The IndyCar championship could have seen a real upheaval in the overall Drivers’ standings this very evening in Italy during Race 2 at the Milwaukee Mile, with the title final between Will Power and Alex Palou that would have been played almost evenly in two weeks in Nashville. The final, with both chasing their third win in the top American open-wheel championship, will not be missed anyway, but if it had not been for a sensational error by the Australian driver, one step away from taking advantage in the best possible way of a bad day for his Spanish rival, the approach to the 17th and final act of the championship would have been even more eagerly awaited by the fans, who today applauded the victory of another Penske driver like Scott McLaughlin.
Race report
The first dramatic twist in the second race of the Milwaukee Mile double-header occurred sensationally even before the start. Just before the green flag, in fact, the Pace Car made its first entrance onto the track due to the Chip Ganassi of championship leader Alex Palou, which was stopped on the sidelines due to a technical problem. Despite several attempts to restart the engine of the Spaniard’s #10 car (which then returned to the track after just 27 laps from the start), hopes of a comeback from last place were practically over before the green flag, at the same time giving Power a huge opportunity not only to be able to make up ground on the Spanish driver in the general classification, but even to become the new leader by a few points.
A dream that actually seemed to come true for Power, who took the lead of the race on lap 44 after overtaking his teammate McLaughlin. A lead that the #12 Australian defended even after the first pit stops during the first 100 laps, at least until the sensational episode that also decided this race. Returning to the pits after the Caution for Sting Ray Robb’s spin, with the demotion to 6th place, Power made an acceleration mistake right during the restart on lap 132, ending up in a spin without violently touching the barriers and keeping the car’s engine running. A mistake that, in addition to distancing him slightly from the top-10, also forced him to make two consecutive pit stops to replace the tires and the front wing.
An episode that thus destroys his hopes of victory and a comeback on Palou, with the Penske team still fighting for the first position with McLaughlin. Thanks to a better strategy than the one adopted by the Andretti team with Herta, the New Zealander manages to get the better of the American shortly after the 200th lap, overtaking the #26 on the track and defending the lead after a general splash & go following another spin by Robb. In the last 11 sprint laps, McLaughlin manages to resist Dixon and Herta himself, taking his third victory of the season. 10th, instead, Will Power, who with this result will show up at the last race scheduled in Nashville with a 33-point deficit from Palou.
Milwaukee Mile 2024, Race 2: Finishing Order
| POS. | PILOT | TEAM | LAPS/GAP |
| 1 | Scott McLaughlin | Penske | 250 laps |
| 2 | Scott Dixon | Ganassi Chips | +0.455 |
| 3 | Colton Hertha | Andretti Global | +5.126 |
| 4 | Santino Ferrucci | AJ Foyt | +10.982 |
| 5 | Marcus Ericsson | Andretti Global | +13.708 |
| 6 | Alexander Rossi | Arrow McLaren | +14.330 |
| 7 | Rinus Veekay | Ed Carpenter | +15.200 |
| 8 | Kyle Kirkwood | Andretti Global | +15.321 |
| 9 | Romain Grosjean | Juncos Hollinger | +16.201 |
| 10 | Will Power | Penske | +19.857 |
| 11 | Felix Rosenqvist | Meyer Shank | +1 lap |
| 12 | Christian Lundgaard | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | +1 lap |
| 13 | Kyffin Simpson | Ganassi Chips | +1 lap |
| 14 | Jack Harvey | Dale Coyne | +2 laps |
| 15 | Katherine Legge | Dale Coyne | +3 laps |
| 16 | Christian Rasmussen | Ed Carpenter | +6 laps |
| 17 | Alex Palou | Ganassi Chips | +28 laps |
| 18 | Conor Daly | Juncos Hollinger | Withdrawn |
| 19 | David Malukas | Meyer Shank | Withdrawn |
| 20 | Linus Lundqvist | Ganassi Chips | Withdrawn |
| 21 | Sting Ray Robb | AJ Foyt | Withdrawn |
| 22 | Peter Fittipaldi | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Withdrawn |
| 23 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Withdrawn |
| 24 | Pato O’Ward | Arrow McLaren | Withdrawn |
| 25 | Marcus Armstrong | Ganassi Chips | Withdrawn |
| 26 | Nolan Siegel | Arrow McLaren | Withdrawn |
| 27 | Josef Newgarden | Penske | Withdrawn |
Grand Final
With this general classification condition the appointment is for Sunday 15th Septemberthe day on which the 17th and final, unmissable round of the championship will be held Nashville Superspeedway. A race that will inevitably prove decisive for the assignment of the title between Will Power and Alex Palou, with both drivers chasing their third career title in IndyCar.
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