Rain worries, helps Newgarden
Weather a big reason for IndyCar win
LEEDS, Ala. – Over his past 10 races, Josef Newgarden has walked away the winner five times and in doing so has written his own little Dr. Seuss rhyme. He’s won races at a park (Gateway). He’s won races in the dark (Phoenix). He’s won races with no sweat (Mid-Ohio). He’s won races where, at first, he wasn’t a threat (Toronto).
On Monday, he proved he can win races in the wet.
After rain drenched and delayed the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on Sunday, Mother Nature opened the skies again late during the resumption of the race on Monday at Barber Motorsports Park, but Newgarden was able to keep from sliding off track and run away with his second victory of the season.
Although the water made things tricky for Newgarden at the end, it might have been what preserved his victory.
Heading into the day after leading the first 22 laps Sunday, Newgarden and his No. 1 Team Penske crew — along with the rest of the field — were confronted by a fascinating conundrum: execute a two-stop strategy or try to make it to the checkered flag in one.
The No. 1 team elected to go with two stops, which wound up being a perfect decision when skies opened up with about 15 minutes to go in the timed race.
“That rain made it very nerve-racking,” Newgarden said after picking up the ninth victory of his career. “I think for us, we did the only thing we could. We went to rain (tires) as soon as it intensified. We had to. I think it was the right thing to do, just because we’re in the lead, we have the most to lose by not putting on rains early.”
Newgarden was able to brake late in the race and slap on rain tires to deal with a track that was losing traction every second. Meanwhile, his chief competitor for the win, Sebastien Bourdais, was hoping the rain would hold off long enough for him to seize what would have been his second victory of the season.
Unfortunately for the Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan driver, Mother Nature had other ideas. Bourdais, who wound up fifth after a drag race to the finish line with Scott Dixon, stayed out in the rain with slick tires as long as he could, but in the end, the risk of spinning out in wet conditions became too great.
“Bottom line, we beat Josef,” a frustrated Bourdais said after the race. “It’s that simple. But Mother Nature decided otherwise. We tried to stay out, and it bit us. Unfortunately, you can’t predict what the weather is going to do, so you have to make a call one way or the other and we were on the wrong side of the fence today.
“We need the (expletive) luck to turn soon, because I’m getting real tired here. The last three weekends have not been kind to us. At least we’re showing pace, but we’re not getting the points for it. This one was particularly hard.”
Bourdais’ bad luck was Newgarden’s gain, however. Once Bourdais and Ryan Hunter-Reay, who was on a similar strategy, went to the pits, it was Newgarden’s race to win, and he ran away with a 10-second victory.
Andretti Autosport’s Hunter-Reay, a two-time Barber winner, pitted before Bourdais and salvaged the day with a runner-up finish. Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’ James Hinchcliffe came in be- hind him, notching his first podium finish of the season.
For Newgarden, the win was his third at Barber, though his track record suggests he’s far from a road-course specialist. The Tennessee native’s most recent wins have come on a pair of short ovals, two road courses and a streetcourse circuit.
“My hope is we get multiple wins at other tracks, and it’s not just one place where people think you’re good,” Newgarden said.
With his victory Monday, Newgarden recaptured the championship lead with four races in the books this season. His 158 points are 13 more than Alexander Rossi, who gambled longest on slick tires and finished 11th on Monday. Bourdais sits third with 119 points, the same number as Graham Rahal, who finished seventh.