Tag: Josef Newgarden

Indianapolis 500 Wrap Up: A Great Race Caps a Long Day

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

Some of the best Indianapolis 500s are worth waiting a little longer for. My favorite 500 of all time- 1986- was delayed almost a full week by weather. While yesterday’s race began just four hours late, it was a gem, my favorite race since 2014. I will think a bit more about this, but 2024 may replace 2014 as second on my favorites list.

The 108th 500 had all the elements that make for a great race. Contenders came and went, accidents at times that altered pit strategy, green flag runs that weren’t overly long-the longest was the final 46 laps- and five lead changes in the final 10 laps.

I have a standard for what makes a good race, and yesterday met it. To me a good 500 mile race has no more than 50 laps of caution, and no driver leads more than a third of the race. It was close on both counts.

The emotion from winner Josef Newgarden and runner up Pato O’Ward is what this race is all about. Their intense, lead swapping battle over the final eight laps is the stuff of Indianapolis legends.

Alternate Strategies Nearly Work

Conor Daly drove arguably the best 500 of his career. he was in a position to win most of the day on an alternate fuel strategy, aided by the early caution flags. The caution for his teammate, Ryan Hunter-Reay, hurt his plan. Daly finished 10th, improving 19 positions from the start.

But then the master of alternate fuel tactics, Scott Dixon, stepped in, and while things didn’t quite go his way, he still managed a third place result from a 21st place start.

Overcoming Penalties

Kyle Kirkwood and Graham Rahal survived drive through penalties to gaindecent results. Kirkwood’s penalty was for pit lane contact on lap 92. he finished seventh.

Rahal faced a bigger challenge. he started last, and his pit speed penalty on lap 134 might have ended a good day for him. But Rahal fought back to come home 15th, probably the best drive of the day.

In what is becoming an annual event. Rinus VeeKay had an issue with contact in pit lane, was sent to the back of the field, yet fought back to ninth at the end. I wonder how well he would finish if he didn’t have to recover from penalties every year.

While Callum Ilott did not get assessed an official penalty, a stuck weight jacker on the pace lap forced him to start the race from the pits. He managed to finish 11th.

Mixed Results for Rookies

The six rookies had a mixed day. Christian Rasmussen was the highest finisher of the group in12th. Rasmussen, Kyle Larson, and Kyffin Simpson led laps. But three were not around at the finish.

Larson ran inn the top 10 until a pit speed violation on lap 134 buried him in the field. he had a 22nd place result, but ill still win Rookie of the Year.

Tom Blomqvist was involved in the first turn accident, Marcus Armstrong lasted only six laps with a mechanical issue, and Linus Lundqvist hit the wall after 27 laps.

Newgarden’s Rare Feat

How unusual are back to back victories in the 500? After Wilbur Shaw first won in 1939 and 1940, two other drivers (Mauri Rose, 1947-1948; Bill Vukovich 1953,1954) accomplished twin wins in 15 years. There was not another back to back event until Al Unser in 1970 and 1971. It would be another 30 years until Helio Castroneves in 2001 and 2002 would go back to back. Newgarden, 22 years later, now joins this club of the most difficult feat in the 500.

Final Thoughts

I am glad that the red flag did not come into play at the end of the race this year. Newgarden earned this victory.

Yesterday may have been the race O’Ward needed to realize his potential in the series. I expect he will be a better driver after Sunday.

Kudos to the crowd for sticking it out for a very long day, and for Doug Boles and IMS management for keeping everyone safe during the storm.

And thanks to Indycar for coming up with the raciest Speedway package in years. More, please, on the remaining ovals.

Thanks to everyone who followed along on this site yesterday. I will be taking a break for a couple days, then soon I will be off to Le Mans.

Some Very Quick Thoughts on A Strange Race

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Above and Beyond-

The fans endured a four hour rain delay to watch the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500. The day for about a third of them involved being here when the gates opened at 6am, evacuating the grandstands and even exiting the track for a while, then returning for a three hour race. I would say 90% of them returned.

Second, Doug Boles and the IMS staff deserve an extra measure of respect above what they already had. They putb in the equivalent of three work days today. They rescheduled, implemented a safety plan, and got NBC to lift the local blackout.

Third, the drivers. After a rough first quarter of the race, they put on a great show during the final 50 laps.

The Weird Race

After a demolition derby first 50 laps, the race settled down a bit, interrupted by a few more cautions.

The second half of the race saw one great racing stint, a bit more chaos, then a thrilling duel to the finish.

Josef Newgarden is now one of the rarest of 500 champions, a back to back winner. He won this on merit, winning a game of tag with Pato O’Ward.

Conor Daly’s strategy might have worked had his teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay not caused a caution. t put everyone on pretty much the same strategy.

What a great drive by Scott Dixon to finish third and lead late after starting 21st. But should we expect anything less from him?

Alex Palou with another top 10. He is Mr. Automatic as far as top 10s go.

It has been a long day, and I am exhausted. I will have a more detailed follow up omorrow. Thanks fopr following along this very long race weekend.

Fast Friday Lives Up to Its Name

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A day of no rain and fast speeds combined to make Fast Friday the best day of practice week. Attendance was verygood. I heard from several fans about how long it took to get in this morning. There was drama, speed, and worry. In other words, a typical practice day. Josef Newgarden goes into the weekend as the favorite for the pole, while the usually fast Ganassi team is struggling to find speed. Trouble bit a team that could not afford to lose track time.

Nolan Siegel’s crash just past midday has been the only damper on the afternoon. Siegel spun exiting turn 2 and flipped upside down. Siegel was released from the infield care center. The car suffered extensive damage. I just received word that the team will use a spare car.

Josef Newgarden set a blistering 4 lap average of 234.063. Colton Herta set the fastest single lap time of 234.974.

Drivers on the bubble

Nolan Siegel

Marcus Ericsson

Katherine Legge

Team Rahal?

Qualifying is looking like a Team Penske/Arrow McLaren duel with maybe a sleeper from Andretti or Meyer Shank sneaking. Chevrolet has definitely had the upper hand this week.

Where’s Ganassi?

Chip Ganassi Racing cars have not been in the Fast 12 conversation much today. Scott Dixon is the fastest of the team with the 21st fastest single lap.. No cars are in the top 15 in 4 lap runs.

Alex Palou lost an engine, setting his program back. He returned late in the day.

Mechanical woes

It seems as if there have been a lot more mechanical issues this year. Conor Daly had an upright fail yesterday. Kyle Larson’s crew changed engines yesterday. Alex Palou lost an engine today. Pietro Fittipaldi and Takuma Sato have had gremlins interfere with their day today.

The qualifying order is going on right now. Team Penske has drawn three numbers in the top 10. McLaughlin -2 Power- 9, and Newgarden- 10. Kyle Kirkwood just drew the number 1.

Alexander Rossi will be last car in line.

An early look at the weather shows just a slight chance of a late afternoon shower, Sunday looks dry. Temperatures will be in the 80s, hotter than it has been all week. I will have the latest forecast in the morning.

Results

Newgarden Makes Another Statement

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

This afternoon, Josef Newgarden let his driving do the talking as he set the fastest lap in opening practice for the Children’s of Alabama Grand Prix. He set fast lap after a spin at turn 15 early in the session.

Pato O’Ward was second fastest, 0.083 seconds off the top speed.Will Power had the third best time.

Chevrolet dominated the 75 minute practice, with Colton Herta the best Honda in fourth.

\Team Rahal showed strength as Christian Lundgaard was fifth and Graham rahal finished the day seventh.

Friday Notes

Barber continues to draw large Friday crowds. The trams were full several times, unusual for a Friday.

The food court continues to disappoint with little variety of food choices. I know Birmingham is known for barbecue, but it isn’t everyone’s cup of tes. Or plate of food, rather.

Practice 2 begins at 11:15 am Central time tomorrow.

Results

Newgarden: ‘I’ve Fallen Short”

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In an emotional press conference at Barber Motorsports Park this morning, Josef Newgarden gave his side of the story about the illegal use of Push to Pass at St. Pete..

Newgarden began by explaining why he had not issued a statement like his teammates did.

I didn’t want to put out a statement or try and
do an interview over the phone or something like that. I
thought it was really important to get in front of everybody
and have an opportunity to chat.”

He wnet on to say that it was his responsibility to not make mistakes in the car.

“For me, what’s really important about that, too, is there’s
only one person sitting in the car. It’s just me. So that
responsibility and the use of the push to pass in the correct
manner falls completely on me. It’s my responsibility to
know the rules and regulations at all points and make sure
I get that right. With that regard, I failed my team
miserably. A complete failure on my side to get that right.
It’s my job as the leader of the 2 car to not make mistakes
like that. You cannot make a mistake at this level in that
situation. There’s no room for it. There’s no room for that
type of mistake anywhere, certainly not at the top level of
motorsports. I don’t want to hide from that.
For me, it’s an embarrassing situation to have to go
through, to see what’s transpired. It’s demoralizing in a lot
of ways. There’s nothing that I can say that changes the
fact of what happened. I mean, it’s pretty clear.”

In a sometimes quivering voice, often sounded sounding frustrated and bothered by the vents of the week, Newgarden accepted the consequences of what happened and is ready to move on.

“But it doesn’t matter what the intent was… if you broke a rule, you have to suffer the consequences,” he said.

Newgarden doesn’t believe there was any intent on the team’s part to gain an advantage.

“It actually baffled me that anyone could be doing this… there was no checks and balances system in place (to prevent this,)” he explained.

Newgarden issued an apology.

“If there’s anything I wanted to come say, too, I want to
deeply apologize to our fans, our partners, my teammates,
the competitors that I race against, anybody that’s in our
community. I’ve worked my entire career to hold myself to
an incredibly high standard. Clearly I’ve fallen very short of
that in this respect.
Once again, I mean, I can’t overstate, it’s a difficult thing to
wrestle with. It’s a very embarrassing process to go
through. I hope we can find a way forward after this.
That’s really all you can do after the fact.
I wanted to come here and state that.”

Notes

I felt Newgarden sounded very sincere and contrite. You could tell that this incident has truly bothered him.

I am still puzzled how an elite team like Penske, which always presents a buttoned-up image, can display such ignorance of the nrules, or think there was a rule change without some form of communication from Indycar.

Indycar PR dropped the ball by not making this conference available for streaming to the general public. I’ve received several messages from people wanting to know where they could watch it. This issueis very important to the fans, and the series should have realized that.

INDYCAR Announces St. Petersburg Penalties 

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Editor’s Note: I will have some thoughts later. This is Huge News. Up dated points at end of article.

 INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, April 24, 2024) – INDYCAR has announced penalties for Team Penske, including disqualifications for the No. 2 (driver Josef Newgarden) and No. 3 (Scott McLaughlin) and a 10-point penalty for No. 12 (Will Power) from the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding on Sunday, March 10 on the Streets of St. Petersburg.
Team Penske was in violation of the following “Push to Pass” parameters:
Rule 14.19.15. An indicator to enable Push to Pass will be sent via CAN communication from the timing and scoring beacon on board the Car to the team data logger. This signal must be passed on to the ECU unmodified and uninterrupted during all Road and Street Course Events.Rule 14.19.16. Race Starts and any Race Restart that occurs before the lap prior to the white flag or prior to three minutes remaining in a timed Race Event will have the Push to Pass system disabled and will be enabled for a given Car once that Car reaches the alternate Start/Finish line.
According to the rulebook, the violation is considered a Race Procedure Penalty (9.2.2.), which includes the right to reposition the Driver/Car in the posting or results, with a disqualification (9.2.2.6.) that includes the forfeiture of points and awards.
During the Sunday, April 21 warmup session ahead of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, INDYCAR discovered the team’s possible rules violation.
An extensive review of data from the race on the Streets of St. Petersburg revealed that Team Penske manipulated the overtake system so that the No. 2, 3 and 12 cars had the ability to use Push to Pass on starts and restarts. According to the INDYCAR rulebook, use of overtake is not available during championship races until the car reaches the alternate start-finish line.
It was determined that the No. 2 and the No. 3 gained a competitive advantage by using Push to Pass on restarts while the No. 12 did not.
Additionally, all three entries have been fined $25,000 and will forfeit all prize money associated with the Streets of St. Petersburg race.
“The integrity of the INDYCAR SERIES championship is critical to everything we do,” INDYCAR President Jay Frye said. “While the violation went undetected at St. Petersburg, INDYCAR discovered the manipulation during Sunday’s warmup in Long Beach and immediately addressed it ensuring all cars were compliant for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Beginning with this week’s race at Barber Motorsports Park, new technical inspection procedures will be in place to deter this violation.”
Due to the disqualification penalty of the No 2, the No. 5 entry of Arrow McLaren driven by Pato O’Ward is now credited with the win on the Streets of St. Petersburg.
An updated official final results from the St. Petersburg race is available here with updated 2024 season standings available here.
Members may contest the imposition of the penalties detailed in the review and appeal procedures of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES rulebook.

Updated points:

1. Dixon 79

2. Herta 77 (-2)

3. Palou 67 (-12)

4. O’Ward 64 (-15)

5. Power 59 (-20)

6. Rosenqvist 55 (-24)

7. Rossi 48 (-31)

8. Kirkwood 47 (-32)

9. VeeKay 40 (-39)

10. Ericsson 37 (-42)

Newgarden is now 11th, Mclaughlin 29th.

Revised Box score:

Statement from Team Penske:

Long Beach Preview

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Indycar photo

Indycar awakens from its long spring nap today as practice begins for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. The series will be on track for seven of the next eight weeks, ending at Road America June 9.

If I had to limit the number of races I go to in a season, this event is one that would stay on my calendar. The entire city embraces the event, and I enjoy walking around the downtown area.

The Long Beach Grand Prix is the second longest consecutive race on the calendar. Milwaukee has run more races, but there have been several years where there were no races.

The future of Indycar at this venue was secured earlier this spring when Part owner Gerry Forsythe purchased the other half of the event from the estate of Kevin Kalkhoven.

Indycar Needs a Good Show

The first two outings- St. Pete and Thermal- were not great races. The tire compound which was designed for the heavier hybrid system,which is not in the cars yet, hindered the racing at the season opener. Thermal was a format that did not work.

I hope the series has made adjustments to provide a better race. If not, the racing may not improve until Mid-Ohio when the hybrid debuts.

Rosenqvist on the Rise

Can Felix Rosenqvist continue his strong start to the season? Rosenqvist started second at St. Pete, won the pole and his heat race at Thermal, and finished second in the feature at Thermal.

He appears to be enjoying his new home at Meyer Shank Racing, and so far has looked like the driver I felt he could be all along.

Andretti- Will Long Beach Dominance Continue?

Andretti Global has won this crown jewel race four of the last four years. The team excelled at street courses in 2023. At St. Pete in March, they weren’t as solid, but Colton Herta finished fifth.

Herta has won at Long Beach, and teammate Kyle Kirkwood won from the pole in 2023.

I can see Herta winning Sunday.

Can Penske Keep Momentum?

Momentum is hard enough to keep week to week, but after a 6 week gap, can Team Penske, which finished first, third, and fourth at St. Pete, come out with another dominant team showing?

Josef Newgarden is the only driver to break up the Andretti streak here, winning in 2022. He and Scott McLaughlin have to be considered contenders.

Newgarden Leads Rain-Shortened First Day of Indy 500 Open Test

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From IMS

  INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, April 10, 2024) – Josef Newgarden must like the view from the top at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as he was fastest Wednesday in the rain-shortened first day of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge Open Test.
Reigning “500” winner Newgarden turned the fastest lap during the morning session on the 2.5-mile oval, 228.811 mph, in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet. Two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Newgarden also led the Indy 500 Open Test in 2022 and last year, when he returned in May to earn his first victory in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” after a scintillating, last-lap duel with 2022 winner Marcus Ericsson.
“We’re not trying to do it because I had no idea,” Newgarden said of leading the Open Test for a third straight year.
“I didn’t know it was three years in a row. We want to check off things on our list. Obviously, it’s been right at the front, which is a good sign.”
The first day of testing, which featured separate sessions for veterans, and Rookie Orientation Program and refresher tests, was halted numerous times by passing raindrops, including one midday delay of 67 minutes. Heavier showers arrived shortly after 2 p.m. ET to end on-track activity.
Testing is scheduled to resume from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. ET Thursday, with live coverage in the United States on Peacock and live international coverage on INDYCAR LIVE.
While it was little surprise to see NTT INDYCAR SERIES oval master Newgarden atop the speed chart, the second-fastest driver raised eyebrows and anticipation in equal measure. 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson clocked in second at 226.384 in the No. 17 Hendrickcars.com Arrow McLaren Chevrolet as he prepares for his first start in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” while also attempting the “Hendrick 1100” double of racing at Indy and in the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 26.
“Getting in some traffic and feeling the turbulent air,” Larson said. “The first time I got in traffic, I think my tires still had good grip, so I was surprised. It didn’t feel that different in traffic. Then the last time, I was building understeer, and Newgarden got by me and I was super tight behind him.
“I’m just trying to learn all that and process all that and knowing what I can do in the car to cope with that. I’m just trying to figure out any bit of racecraft today, which I know is tough. Just get notes in my head and all that.”
2008 Indy 500 winner and six-time series champion Scott Dixon was third at 226.346 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, followed by reigning series champion and teammate Alex Palou at 226.201 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Colton Herta rounded out the top five at 225.907 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda. Herta was the only driver among the top five to turn his best lap in the brief afternoon session before testing was washed out.
All three veterans requiring refresher tests – Marco Andretti, Pietro Fittipaldi and Katherine Legge – completed that program. Christian Rasmussen, Kyffin Simpson and Nolan Siegel each finished the three-phase Rookie Orientation Program.
The 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge is scheduled for Sunday, May 26. Practice opens Tuesday, May 14, with PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying on Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19. 
 

Slow Thoughts-Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

First, I want to welcome Kyle Mcinnes to The Pit Window team. Kyle will be this site’s photographer for the majority of races this season.

I’m back home at a functional computer. Here are just a few thoughts on yesterday’s Indycar race. Not the greatest race ever, but at least the season is underway.

Formula 1 style races happen, and Sunday was one of those times. Josef Newgarden did have the best car by far, and Chevrolet had the dominant engine. Team Penske has served notice that they are back at full strength.

Alex Palou now has 18 consecutive races where he has finished no worse than eighth place. He had to work hard for yesterday’s sixth place finish, starting 13th, in a race where passing was at a premium.

Scott Dixon, Palou’s teammate, had a rare day ending the race outside the top five. he still grabbed a top 10 spot, but it was strange not hearing his name all day.

Is St. Pete becoming Scott McLaughlin’s track? Yes, Newgarden won his third career race in the season opener, tying Helio castroneves for the most at the track, but in McLaughlin’s three years at the street course, he has a pole, a first and at third. In 2023 he was in contention for a second straight victory before tangling with Romain Grosjean.

Kyffin Simpson drove a clean, steady race. The rookie driving for Chip Ganassi Racing came from 23rd to end the day in 14th place. Simpson made some very nice passes in a race where there was little passing. I had some concerns about his moving up to Indycar this season, but those worries were put to rest yesterday.

Pietro Fittipaldi, while not an Indycar rookie, drove in his first Indycar race in six years. he did an admirable job, improving 11 spots. Fittipaldi made several nice passes in turn 1.

MSR Rising?

Felix Rosenqvist may be just what Meyer Shank Racing needed. The Swedish driver needed a home where he was welcome, and MSR needed younger drivers.

Rosenqvist nearly grabbed the pole for the race, only to be edged out by Newgarden’s last qualifying lap. He hung in the top five most of the day, and finished seventh after a pit stop issue on his second stop.

I think Felix is going to have a really good year on his new team.

Fuel Saving Races

Sunday became a fuel saving race as soon as everyone got through the first lap cleanly. The field got strung out quickly, and if Marcus Armstrong had not hit the turn 10 wall on lap 27, there may not have been a hint of drama all day.

I don’t think there is much the series can do to discourage fuel saving tactics except allow larger fuel tanks, which is a bad idea for many reasons, or shorten the races, also not a good idea.

Tomorrow I will have a weekend wrap up focusing more on the event with more photos.