IndyCar shake-up
Team Penske driver cruises to Mid- Ohio win
Josef Newgarden wins at Mid-Ohio, leads points,
Everywhere he went, Josef Newgarden heard some form of the same question.
At every track, sometimes more than once, Newgarden was asked about his transition to Team Penske. How have you adapted? What are the challenges? How does it feel to get your first this or your first that with Team Penske?
But no one is asking Newgarden those questions anymore. At least no one who is paying attention. That’s because the adapting is over. The transition is complete. There are no more firsts. Those are in the rearview mirror. The 26-year-old star has moved on to seconds and, as of Sunday, thirds.
The Tennessee native picked up his Verizon IndyCar Seriesbest third win this year with his dominating victory at Mid- Ohio Sports Car Course. Newgarden took the lead after passing Will Power in Turn 4 of lap 13, and from there he cruised to victory.
“Great job by him,” teammate Helio Castroneves said. “I mean, wow. I was watching Will Power, and I didn’t see first place. That means (Newgarden) was long gone, so it sounds like he had a dominant race, a dominant race car, and he’s a phenomenal driver.”
The win was the second in a row for Newgarden, who stood atop the podium at the most recent race on the streets of Toronto. The back-to-back victories have vaulted Newgarden from fourth in the championship to first. With 453 points, he has seven more than Castroneves, who finished seventh Sunday, and eight more than Scott Dixon (who was ninth), who entered the weekend ahead of the pack.
But the win also might have vaulted him into another, more prestigious position: the top driver in the Penske garage.
Of course, it’s debatable. Power and Castroneves each have won races this year and are dominant in qualifying. Meanwhile, defending champion Simon Pagenaud remains the only driver to have completed every lap this season and has a series-best 10 top-five finishes.
But Newgarden’s case has become hard to ignore. With two wins in a row and four top-five finishes in his last six races, including a runner-up, he’s undeniably the hottest driver in the paddock. He also makes a compelling case for being the best road course driver in the series this year. Of the four road course races this season, Newgarden has won two (Barber and Mid- Ohio) and finished second in another (Road America).
His recent surge has put his teammates on notice.
“What we’re seeing is Josef becoming the biggest threat in the championship,” said Pagenaud, who finished fourth. “He’s got a very aggressive driving style. He knows really well what he needs from the car to extract the best out of himself. He’s not making any mistakes either, so he’s going to be a tough guy to beat.”
There are four races remaining, plenty of time for any of the other Penske drivers to lay claim to the title of best driver on the team.
But as of Sunday, Newgarden has the most wins in the series, the championship lead and brag- ging rights.
Of course, Newgarden isn’t thinking about any of that. He is happy to have the series lead but knows that in IndyCar, fortunes can turn quickly.
“I would like to be in a position where the winner of Sonoma wins the championship,” Newgarden said. “You know, that’s a good position to be in.
“So if we can do that, I’ll be pretty happy.”