pit timing, track position, and ultimately the final order.

3.) Christian Rasmussen scored a breakthrough podium for Ed Carpenter Racing.

Starting 19th, Rasmussen climbed to 3rd, finishing just 1.8523 seconds behind Newgarden—one of his strongest drives of the year.

2.) Marcus Ericsson delivered a season‑best result for Andretti Global.

Ericsson led a race‑high 114 laps and finished second, marking his best finish of the 2026 season and contributing to Andretti’s 260th IndyCar podium.

1.) Josef Newgarden extended his Gateway dominance with another victory.

Newgarden won the race, completing all 260 laps and finishing 0.6613 seconds ahead of Marcus Ericsson. This continued his reputation as one of the strongest IndyCar drivers ever at WWTR.