Newgarden holds off Dixon to win Grand Prix of Alabama,
LEEDS, ALA. He’s not the new guy anymore.
Before the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series season, Team Penske boasted a fearsome stable of drivers that included the defending series champion, a three-time Indianapolis 500 winner and a man with more career victories than all but 12 of the best drivers in IndyCar history. And Josef Newgarden.
Oozing with talent, Newgarden was the new guy on a star-studded roster. But not anymore. Now, the Ed Carpenter Racing export is the only driver in the Penske camp with a win after three races this season.
Sunday, the 26-year-old Tennessee native used a sneaky pass of Scott Dixon and capitalized on the hard luck of teammate and pole-sitter Will Power to capture the Grand Prix of Alabama.
“We got a little bit of help there at the end with Will, ( but) I don’t think I know how it would have played out,” Newgarden said. “But whenever you get opportunities, I think you got to seize it. We were in a great position to do it.”
Dixon finished second, followed by the Penske cars of Simon Pagenaud and Helio Castroneves. Andretti Autosport’s Alexander Rossi rounded out the top five. It was Newgarden’s second win at Barber and the fourth of his career.
A major story line heading into the season was how quickly and effectively Newgarden could transition. Apparently there was nothing to worry about. He has done nothing but impress. He was eighth in St. Petersburg, Fla., and third in Long Beach.
“It’s not easy, you know, integrating into a new group,” Newgarden said. “But it’s been pretty fluid for me just because Team Penske is a very easy group to join, I find. They’re very open, welcoming, there’s so much information to look at, the teammates are so good, it helps you kind of get on pace pretty quick.”
Power led 60 of the race’s 90 laps, but a flat tire forced him to pit on lap 77, and he finished 14th.
“To put all of that effort in and to have a great car and come up at the back is very disappointing,” said Power, who has had a race-altering issue in his last five races.