Again this season, a IndyCar Series he avoided disaster when the wheel broke.
A potential disaster was somehow averted at 250km/h when Sting Ray Robb’s rear wheel came round and spun into the pit lane.
Robb had just completed a pit stop on lap 156 when he came off the road with no wheel nuts.
Stan Sport is the only place to watch the 2023 IndyCar Series, featuring Will Power, Scott McLaughlin and Scott Dixon. All the action is streaming free, live and on demand
Replays showed No.51 leaving its pit and the wheel nuts being left on.
Despite this, the Dale Coyne Racing driver continued down the track and onto the track, slowly, before making the final lap when the wheel came loose.
The commentators were shocked when the wheel wobbled on the track and reached the sprint line, prompting the drivers to take evasive action.
Conor Daly came within millimeters of clipping the wheel, which eventually came to rest on the apron before being collected by the recovery crew.
For that offense, Robb was banned by IndyCar Series officials.
READ MORE: England on fire as Aussies retain Ashes in rain-soaked Test
andREAD MORE: Titmus breaks the world record to reclaim the freestyle title
READ MORE: The Cowboys get the missing piece in the premiership picture
Earlier this year, a wheel came loose in the Indianapolis 500 when Felix Rosenqvist spun before being hit by Kyle Kirkwood.
This sent the wheel into the air and over the fence before landing in the parking lot
The recent incident angered former IndyCar driver-turned-commentator James Hinchcliffe, who criticized the team for not stopping Robb on the road.
“In that case, you have to air the driver,” Hinchcliffe said on Stan Sport.
“You see the wheel nuts aren’t even on the car. Sometimes the mechanic will say, ‘Hey, look, I think I tightened it up enough’, it wasn’t on at all.
“The driver’s communication, I don’t know why he didn’t tell him to stop.”
The incident made for a difficult race for Josef Newgarden, who made back-to-back appearances at Iowa Speedway to continue his purple streak on the ovals.
Despite starting seventh, he moved to the top on lap 26 and fought for the lead soon after.
The most important moment of the race came on lap 31 when Will Power fought to keep Team Penske regular Scott McLaughlin behind him, only for Newgarden to pass them both at the same time.
Newgarden was unchallenged from there, surviving a narrow stretch to earn his fourth win of the season after wins at Texas Motor Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the first round of the Iowa Speedway double-header.
Powers endured a rollercoaster day, taking nearly every spot among the top 10 in the 250-lap event.
He finished second after an important mid-race change gave him the comfort he needed to overcome the challenge of finishing one place lower than where he started.
Alex Palou completed the podium on a Scott Dixon-esque day for Chip Ganassi Racing drivers. The Spaniard found himself at one point in the race, but the warning time allowed him to come back and fight.
For Scott McLaughlin, it was an up-and-down day. He fought hard to overtake Newgarden at the tail end of the race by following another route, although this was unsuccessful.
In the end, he burned his tires and fought his way to fifth behind McLaren’s Felix Rosenqvist.
Rosenqvist was a contender for the win late in the race after moving from 16th to second but found himself stuck in traffic.
A three-legged sprint to the checkered flag after Ryan Hunter-Reay’s caution ended his hopes as Power put a pass on the Swede into one stage and hung him out to dry. Rosenqvist went into foul mode before handing over to Palou.
The IndyCar Series takes a one-week break before returning on August 7 at the Music City Grand Prix on the streets of Nashville.
Palou still leads the series, although his lead over Newgarden has been cut to 80 points. Dixon is third, 120 points behind Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Marcus Ericsson (-147).
McLaughlin is tied for fifth in the standings with Pato O’Ward, both of whom are 148 points back. Power, meanwhile, is seventh and 162 points behind
For daily updates and exclusive news from the Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter written by click here!
