NEWGARDEN SURGES TO RECORD SIXTH BOMMARITO AUTOMOTIVE GROUP 500 VICTORY
Last Updated on June 23, 2026 by WWTR
- Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden earns a record sixth victory at World Wide Technology Raceway in a race that featured a track-record 268 passes for position.
- Andretti Global’s Marcus Ericsson, Ed Carpenter Racing’s Christian Rasmussen secure season-best podium finishes.
MADISON, Ill. (June 8, 2026) – Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden showcased his short-oval dominance once again Sunday night, capturing the 10th annual Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline for a track-record sixth career victory at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Newgarden overtook Ed Carpenter Racing’s Christian Rasmussen for the lead with 40 laps remaining and then held off a dominant Marcus Ericsson of Andretti Global by 0.6613 of a second for his fifth victory in the last seven NTT INDYCAR SERIES races at WWT Raceway. The win also was his second of the season, the other coming at Phoenix Raceway’s short oval, and the 34th of his career.
Ericsson and Rasmussen filled out the podium with both recording season-best finishes.
The victory came in the 10th anniversary edition of the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 and further cemented Newgarden’s status as the most successful INDYCAR driver in World Wide Technology Raceway history.
“It was just a methodical night I felt like,” said Newgarden, who started eighth. “We had a good car to start. We needed to tweak it – it wasn’t perfect – but it really came to us just as we needed, and they called the race. It was a track position day. You have to give a lot of credit to Marcus. I thought he was incredibly strong. I don’t think there was really much between us. So it was a matter of who was going to get positioning on each other, and that was what was going to seal the deal. He certainly drove a great race and could have won this as well, but this team did the job tonight.”
The race featured a little bit of everything, from a track-record 268 passes for position to two red flags for intermittent weather and fuel-strategy gambles tied to approaching storms.
From the outset, Ericsson appeared poised for his first victory since the 2023 season opener at St. Petersburg. He led a race-high 114 of the first 203 laps before Newgarden gained the lead on the following lap.
Rasmussen took his shot at Newgarden with some dramatic racing where they exchanged the lead four times over eight laps before Newgarden was back on the point on Lap 221 of 260.
Ericsson would have one final opportunity to chase down Newgarden when a caution came out for AJ Foyt Racing rookie Caio Collet on Lap 226. It provided a restart with 26 laps remaining with Ericsson lining up behind Newgarden and Rasmussen third. The challenge never materialized as Newgarden had a solid restart and did not relinquish the lead for the final 40 laps. Ericsson was only able to close to .5 of a second in the final 10 laps and couldn’t muster a final charge while Rasmussen finished 1.8523 seconds back.
“I’m very proud of my performance and our performance. The 28 Delaware Life Honda was great out there all night but at the same time it’s tough to be that close and lead that many laps,” Ericsson said after recording his first podium of the season. “I felt we had it at some points, but Josef is the best in the business on these short ovals. I’m proud of the fight we put up. I thought we had something for him at the end, but he was a bit too strong. Still a great result for us, but I wanted that win.”
Rinus VeeKay of Juncos Hollinger Racing also earned a season-best finish, taking fourth. Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin rounded out the top five.
Click HERE for the full race results.
In Sunday’s other action, Myles Rowe of Abel Motorsports with Force Indy made history as he stormed from the last starting position in the field to win the INDY NXT by Firestone race. He established a series record for winning a race from the lowest starting position (24th) in history. His final challenge came on a restart with eight laps remaining, but he pulled away to secure his third career victory by 2.2 seconds over runner-up Alessandro de Tullio of AJ Foyt Racing. Josh Pierson of Andretti Global rounded out the podium. Click HERE for the full race results. Earlier, Polesitter C.J. Leary won the OUTFRONT Route 66 Classic presented by Welsch Heating and Cooling USAC Silver Crown race.
