Arrow McLaren driver Christian Lundgaard secured his first IndyCar victory in nearly three years, winning the Sonsio Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on Saturday and ending a 47-race winless streak.
Starting from fourth place, the Danish racer took the lead for good on lap 68 of the 85-lap contest, crossing the finish line 4.6713 seconds ahead in his No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet to earn his second career IndyCar win.
David Malukas, who led a race-high 27 laps, finished second in his No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.
Lundgaard became the third McLaren driver to win an IndyCar race, joining Johnny Rutherford and Pato O’Ward. The victory moved him to fourth in the IndyCar Series standings with 182 points, just three points behind Malukas for third.
“Very happy,” Lundgaard said. “I really didn’t expect this today. I hoped for it. This was a long wait for this win, especially around this place. You know how fast I’ve always been here, and it’s just been time after time after time of disappointments. Now we’re here. Let’s go.”
O’Ward, who started second on Saturday, finished 18th after being involved in a first-lap crash that affected several drivers.
Alex Palou, the polesitter seeking his fourth straight win on this circuit, placed fifth behind Graham Rahal and Josef Newgarden.
Palou maintains the championship lead with 237 points, 27 ahead of Kyle Kirkwood, who finished ninth on Saturday.
Lundgaard will aim for the Indianapolis double, a feat achieved by Palou last year, in the Indianapolis 500 on May 24.
