(Image: Stephen Conley / The Podium Finish)
Outside of pit stops, Mid-Ohio Road Course was Josef Newgarden’s playground. The Penske Racing driver led 73 of the 80 laps in the Honda Indy 200.
After several weeks of being in contention and late-race incidents putting the No. 2 Penske Chevrolet behind the 8-ball and off the podium, he had had enough. After starting on the pole, Newgarden would avoid early chaos on the opening lap that put his Penske Teammate Will Power behind the wall.
Newgarden shared, “It’s unfortunate that it took out our teammate as he (Will Power) would have been a contender today for sure.”
The celebration was certainly big for Newgarden as he became the winningest active American IndyCar driver. “It’s really cool,” Newgarden said regarded winning on the 4th. “I don’t really pay attention to being the winningest American driver as IndyCar is all about the competitiveness from around the world.”
In the end, it was a cakewalk of sorts for Newgarden, but Marcus Ericsson of Ganassi Racing didn’t make it easy according to Newgarden after the race.
Time Off for Teams
“If this had been another lap or 2, things would certainly be different right now,” Ericsson said following the race. “It’s still a great result, especially as we head into an off-month.”
The time off may not be welcome to Newgarden who said, “After a win, you just want to keep on racing.” But, he will enjoy the month off. But for two of our top three drivers, including Alex Palou, as he observes, “It’s actually good for us. We’ve got so much data to go through, this time off will allow that and can only make us better as we run for this championship.”
Ericsson is happy for the time off as well, “I haven’t seen my family in Sweden in over six months. I’m looking forward to going home and spending some time with them.”
The NTT IndyCar series will now head to Nashville for their inaugural street course race, which is the hometown of today’s winner. “I can’t wait to get back home and run in front of those fans,” Newgarden said when asked about the new course.
