After scoring a win in the season-opener at St. Petersburg, and a very close runner-up finish at Texas, the 29-year-old New Zealand had not scored a top five over the next five rounds.
However, at Mid-Ohio he started second, tracked early leader Pato O’Ward very closely over the first stint, so that he was less than 0.8sec behind the polesitter when the Arrow McLaren SP-Chevy driver pitted. McLaughlin then put in a strong in-lap, the #3 Odyssey Battery Penske crew turned him around swiftly, and jumped him ahead of not only O’Ward but also Palou who, having stopped four laps later, might have undercut him, but everyone’s pace was slowed by a full-course caution.
