JOSEF NEWGARDEN
NO. 2 PPG DALLARA/CHEVROLET
START – 15TH
FINISH – 12TH
POINTS – 3RD (-116)
RACE RUNDOWN: Josef Newgarden and the No. 2 PPG Chevrolet team finished 12th in an uncharacteristic day in Sunday’s Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. A two-time winner at the Lexington, OH circuit, Newgarden quickly moved up five positions over the opening lap before settling into the 80-lap event. Needing to be mindful of fuel to have enough to push as hard as necessary at the end of the race, Newgarden could not be as aggressive as he hoped in coming from his 18th-place starting position. In a race that progressed rapidly, the former NTT INDYCAR SERIES Champion had few options in which to drive his Chevrolet to the front. Yet, he was able to make up a few positions over the final laps of the race to bring home a solid finish before heading north to Toronto for the next event.
NEWGARDEN’S THOUGHTS: “It was just a tough day. Not what we wanted on the No. 2 PPG Chevy. Great fight for everybody. Great hustle all weekend trying to figure out what this track and road course package needs to be. Proud of our effort for working through it this weekend, but we just didn’t quite get there. Had a tough Saturday, which led a little bit into a tough race. But for us, it’s just keeping going, and trying to work on it one race at a time. Proud of everyone at Team Chevy and PPG, and we’ll go to the next one and try to be better.”
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
