MADISON, ILLINOIS – Following a two-week hiatus, the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES resumed at the World Wide Technology Raceway on Sunday night for the Bommarito Automotive 500. An action packed 260 laps saw 14 different race leaders on the oval circuit.
It proved to be a landmark night for Kyle Kirkwood and the Andretti Global team, as he secured a career first oval victory following four triumphs around street circuits. A second win in a row for Kirkwood, which was won by a well-executed fuelling strategy throughout the race, brings him to three race wins for the season.
Although Will Power qualified strongly as the pole sitter, it was a challenging evening for Team Penske. Power crashed out of the race on lap 47, teammate Josef Newgarden was involved in a frightening collision with Louis Foster whilst leading on lap 130, and Scott Mcclaughin was forced to retire when he encountered a mechanical issue on lap 216.
As the race entered a gripping conclusion, it was Scott Dixon who had appeared to have nailed his fuelling strategy to occupy a one-lap lead over Pato O’Ward and Kyle Kirkwood on lap 200. Following a cautioned period for barrier repairs, Scott Dixon entered the pits and returned to the oval still in the lead when the green flag was waved.
But Kirkwood wasn’t finished. After overtaking O’Ward, he closed in on Dixon before retreating to the pits for a final stop on lap 233. O’Ward followed suit shortly after, reshuffling the front of the pack and allowing Santino Ferrucci to momentarily inherit the lead with under 20 laps remaining. A rapid pitstop from Kirkwood’s Andretti crew saw him re-emerge in pursuit of Ferrucci, who pitted with just four laps to go, handing the lead back to Kirkwood.
From there onwards, Kirkwood was able to seal his first ever oval victory, despite beating Pato O’Ward to the chequered flag by just half a second. It was Christian Rasmussen who took the final podium position, after an impressive drive from 25th on the grid, while Scott Dixon finished in 4th place ahead of Ferrucci in 5th.
In the championship standings, Alex Palou’s lead was trimmed to 73 points following an eighth-place finish. O’Ward remains second overall, now just two points clear of Kirkwood, who continues to climb the rankings
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES continues on Sunday, June 22, with the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America.
