San Francisco Frontiers - Kiwi McLaughlin captures first win of IndyCar season in Alabama

Team Penske's three-pit stop strategy worked out to perfection as McLaughlin overtook Grosjean for the lead with 18 laps to go and cruised to a fourth career IndyCar win, and his first of 2023.

France's Grosjean started from pole position but settled for second for the second straight race after a runner-up finish at Long Beach.

Grosjean led 57 of the 90 laps on the serpentine 2.3-mile course featuring 17 turns.

He repelled early challenges from Spain's Alex Palou and Mexico's Pato O'Ward, and after McLaughlin emerged from a pit stop with a narrow lead over the Frenchman Grosjean nervelessly overtook him, diving inside for the lead on the final turn of lap 64.

The manuever recalled the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, where pole-sitter Grosjean crashed out after a controversial clash with McLaughlin.

McLaughlin said that was the furthest thing from his mind as the two battled on the track on Sunday.

"We're racers," McLaughlin said. "We get on with it. There's no hard feelings between the two of us."

And McLaughlin had the last word when Grosjean went wide at turn five on lap 72, the New Zealander making his move back to the front for good.

He finished 1.7854sec ahead of Grosjean with Penske's Will Power of Australia third, 1.48sec behind Grosjean. O'Ward was fourth ahead of Palou.

Sweden's Marcus Ericsson finished 10th and remained atop the standings with 130 points, three ahead of O'Ward with Palou third, nine points behind Ericsson.

McLaughlin jumped to 10th in the standings with a victory that puts him on the rise heading into May, when IndyCar returns to its spiritual home with the GMR Grand Prix on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway before the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 on the famed oval on May 28.

"May is going to be an awesome time for us," McLaughlin said.

E.Walker--SFF