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Arrow McLAREN Grand Prix of Monterey: Race Report

"You obviously always want more, especially with the pace that we had in clean air, but it was a pretty good day"

Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team logo

The 95-lap event at the historic Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca saw Arrow McLaren take home a podium finish!

Strong pace in the race for Alexander Rossi and his No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet led to their first podium of the season. The 2.24-mile permanent road course proved to be difficult across the NTT INDYCAR SERIES with many yellow flags throughout the event.

Pato O'Ward climbed one position in the race to finish eighth, while Nolan Siegel improved the most positions in the field to finish 12th.

After the checkered flag, see what the drivers and Team Principal Gavin Ward said before we head to Mid-Ohio on July 7.

Race Date Sunday, June 23
Round 9 of 17
Total Laps 95 Laps
Total Race Distance 212.61 miles / 342.16 km
Length 2.24 miles / 3.6 km
Number of Turns 11
Alexander Rossi
Race Start 5th    
Race Result 3rd    
Championship Standings 7th 198 points  

"It was a great weekend for the team. The first podium of the year, so that's pretty good. Thanks to everyone for the support. It was a good day overall for the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet team and our organization as a whole. Nolan was the best rookie and Pato was in the top 10. We'll take the positives from that. You obviously always want more, especially with the pace that we had in clean air, but it was a pretty good day for all of Arrow McLaren."

Pato O'Ward
Race Start 9th  
Race Result 8th  
Championship Standings 6th 208 points

"It was another P8 for us, a hard-fought P8. We just couldn't really make the strategy work there. It was just a really tough race, to be honest. There are nine races to go, so there are plenty of points left on the table." 

No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet

Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren, Driver, said:

Race Start 23rd  
Race Result 12th  
Championship Standings 25th 35 points

"All done with my first race at Arrow McLaren. P23 to P12, securing the biggest mover of the race, so overall I think it was a successful day. It wasn't without its challenges, but everyone pushed through and kept at it all race long. We were able to make up a ton of spots at the end there. I'm really happy with the No. 6 NTT DATA Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. The car was truly the best it's been all weekend, and it was really fast all day. A lot of this was because of the pit stops that the crew did and the strategy that was called. I'm grateful for my crew and can't wait to work with them more in the future."

Gavin Ward, Team Principal, Arrow McLaren, said:

"It's hard to be upset with a podium, but we're kind of upset with this podium. Alexander and the No. 7 crew deserved to win until that caution mixed things up. It's a tough call at that point; it splits the field in half. You could go either way and never know where the cautions fall from there. They did the best they could from there to bring home a podium.

"It was a difficult day, a day of perseverance for the No. 5 crew and Pato. They brought home a top 10 and kept their composure.

"There was a lot of learning for the No. 6 car with Nolan. He was the biggest mover and top-finishing rookie. He had a great recovery, and I'm happy with how everyone kept their cool with that mid-race spin. The pace was there and that gave us options. A lot of other people made bigger mistakes today, so I'm pretty happy overall."