Scott Dixon baulked Scott McLaughlin in the closing laps of the IndyCar race at Milwaukee.
McLaughlin was third with less than four laps to go when he came upon the lapped Chip Ganassi Racing car and was baulked exiting Turn 4.
Juncos Hollinger Racing driver Rinus VeeKay capitalised on the moment and passed McLaughlin, who ultimately finished fourth.
It was an agonising end to the contest for McLaughlin, who was on course to take back-to-back podium finishes after his earlier second place effort.
McLaughlin and Dixon were spotted speaking post-race and shook hands.
“He said he had a broken car,” McLaughlin told reporters.
“And honestly, he’s like my hero, so it’s kind of hard to be pissed.
“I came off the corner then, I was up top, had the run, and then he sort of came up and then just pulled the [para]chute and just gifted Rinus a podium there.
“Our car was awesome. Good couple of races. P2 and P4 so I can’t be unhappy, but I’m just frustrated. I want a trophy. I got screwed over a bunch today by lapped cars. It is what it is.”
For VeeKay, it was a much-needed result. It matched the team’s best finish achieved by Conor Daly at the same circuit in 2024.
Prior to Milwaukee, VeeKay had finished fourth for JHR on three occasions at Gateway, Mid-Ohio and Portland.
The Dutch driver is 10th in the standings and on course for his best season to date in his seventh year.
“Scott helped me to get around Scott,” VeeKay chuckled.
“For me, that was perfect. That was exactly what I needed.
“I couldn’t really make it work with Graham (Raha) when we were lapping him and then with Scott Dixon, he just took that top lane.
“I saw Soctt McLaughlin was happiest up there in [Turns] 3 and 4, just above that black patch. I was happy down low.
“I just saw that, had the momentum, and put the hammer down, got a good run, and from there on it was forward.
“Getting that podium after so many fourth place finishes is just really nice.”
McLaughlin sits sixth in the championship with one race remaining.
It’s been a strong finish to the season. Four of the last five races he has finished inside the top 10, and was on course for a podium at Washington DC until he crashed.
“It’s good,” said McLaughlin of his late season surge.
“Obviously I threw one away in DC, otherwise I reckon it’d be three podiums in a row.
“It’s good, you just want more. I wouldn’t say I was cruising in the end but I was just managing the gap to David and the lapped traffic.
“I saw Scott was struggling a bit. Frustrated to give one away there.”
IndyCar concludes its season at Laguna Seca on September 7.
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