Scott McLaughlin takes second Indy win at Mid-Ohio

Scott McLaughlin won the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, dominating the second half of the race to claim his second IndyCar victory. The New Zealander drove a flawless race and maintained Penske's momentum into the 2022 season: the historic team has already won two-thirds of the races this season.

McLaughlin gained the lead during the first cycle of pit stops, but was helped by the engine problem of pole sitter Pato O'Ward. His AMSP team tried to manage the situation through different modes, but O'Ward's Chevy engine completely wiped out in the middle of the race.

Alex Palou crossed the line in second position about half a second behind, but was never able to attack McLaughlin at the front. Will Power had what must be considered the recovery of the day. The veteran made a daring move on lap two, got squeezed in the grass, and had to drop to the back of the pack.

He slowly and surely made his way through the peloton from 27th and last position, and finished the day on the podium. The strong momentum allowed him to retain second place in the points classification.

Rinus VeeKay and Scott Dixon finished the day fourth and fifth, respectively. There was fighting between teams throughout the day, but the biggest example was within the Andretti Autosport team.

Romain Grosjean and Alexander Rossi found themselves touching wheels on consecutive laps while driving through the keyhole turn, the second of which left them sliding through the grass.

A few laps later, Grosjean and Colton Herta touched in the same corner, and the Californian was forced to find his way back onto the track as well. The clashes led to some heated moments on the radio, and there will certainly be more in-person discussions after the race.

Chevrolet's engine problems filled the entire afternoon and started with Felix Rosenqvist, who had problems after a few laps into the race. Tatiana Calderon and Callum Ilott also had engine problems that caused them to drop out before the end of the race.

Because of the six yellow flag periods that filled the 80-lap event, only 20 drivers finished on the same lap. The teams will have a week off before heading to Toronto for a street race in Canada for the first time in three years.

Race standings: