Josef Newgarden puts aside cheating scandal to become first man since Helio Castroneves 22 years ago to win back-to-back Indianapolis 500 A record 20th race victory for Roger Penske.
The Tennessean passed Pato O’Ward on the final lap of Sunday’s rain-delayed race to become the first man since Castroneves to win for Team Penske in 2001 and 2002 Drivers who win 500 miles in a row.
“I love this group of guys. If we win here, I have to be in the crowd, which I always do,” Newgarden said.
O’Ward put his head on the steering wheel in despair. He was trying to become the first Mexican to win the Indy 500 in 108 starts. Finishing second in 2011, he was accused at the time of not being aggressive enough to compete with Marcus Eriksen for the title. Last year he refused to back down and eventually fell while fighting for the win.
On Sunday, as O’Ward bided his time in the final laps – he and Newgarden traded the lead multiple times – he waited to take the win on the final lap. Newgarden regained the lead after two rounds.
“It’s hard to put it into words – we go back, we go forward, we go back, some people drive like crazy,” O’Ward said. “We had a lot of close finishers in the race. To be so close again…I put that car through things I never thought it was capable of. It’s always heartbreaking when you’re so close, Especially when it’s not your first time and you don’t know how many more chances you have.
O’Ward finished second behind Newgarden in six different races but was still battling his emotions an hour after the race ended. He said he battled the flu last week and had barely slept for the past five days.
“I’m fine. It’s been a tough month and there’s a lot involved in this game,” O’Ward said. “I think I’m someone who wears my heart on my sleeve. I’m really not hiding anything. It’s just, when you’re so close, it doesn’t seem to happen, there’s just a lot of emotion.
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon, who finished third to become the highest-finishing Honda rider, expressed sympathy for O’Ward. Dickerson is a six-time IndyCar champion and is considered the greatest driver of his era, but has only one victory in the Indy 500.
“It’s an honor to play here, right? I’m in a situation where I’m lucky to win, but Pato has been close to winning a few times,” Dixon said. “It can go in cycles. Like I’ve said many times, finishing second sucks. This is too bad. I think you’d rather finish last here and get out of the race early. He’ll be fine. He’s still got some left on his hands.” There is plenty of time.
The win was an incredible rebound for Newgarden, which had its March season-opening victory disqualified last month after Team Penske installed illegal push software on their car. Newgarden used the extra horsepower three times in the victory, and it took IndyCar nearly six weeks to discover Penske’s manipulation.
Newgarden was thrilled with the win and put the pushing scandal behind him.
“Of course, they can say what they want, I don’t even care anymore,” he said.
The start of the race was delayed four hours due to rain, and NASCAR star Kyle Larson lost his chance to compete in the Doubleheader. Delays at Indy caused him to miss the start of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Although Larson performed well for most of the day, two rookie mistakes led to his eventual 18th-place finish.
“I’m proud to finish the race but disappointed in myself,” said Larson, who signed a two-year IndyCar deal with Arrow McLaren and Hendrick Motorsports and could return in 2025.
