- It was Josef Newgarden’s 12th try for the 500 win and he finally got it.
- In a one-lap shootout preceded by three red flags and several crashes, the Henderson, Tennessee native bolted past defending winner Marcus Ericsson to capture the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
- Ericsson was tryting to become the first driver to win the 500 in back-to-back years since Helio Castroneves captured his first two Indy 500 victories in 2001 and 2002.
Josef Newgarden on Sunday gave Roger Penske his first-ever Indianapolis 500 win – as owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, that is.
But to be more precise, it was also the 19th win for Penske as a team owner at the Brickyard, extending one of the most remarkable records in motorsports globally.
It was Newgarden’s 12th try for the 500 win and he finally got it, drenching himself with a bottle of whole milk, for what it’s worth. His previous best finish was third in 2016 with Ed Carpenter Racing, one season before he moved to drive for Team Penske.
“Everyone kept asking why I can’t win it,” Newgarden said. “You feel like you’re a failure. It was pure emotion. I was emotional the last 10 laps because I knew we were in a position to win.”
But the boss, the man known as “The Captain,” he was ecstatic at what his young driver said.
“It was a terrific effort by Josef,” Penske said. “(Team strategist and Penske Racing president) Tim Cindric called a perfect race. It was a great race, a safe race, I’ll never forget it. I know Josef wanted it so bad, and at the end when it was time to go, I was betting on him. We’re coming back next year, for sure.”
In a one-lap shootout preceded by three red flags and several crashes, the Henderson, Tennessee native stalked near the front of the pack most of the race, and then when the final green flag fell, he bolted past defending winner Marcus Ericsson to capture the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
When he climbed out of his car, Newgarden’s celebration rivaled—if not exceeded—the electric show his former teammate, Helio Castroneves, gave when he climbed the catchfence at the finish line after winning the 500 for the fourth time in 2021.
After crossing the finish line Sunday, Newgarden climbed through a small hole under the flagman’s stand and ran into the crowd, celebrating with Indy’s common man.
“I always wanted to go into the crowd here at Indianapolis,” Newgarden said. “I’ve seen people go onto the fence; I wanted to go through the fence. This was a dream I wanted to happen.”
But Newgarden’s dream was Ericsson’s nightmare. The Swedish driver was hoping to become the first driver to win the 500 in back-to-back years since Helio Castroneves captured his first two Indy 500 victories in 2001 and 2002.
Ericsson blasted IndyCar officials for breaking standard past protocol of finishing a race under caution. Instead, a record third red flag of the race was thrown with two laps remaining to allow enough time to clean up the last wreck of the day between Ed Carpenter and rookie Benjamin Pedersen, setting up a two-lap shootout.
“It was a dangerous race,” Ericsson said. “I’m just very disappointed the way it ended. I don’t think it was fair. I feel like we did everything right, we won the race and it was taken away from us. … It’s tough to swallow, for sure.”
Tony Kanaan, making his final start in both the 500 and in IndyCar, finished 16th, but said IndyCar made the right call.
“Look at all these people out there,” Kanaan said of the 300,000-plus fans that were in attendance. “They didn’t want to see it finish under yellow. To me, it was the right call.”
Arguably the biggest surprise of the race was third-place finisher Santino Ferrucci, who gave iconic team owner and four-time Indy 500 winner A.J. Foyt his best finish since Kenny Brack won in 1999.
“This one stings, it’s bittersweet,” Ferrucci said. “I’m happy for third, I’m happy for Josef and Team Penske, holding off Marcus. That’s not an easy thing to do.”
It was Ferrucci’s career-best finish as an IndyCar driver and also the fifth time he’s finished 10th or better -- in as many starts at Indianapolis.
Ferrucci disagreed with Ericsson that the shootout was unfair. “I think IndyCar made the right decision," he said. "I just wish I had a couple more laps to finish it off.”
Pole-sitter Alex Palou led much of the first half of the race along with Rinus VeeKay, but the pair wrecked on pit road on Lap 94, sending Palou from fourth back to 30th. It took him 100 laps to bounce back for a fourth-place finish in a race that many believed he would be the ultimate winner.
“It was a tough day for myself and the team,” Palou said. “There’s nothing we could have done differently. … We tried to make the most of it. We made it back in 100 laps, from 30th to 4th. This place is tough. There were some really strong cars for sure. But we had one of the best cars, as well, I wouldn’t have made it back to P4.”
Rounding out the top five was 2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi, who was somewhat miffed at how the race finished.
“When you have three cars to beat, it really sucks to come away with a fifth,” Rossi said. “It’s disappointing. We were so good but still so annoyed and disappointed to finish fifth. It certainly feels like a missed opportunity. We’ll try to learn from it and move on.”
Newgarden will have little time to revel in the biggest win of his career, as the IndyCar Series races again next Sunday in a brand new street course race in Detroit. That event replaces the longtime race on Detroit’s Belle Isle park.
