IndyCar seems reinvigorated upon its return, with St Louis offering the first thriller since the Indy 500. The track was easy to overtake on and a couple of early cautions promoted varying strategies across the field. The question of which strategy would win dominated the early portions of the race, though by the end, there were only five cars on the lead lap. Whilst many drivers were attempting something different, likely envisioning a repeat Scott Dixon’s fantastic win here last year, no one was able to out-strategize the front runners. A Penske win was overshadowed by crashes, chaos and controversies. The only element missing was that Marcus Ericsson, who was leading the alternative strategy, retired with a technical issue. Whilst that ended any possibility of a surprise winner, the race itself was still packed with action, overtakes and a constant stream of pit stops. After the disappointment of Iowa, it’s great to see a proper oval race again.

At the start of the race, Colton Herta was the biggest mover. Colton’s qualifying was disappointing, as he was starting near the rear of the field after a crash. This was his mistake, but Colton made up for it on race day. His start was unbelievable, as he slipped through the middle of many battling cars and gained six positions by the end of the first lap. He continued to make moves through the first stint to place himself much closer to where he should have qualified. Andretti made the right strategic decisions with Colton as well, keeping him on the primary strategy. Whilst a defensive move in the last stint resulted in a penalty, through remaining on the lead lap, Andretti were still able to record a fifth-place finish. Colton Herta reminded everyone of his pace and talent in St Louis and it was a thrill to watch him carve through the field. If only he didn’t make so many mistakes…

The star of the weekend was David Malukas. In a weekend dominated by the Penske’s, he was the only driver able to consistently mix it up with them. Whilst his Meyer Shank machine did not quite have the fuel mileage of the Team Penske cars, he was able to remain in play up to the closing stages of the race. After one of the race’s last cautions, Will Power and Malukas had made their final stop and both still had a chance to win. However, Lil’ Dave looked to have the pace over Power at this stage of the race and as he was attempting an overtake, Power squeezed him into the corner. And crashed into him. Whilst Power escaped unscathed, Malukas lost out on what was at the very least a podium. It was disappointing to see Power race Malukas far too aggressively, but I agreed with the stewards that it was a racing incident. However, it was still an incident where Power shared most of the blame. So, to see David Malukas crying in the pit lane, breaking down shortly after Will Power had shouted at him, made me feel so angry. Lil’ Dave did nothing wrong and for Power to let out his anger on him reminded me of awful situations I’ve experienced in my own life. I felt so sad for David Malukas, he was perfect all weekend and to be made to feel like a villain because of Will Power’s residue anger is unacceptable and I hope that some conversations were had behind the scenes. Because please, everyone, be kind, even when you are driving cars at 200mph.

During the latter third of the race, it became clear that Josef Newgarden has not lost his supreme pace on ovals. Whilst Power and McLaughlin had spent time in the lead, Newgarden had managed his fuel milage perfectly and looked to be making the ground up on the leading McLaughlin whilst they were navigating through traffic. However, dirty air from this traffic proved too much for Newgarden, who spun, but inadvertently set in motion the chain of events that led to him winning the race. This was due to Newgarden stopping during the subsequent caution period and then taking the lead after he and McLaughlin made their last stops for fuel. However, there was subsequently a caution for the aforementioned Power-Malukas collision. And Josef played his part in causing another controversy featuring Will Power.

When managing the penultimate restart, Newgarden was extremely slow. Whilst it appears, after reviewing the footage multiple times, that Newgarden maintained a consistent pace, his lack of speed still caught out some of the drivers behind. As every driver tried to react to Newgarden’s anticipated restart, a concertina effect was produced, which resulted in Alexander Rossi slamming into the back of Will Power, taking them both out of the race in the process. This infuriated Will Power, who believed that Newgarden was the originator of the concertina, however as I have observed, it appears to have started with McLaughlin. This didn’t affect Power’s reaction however, as he flipped the bird at his teammate in the pit lane, before going over to shout at David Malukas, as was previously discussed. Newgarden does bear some responsibility for the incident, however. There should be a minimum speed limit leading to a restart on an IndyCar oval, due to the likelihood of tactics leading to massive incidents such as the one between Rossi and Power. This didn’t affect Newgarden however, who unleashed his pace in the last few laps and reclaimed his place as the king of the ovals. The win may be soured by his slow restart, but Newgarden still sent a message to Team Penske that he’s still the driver to bet on on an oval, even if he’s not in championship contention this year.

So yeah, this was a fantastic race. Oval races are very hard to review, as so much happens in them. It’s only possible to write a highlight reel of these races, but to watch them is a real thrill. If you want to see varying strategies, ultimate speed and constant action, watch IndyCar on an oval, it’s the most thrilling racing you’ll ever see.