INDIANAPOLIS — Josef Newgarden put a cheating scandal behind him to become the first consecutive Indianapolis 500 winner since Helio Castroneves 22 years ago and give Roger Penske a record 20th victory in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
The Tennessean passed Pato O’Ward on the final lap of Sunday’s rain-delayed race to become the first driver to win five hundred in a row since Castroneves did it for Penske in 2001 and 2002. Like last year, Newgarden stopped his Chevrolet-powered car on the track and climbed through a hole in the fence to celebrate with fans in the stands.
“I love this crowd. If we win here, I always have to go with the crowd and I always do,” Newgarden said.
O’Ward dropped his head to the steering wheel in bitter disappointment. He was trying to become the first Mexican in 108 races to win the Indy 500.
It was a stunning return to form for Newgarden, who had his season-opening victory in March disqualified last month because Team Penske had illegal push-to-pass software in their cars. Newgarden used extra power three times during his victory, and it took IndyCar almost six weeks to discover Penske’s manipulation.
Roger Penske, owner of the IndyCar, Indy 500 and speedway racing teams, has suspended four crew members, including team president Tim Cindric. Cindric’s suspension was a huge blow to Newgarden, as Cindric is considered the best strategist in the series.
Newgarden was thrilled with the victory and put the push-to-pass scandal behind him.
“Absolutely, they can say whatever they want, I don’t even care anymore,” he said.
The start of the race was delayed four hours because of rain, which ruined NASCAR star Kyle Larson’s chance to start in “The Double.” A delay at Indy caused him to miss the start of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Although Larson performed decently for most of the day, two rookie errors allowed him to finish 18th.
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon finished third as the top Honda rider, followed by Alexander Rossi, O’Ward’s teammate at Arrow McLaren Racing. Chevrolet took three of the top four places.
