FORT WORTH, Texas — Josef Newgarden received at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday for the second consecutive yr when an exciting wheel-to-wheel battle with Pato O’Ward got here to a sudden halt by a crash behind them.

Newgarden and O’Ward — at one level the one two drivers on the lead lap — frantically swapped the lead time and again in the course of the remaining third of the race, and neither confirmed any inclination to raise off the fuel within the struggle for the win. The 2 even bumped wheels at almost 215 mph with two laps remaining.

However Romain Grosjean crashed whereas working fifth because the leaders took the white flag, IndyCar threw the warning, and Newgarden received below yellow.

It was the third profession victory at Texas for Newgarden, who received in a Chevrolet for Crew Penske. He led a race-high 123 of the 250 laps.

Driving in a Chevy for Arrow McLaren, O’Ward has opened the IndyCar season with back-to-back second-place finishes. He almost received the opener at St. Petersburg, Florida, till an engine blip allowed him to be handed by Marcus Ericsson for the victory.

O’Ward, who led 91 laps and used three-wide strikes to remain on the entrance, is IndyCar’s new factors chief.

Alex Palou completed third for Chip Ganassi Racing and was adopted by David Malukas of Dale Coyne Racing and Ganassi driver Scott Dixon in a pack of Honda-powered drivers.

Scott McLaughlin of Penske was sixth and adopted by Colton Herta, in his first race with out his father, Bryan, as his strategist in a personnel change made at Andretti Autosport.

Solely seven drivers completed on the lead lap.