INDYCAR - Arlington
Java House Grand Prix of Arlington
Start: 11th, Finish: 15th, Points: 4th(-34)
RACE RUNDOWN: Josef Newgarden and the No. 2 PPG Chevrolet team fought through a weekend full of obstacles to finish 15th in the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington on Sunday afternoon. A Saturday morning practice incident in a low-speed section of the new circuit ultimately resulted in the No. 2 team bringing out a backup car after a hole was found in the tub portion of the chassis following the contact. After extensive repairs and a loss of valuable track time, Newgarden did a masterful job in transferring to the second round of qualifying on Saturday afternoon before slotting into the 11th position on the qualifying grid. Newgarden and team elected to start the 70-lap event on the red, alternate Firestone tires and were able to break into the top 10 before making their first pit stop of the day on Lap 22. Upon leaving pit lane and blending back into traffic, Newgarden and teammate David Malukas made slight contact that resulted in a loss of several positions for the two-time Indianapolis 500 champion. An issue on the team's second pit stop of the day further reduced the team's ability to make their way back to the front of the field over the remaining laps. Newgarden remains fourth in the point standings heading to Barber Motorsports Park, a road course where he owns three victories.
NEWGARDEN'S THOUGHTS: “Just a tough day. I’m really proud of the team. We had a hard-fought weekend. We had to rebuild a new PPG Chevy and sticking with it in the race and doing everything we can to maximize the day. Unfortunately, just had one too many things go sideways and only have P15 to show for it. Tough result, but I’m really proud of the team for working hard and trying to maximize what was in our control. We’ll just have to leave and sturdy today and the performance loss that we’re seeing and try and make for the future.”
