JOSEF NEWGARDEN
NO. 2 HITACHI DALLARA/CHEVROLET
START – 25TH
FINISH – 25TH
POINTS – 3RD (-105)
RACE RUNDOWN: Josef Newgarden and the No. 2 Hitachi Chevrolet team endured a tough day in Saturday’s Gallagher Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course after an opening-lap incident relegated the team to a 25th-place finish. After qualifying in the 19th position on Friday afternoon, the No. 2 team elected to change to their fifth engine of the season and trigger a six-place grid penalty that dropped the 2023 Indianapolis 500 Champion to 25th on the starting grid. While working to get the 85-lap race off to a smooth start, Newgarden was caught up in a multi-car incident just past the backstretch on the opening lap that resulted in him going a lap down. Through subsequent drive-through penalties from being forced to pit in a closed pit lane and no cautions the rest of the way, Newgarden was not able to mount a charge to regain his lost positions. The finish drops him to third in the series standings heading into the final race at World Wide Technology Raceway where he has won the last three NTT INDYCAR SERIES races.
NEWGARDEN’S THOUGHTS: “Just a very unfortunate start to this race, but this weekend was quite a challenge from the start. We came with a new package because we have struggled lately on the Indy road course, and we wanted to do everything we could to finish the season strong. It just seemed to be one thing after another for the Hitachi Chevy team, from the 10-minute practice penalty for me being late to weigh-in, to the engine change last night to the first lap incident. Clearly not the finish we needed for the championship but this team knows how to fight. We are going to try and make everyone earn it over the last three races.”
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
