Lundgaard Breaks Through at IMS

By Dennis Krause

It took longer for Christian Lundgaard to win his second NTT INDYCAR SERIES race than it did his first.

47 races after winning on the streets of Toronto in 2023, Lundgaard put that nearly three-year winless streak into the rear view mirror with a daring outside pass of leader David Malukas with 18-laps remaining to win Saturday’s Sonsio Grand Prix on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

”First of all, it's a lot of unfinished business for me around here,” said the 24-year-old Lundgaard, now in his second season driving for Arrow McLaren. “Obviously being competitive here pretty much every year except last year, and I really wanted to get some redemption for that. We worked hard to try to figure out where we really went wrong last year.

“I think we obviously did, but I mean, it just feels awesome. I hope that it doesn't take another three years for another one, right?

“It feels awesome right now,” Lundgaard continued, “and I'm sure I will probably realize tomorrow what really happened today. It really wasn't what I expected waking up this morning. Obviously with qualifying getting pushed to this morning and racing the same day, it's not really a traditional INDYCAR weekend.

“Obviously this is a two-day weekend already, and everything just kind of felt very fast. We made a lot of good progress from practice 1 to practice 2. I thought we were going to be a little better in qualifying than we were. So keeping my head cool after obviously the lap 1 incidents with everything that happened there. Obviously you go into turn 1 wanting to make position, not lose positions.

“I felt so bad for (teammate) Pato (O’Ward), because we had such a good plan planned for how we were going to attack the race between the two of us. We had two cars in the front, and we knew the (No.) 10 car (Alex Palou) was going to be strong. Obviously having one car left up there, but also losing positions kind of hurt a little bit. For me it was just take my race as it was from there. Then the strategy didn't work out for them.”

While the start of the race was unusually messy with numerous incidents causing three caution periods before the race was half over, Lundgaard’s highlight-reel pass of Malukas is what people will remember from Saturday’s race.

“It probably looks more spectacular from the outside than it really did inside the helmet,” Lungaard confided. “You know, at the end of the day, I've been now watching it on the TV screen probably 50 times, but it doesn't look the same way as what it felt.

“I knew I had one chance, maybe two on David at that time,” Lundgaard explained. “He seemed to be pretty strong in (turn) 14, and we weren't. His braking performance was also a little stronger than I thought ours were. I knew I could do it around that pit sequence. Obviously we tried to undercut him. I struggled a lot on out laps. He seemed to be a little better than I was.

“I think it was (Romain) Grosjean that was ahead. There was another car in play at the time that slowed him down. I tried to set him up for (turn) 2 and actually make the slingshot to be on the inside for turn 4, but he was pretty slow kind of through the kink of 3.

“I thought, okay, F it, I'm going to stay on the outside and see how it goes.”

According to Lundgaard, he knew he could trust making that particular move on the Team Penske driver.

“Yeah, I mean, David has always been very respectful to race against. I've been teammates with him in go-karts many, many years ago now, but again, there's certainly drivers that you trust less. There's drivers you trust more. That's just how it goes.

“At the end of the day, I had, again, nothing to lose. I finished second. Okay, that's fine, but I have so much unfinished business here. For me, I wanted to win. I have enough second places in the past year and a half. I wanted a win. I was kind of willing to do what it took. I also knew that it was going to be respectful. Again, I wouldn't have done that if it was someone else.”

Lundgaard served notice in his series debut at the Speedway’s road course with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in 2021 by qualifying fourth. So it was fitting that he would share the podium with former teammate Graham Rahal, who continued his strong start to the season and finished third.

“Yeah, we've been on the podium twice this year together now, obviously Barber (Motorsports Park) and here. It feels nice. We actually were going to play golf tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. I don't think we're doing that now, but no, it feels good.

“I have a lot of respect for Graham. He's a good friend of mine, obviously. I learned so much from Graham. You know, on race craft, racing for Rahal at the time obviously. Just that experience that he had in INDYCAR and just understanding how the races really worked out wasn't really an understanding that I had coming to INDYCAR in the first place.

“I think he helped me a lot in the first year. You know, it was very nice, and just kind of satisfying the time when you start beating that guy already in the same car, but I think I have a lot of respect for him. I know what he's capable of, and I think he's showing it right now.”

Lundgaard is only the third driver to win for McLaren in INDYCAR, joining Johnny Rutherford and O’Ward on a very short list. For Lundgaard, that distinction meant a lot.

“Tony (Kanaan, Arrow McLaren team principal) is a big reason of why I joined the team in the first place. You know, when he approached me, it was, hmm, okay, that sounds like a good idea. Let's see how this is going to work out.

“It feels better knowing that it's the first win for the No. 7 car, because I know the drivers that have been through that car. They're not bad drivers. And to get that win for my race engineer, Chris Lawrence, and the whole crew in general, honestly feels better in many ways, because I've always known what I'm capable of. Again, I don't want to sound too optimistic or cocky in that way, but on a good day, I know I can beat anyone.

“I'm sure 95% of the field will say the same thing, but I know the task that I was hired to do, and that's to win races. To finally get it, obviously it took a year and a half. I think we've come close many, many times. I think we've unlocked the door now. I'm pretty confident many more will come.”

Since joining Arrow McLaren, Lundgaard has been asked many times when the next win would come.

“Yeah, I mean, I think I've had the question many times. You know, when is it going to come, right? We've come so close many times. How does it feel being on the podium when the 10 car keeps being the guy that wins?

“I mean, in many ways I live to win races. I don't live to finish second. I don't live to just be in the race. I think that's how I was always taught, you know, growing up. I don't just compete to compete. I compete to win.

“I think, again, that was one of the conversations that Tony and I had. That's the mutual agreement in many ways that we have is we want to win. It's pretty simple.

“It feels good, of course. I think, again, I'll realize what really happened today tomorrow.

“I think it's a very good way to start the month of May, obviously. I fell short so many times. In the past two years I don't even know how many seconds I've had. I finished second around here before.

“I think that was what felt sweetest was the unfinished business that I had around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course was I knew I've been so competitive here and I never got it done. Getting it done in the beginning of May in a car that I know is good enough to win the 500 feels very good.”

Dennis Krause has spent decades covering all forms of motorsports, including over 40 Indianapolis 500s, with stints at WIBA Radio, PIT PASS - Radio’s Premier Motorsports Magazine and Motorsports Minute. Follow him on X @DennisKrause500 or motorsportsminute.bluesky.social or motorsportsminute on Threads or MotorsportsMinute+ on Facebook.

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