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Fox Sports
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Instant Recall: 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge
INDYCAR Can an Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge be predictable and unpredictable? Sunday's certainly was. Chip Ganassi Racing's Alex Palou was the heavy favorite to win the 109th Running, and he did. Perhaps his drive in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda wasn't as dominating as his other NTT INDYCAR SERIES victories in recent years, but he executed in the closing laps like the series champion he is. He led the final 14 laps after passing Andretti Global's Marcus Ericsson approaching Turn 1 on Lap 187. Palou has been worthy of a place on the Borg-Warner Trophy almost since the moment he joined Chip Ganassi's team in 2021. That first year, Palou was leading two laps from the checkered flag only to have Helio Castroneves wiggle past. The next year, an inopportune mid-pace caution sent the Spaniard, who was leading, to 30th in the order. Palou scrambled back to finish ninth, and his story was similar in 2023 when he charged back to finish fourth after taking pit road contact from Rinus VeeKay. Last year he finished fifth. Palou's average finish in the past five '500s' is 4.2, and his mark in the six series races this year is 1.17. So, yeah, it's not a surprise that he drank the milk in Victory Lane. Other expected happenings on Sunday: Team Penske's Josef Newgarden of Team Penske drove like the two-time '500' winner he is. While forced to start on the last row due to penalties assessed in PPG Presented Armed Forces Qualifying, Newgarden astutely held back at the drop of the initial green flag and avoided Marco Andretti's spin, and he then marched forward. Many thought that if Newgarden could be in the top 10 by Lap 100, he'd been squarely in the hunt for the unprecedented three-peat. He was 10th. Newgarden was in sixth on Lap 132 when he realized something was amiss with the No. 2 Shell V-Power NiTRO+ Team Penske Chevrolet. A fuel pressure issue ended his day. Aside from that, it was the day everyone expected. The final results won't reflect how well 2022 '500' winner Ericsson drove in the No. 28 Allegra Honda of Andretti Global. He led 17 laps and appeared to have finished second for the second time in three years before his car failed post-race technical inspection. History will show him 31st of 33. Regardless, Ericsson showed that he continues to be one of Indy's best drivers of this generation. Like Palou and Newgarden, Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward and AJ Foyt Racing's Santino Ferrucci have been among the best finishers in recent '500s,' and they continued that Sunday. O'Ward finished third in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet to extend his string of success to five top-six finishes in six races, and his 2023 race ended with a crash on Lap 193 trying to pass for second. Ferrucci finished fifth in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet to notch his record-extending seventh straight top-10 finish to open his Indy career. AJ Foyt Racing continued its excellence in recent '500s.' In addition to Ferrucci, David Malukas finished second in the No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet as A.J. Foyt's team placed two cars in the top five for the first time since 2000 when Eliseo Salazar finished third with Jeff Ward fourth. As a whole, former Indy winners excelled. Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014) and Takuma Sato (2017 and 2020) combined to lead 99 of the 200 laps. Hunter-Reay, who led 48 laps in the Indy-only entry of DRR-Cusick Motorsports, fell out of contention when his No. 23 DRR CUSICK WEDBUSH SECURITIES Chevrolet, likely out of fuel, stalled on pit exit on Lap 169. Sato slid past his pit box on a stop at Lap 86 in Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's No. 75 AMADA Honda. Sato finished ninth, Hunter-Reay 21st. Castroneves finished 10th in the No. 06 Cliffs Honda of Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian. Ed Carpenter Racing's Alexander Rossi also had a great chance to win for a second time, which is why he threw his gloves in frustration as his No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet caught fire on pit road. The unpredictability of Indy was on full display, especially early. The list of high-profile drivers who had early issues was lengthy. It started with Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin, who crashed his No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet on the frontstretch warming his tires before the start of the race. He was devastated, describing it as a 'rookie' mistake. Also with early issues were Andretti (a Turn 1 spin in the No. 98 MAPEI/Curb Honda of Andretti Herta w/Marco & Curb-Agajanian), Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon (a brake fire in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda), Andretti Global's Colton Herta (a pit speed violation on Lap 61 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda). Herta finished 14th, Dixon 20th and Andretti 29th. Team Penske's top finisher was Will Power in 16th in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. None of Roger Penske's cars led a lap, the second time that's happened in the past four years. Team Penske also was shut out among the lap leaders in 2022. Several teams had pit road issues, including Dale Coyne Racing's VeeKay (contact in the No. 18 askROI Honda), Rossi, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's Louis Foster (the rookie twice received pit road speeding penalties), DRR-Cusick Motorsports' Jack Harvey (the No. 24 DRR CUSICK INVST Chevrolet got flagged for speeding) and pole sitter Robert Shwartzman (the No. 83 PREMA Racing Chevrolet struck crew members). The post-race technical inspection failures of Ericsson, Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood and PREMA Racing's Callum Ilott. They had taken the checkered flag in the second, sixth and 12th positions, but they were dropped to 31st, 32nd and 33rd. There were many other highlights: Palou earned the first oval victory of his career, pushing his total number of wins to 16 to tie him with Dan Wheldon for 31st place on the sport's all-time list. Palou also has a whopping 112-point lead – a gap of more than two races' worth of points – on the field heading to this weekend's Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear as he pursues his third consecutive series championship and fourth in five years. FOX Sports earned impressive ratings, with more than 7 million people tuning in to the race. It's the biggest audience for the '500' since 2008. The sellout crowd that approached 350,000 was the second in modern '500' history, as IMS also sold all grandstand seats for the 100th Indy 500 in 2016. recommended
Indianapolis Star
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
'Worst moment of my life': Team Penske's tumultuous Indy 500 week ends with crash, car issues
INDIANAPOLIS -- Team Penske's chances for a third straight year of Indianapolis 500 glory, already complicated by a week of penalties and turmoil, ended abruptly Sunday. Scott McLaughlin's bid for back-row immortality ended on the pace lap – his No. 3 car the casualty of a collision with the wall. Two-time defending champion Josef Newgarden completed 135 laps before a fuel pressure issue took him out in 25th place. He began the race in 32nd position – one spot ahead of teammate Will Power. Both were sent to the back row after their cars failed inspections for unapproved modifications to the rear attenuator. Power completed the race, finishing 19th. The lackluster finishes concluded a tumultuous week. Calls for an independent officiating body were renewed, with Penske Entertainment's ownership of both the series and the 500 seen as a conflict of interest. Penske fired its IndyCar leadership last Wednesday. 'I just wish we had a chance to fight for it,' Newgarden said on the Fox broadcast after his exit. 'We didn't even get to see what we had there. We were just slowly working forward. '... It's just a shame to not be there in the fight.' Newgarden was talking about his own car and race team. The comments, though, could easily apply to the entire Penske Corporation's endeavor to reclaim the narrative after the past week's chaotic events. Not only did the team fall short, it stumbled to its worst Indianapolis 500 performance in recent history. Sunday marked only the second Indy 500 in the past 14 without a top-10 Penske finish. It had posted at least two top-10 finishes in every race since 2011. A Newgarden three-peat would have made him the first driver to win from a back-row start. He made steady progress throughout the race. He ran in 10th at Lap 80. By Lap 130, he'd moved up to sixth. The fuel pressure issue, though, came up during a pit stop after Lap 133. Newgarden later told reporters the problem was 'an anomaly – something we've never seen before.' Newgarden had qualified for the Fast 12 one day prior to the failed inspection. 'We were trending in the right direction," Newgarden said. 'We just tried to take our time. It was not going to matter until the very end, and I think we were at least going to be in position to give it a fight. 'It's just tough to end on that note. We had such a good month in so many ways.' The race began under a caution when McLaughlin crashed on the parade lap. He called it 'the worst moment of my life.' Starting in 10th place, the New Zealand native seemed to represent the best chance for Penske to salvage the weekend. Instead, the only one of its three drivers which hadn't been banished to the back lost traction and slammed into the wall, ruining his left front suspension, on the pace lap. 'It is what it is,' McLaughlin said. 'You've just got to get on with it, pick yourself up.'
Fox Sports
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Josef Newgarden laments what could have been in Indy 500 three-peat bid
Bruce Martin Special to INDIANAPOLIS — There's a reason why no driver in history has won three straight Indy 500s. Because it's hard. Even with perhaps the fastest car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Sunday's 109th Indianapolis 500, Team Penske's Josef Newgarden was starting in the back row. It came after INDYCAR Series officials heavily penalized Team Penske for modifying the rear attenuator. Newgarden knew he would have to put on the race of his life to win his third-straight Indy 500. Newgarden had a lot working against him, even with the fastest car. The winning driver has never won the Indianapolis 500 from 28th or lower. Newgarden was starting 32nd. Newgarden laid back at the start of the race on the first green-flag lap because he saw the potential of a crash at the back of the pack. Sure enough, Marco Andretti and Jack Harvey were involved in a crash in Turn 1 that knocked Andretti out of the race. Harvey was able to continue but Newgarden was nowhere near the calamity when it occurred. Once the race finally settled down, Newgarden proved he had one of the fastest cars on the track. The No. 2 Shell Chevrolet raced its way through the field to as high as sixth place on Lap 128. He had the right strategy to fight for the win over the final 32 laps. Newgarden made his scheduled pit stop on Lap 133 and had an issue. He returned to the track but came back down pit road on Lap 134 and never returned to action. "It looks like some fuel pressure issues, so I'm not sure," Newgarden said after he climbed out of the car. "It's some kind of anomaly or something we've never seen before. "It's just unfortunate for the whole group. It's a team sport, which that very much shows it. You guys were definitely right on pace for what you had to do today to have a shot to make history." Newgarden reflected on what could have been on Sunday. "It's tough to not have a shot here at the end," he said. "It's a team sport. It takes everything to win here. "I'm still immensely grateful to run at Indianapolis. As tough as it is to take, I still feel grateful to be out here today. I just wish we had a chance to fight for it." Newgarden began his day loudly booed by many fans during driver introductions over the latest controversy surrounding the team. Although he seemed to use that for motivation earlier in the week, he remained determined to give it a shot at becoming the first driver to win three-straight Indy 500s. It's a record that will remain unachieved, for now. Bruce Martin is a veteran motorsports writer and contributor to Follow him on X at @BruceMartin_500 . recommended Get more from NTT INDYCAR SERIES Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
7NEWS
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- 7NEWS
Scott McLaughlin heartbroken after inexplicable crash on Indy 500 warm-up lap
Supercars great Scott McLaughlin has been left heartbroken after he crashed out of the Indy 500 on the warm-up lap. One of the race favourites, he was warming up his tyres when he lost control and hit the inside wall — causing enough damage to be immediately ruled out of the race. McLaughlin was plainly devastated after having crashed in the final round of qualifying last weekend. He tried to describe his latest incident as a 'rookie' error but simply could not explain it. 'Just really upset for my team,' he said after leaving the medical centre for a check-up. 'They built me a fantastic car again. I'm really sorry to my sponsors, my fans, my family. I don't know what happened. 'I can't believe we're out of the race. I just had so much hope today. It's by far the worst moment of my life. 'I know it's probably dramatic but it's just like... I put so much into the race. Everyone does. And I didn't even get to see the green flag.' Making matters worse for his controversy-strewn Team Penske outfit, two-time reigning Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden bowed out with 66 laps to go because of a fuel pressure problem. 'It's tough to not have a shot at the end,' Newgarden said. 'I just wish we had a chance to fight for it.' Eponymous team owner Roger Penske, who also owns IndyCar, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy 500, delivered the message for drivers to start their engines. He had been scarce in public since qualifying weekend, when the cars of Newgarden and Australia's former winner Will Power were found to have an illegally modified part. Both were penalised and sent to the rear of the 33-car starting grid. Penske went even further after the second scandal to engulf his team in just over a year, firing team president Tim Cindric and Team Penske officials Ron Ruzewski and Kyle Moyer, who had served as the strategist on McLaughlin's car. McLaughlin did not have the illegally modified part on the car that he wrecked in the final round of qualifying. Power finished 19th in the 109th running of the Indy 500. The start was delayed then a cloud of light rain that passed over the speedway, where a crowd of about 350,000 people had arrived early and packed the sold-out grandstands. Trucks with huge dryers were sent onto the track, and it was declared ready by race control after a delay of about 35 minutes. Penske received a warm ovation when he finally stepped to the microphone and delivered the starting command.
Indianapolis Star
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
Josef Newgarden's Indy 500 race is over with 25th-place finish
Josef Newgarden's attempt to become the first driver to win three consecutive Indianapolis 500s fell short. The 34-year-old Tennessean finishes 25th after starting from the last row on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. He suffered a fuel pressure issue after a Lap 133 pit stop. "Tried to be methodical," Newgarden told the Fox broadcast. "I just wish we had a chance to fight for it." He had steadily improved his race position after starting 32nd: 10th at Lap 80 and 6th at Lap 130. Newgarden held back as the green flag flew, careful to avoid any issues with cars ahead. He worked his into the upper half of the field by Lap 50. His car failed inspection during second-day qualifying, and IndyCar star sent him — after qualifying for the Fast 12 the previous day — to the back row, along with Team Penske teammate Will Power. Five others previously sought a three-peat, with results ranging from tantalizingly close to tragic. Here's how those drivers fared. No one had a better opportunity to win three straight Indy 500s. Castroneves won his rookie and second seasons at IMS, then qualified for the pole in 2003. Just one thing stood in his way: Penske teammate Gil de Ferran, who won by 0.22 seconds over runner-up Castroneves. Castroneves is seeking a record fifth Indy 500 win in 2025. He shares the all-time victories lead with A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears. Unser started the 1972 race 19th and crossed the finish line in 3rd place, though Mark Donahue dominated the field, winning by more than 3 minutes. The morning after the race, officials penalized the runner-up, Jerry Grant, for taking on fuel late in the wrong from the wrong pit stall. That moved Unser up to 2nd. Vukovich started the 1955 from the 5th position and led 50 of the first 56 laps before being killed in a Lap 57 crash involving five drivers. Rose was not a factor in 1949, starting 10th and finishing 13th. The three-time race champ crashed in 1941 while leading on Lap 152, suffering a back injury and getting drenched in fuel from his ruptured gas tank.
