Josef Newgarden Tag

By Road to Indy INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – When qualifying begins tomorrow for the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500, a record 27 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires alumni will be among the field of 35 drivers vying for a coveted spot on the 33-car starting grid. Now more than ever, the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires and its moniker “there’s nothing like it in the world” has underscored its relevance as a clear scholarship-funded path to the Verizon IndyCar Series and the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.Read More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS — The final day of practice before qualifications for the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 featured increased turbocharger boost pressure, wall contact and an Andretti on top of the speed chart. Marco Andretti’s No. 98 Andretti Autosport Honda turned a fastest lap of 231.802 mph around the 2.5-mile oval. Robert Wickens was second in his No. 6 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda with a lap of 231.732 mph, but both of those laps were assisted with a tow off of cars in front of themRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS — Scott Dixon did not have the best setup in his car for qualifying ahead of Saturday’s INDYCAR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and that showed when he ended up 18th on Friday. That result required a lot of car setup changes. “Dampers, springs, geometry, closed cambers, it was pretty much everything,” said Dixon. “I think we actually threw in a kitchen sink on most of them, too. It was definitely a lot of changes. There was no session we didn’tRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS — Alexander Rossi had to save critical amounts of fuel late in the INDYCAR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course but it was a familiar experience as he brought his car home fifth. Starting eighth, Rossi managed to get to sixth on the opening lap thanks to Jordan King and Simon Pagenaud’s second turn incident. Passing James Hinchcliffe soon after the track went back to green, Rossi stayed fifth until the opening cycle of pit stops. After leading two laps, Rossi thenRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS — Helio Castroneves’s brief return to open wheel racing has so far been a success after the new sports car driver finished sixth in Saturday’s INDYCAR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course as teammate Will Power scored Team Penske’s 200th IndyCar win. After an early stop, Castroneves was able to advance through the field on fresher tires as others pitted. “It was just like I never left, it was a great strategy from the team,” said Castroneves. “We started on the blacks,Read More

By Aaron Bearden, Motorsports Editor Defending Verizon IndyCar Series champion Josef Newgarden seemed poised for another podium to open the Month of May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Then the Tennessean did something that’s been rare for him in recent years. He made a mistake. Newgarden was battling Sebastien Bourdais for third on Lap 56 of the 85-lap INDYCAR Grand Prix when an ill-advised dive under the Frenchman in Turn 12 led the Team Penske ace into a spin that resulted in a full-course yellow and a drop to the back of the field.Read More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS — In the first official test day ahead of the 2018 Indianapolis 500, Tony Kanaan set the fastest speed with a lap of 226.181 mph in the late afternoon. Behind the A.J. Foyt Racing driver in the second session was Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud, Andretti Autosport’s Marco Andretti and Harding Racing’s Gabby Chaves. In the morning test, Andretti was quickest with a lap of 223.997 mph ahead of defending Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato and 2008 Indianapolis 500 champion Scott Dixon. This was the firstRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — Ryan Hunter-Reay has a hit or miss relationship with Barber Motorsports Park and during the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, the Floridian came out of Monday’s conclusion with a second-place finish. The 2013 and 2014 Barber winner started fourth which became third after Will Power hydroplaned on the main straight and crashed on Lap 16. The race was postponed to Monday following Lap 22. When racing resumed Monday, the No. 28 Andretti Autosport DHL Honda remained in third until pitting on LapRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — Sebastien Bourdais nearly pulled off the ultimate gamble during Monday’s continuation of the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. The four-time Champ Car champion played second-fiddle to Josef Newgarden for much of the race, but attempted a daring late push before watching the rain intensify and washing away those hopes for the win and ending up fifth. The clouds began to open up on the 2.3-mile natural terrain road course during the closing moments of the fourth race of the 2018 Verizon IndyCarRead More

By INDYCAR BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (Monday, April 23, 2018) – Josef Newgarden raced on cruise control in today’s completion of the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by America’s First. Even a return of rain late in the race didn’t prevent the Team Penske driver from collecting his third Verizon IndyCar Series win at Barber Motorsports Park in the past four years. Newgarden drove the No. 1 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet to a 9.9607-second victory at the hilly 2.3-mile, 17-turn permanent road course, despite increasingly treacherous track conditions as rainRead More