INDYCAR - Snap-on INDYCAR Weekend at the Milwaukee Mile
Snap-on INDYCAR Weekend at the Milwaukee Mile
West Allis, WI – August 29 - 30, 2026
JOSEF NEWGARDEN No. 2 Snap-On CHEVROLET
Race 1 Start: 5th, Finish: 7th
Race 2 Start: 3rd, Finish: 25th, Points: 7th (-199)
RACE 1 RUNDOWN: Josef Newgarden and the No. 2 Snap-on Chevrolet team overcame handling issues that followed the resumption of the first race of the Snap-on INDYCAR Weekend at the Milwaukee Mile to finish in the seventh position. After starting the race from the third on the grid, Newgarden settled into the top five and stayed there through the team's first pit stop on Lap 50. Light rain showers forced a red flag condition at Lap 91 that resulted in the race being postponed until Sunday afternoon. When the race resumed on Lap 99, the Snap-on Chevy continued to run at the front of the field until slight contact with the No 76 of Rinus VeeKay on Lap 133 forced him into the dirty upper lane and resulted in several lost positions. Newgarden would continue to fight handling issues - eventually losing a lap to the leaders - while the team continued to adjust the No. 2 Chevy. After taking the wave around under a Lap 153 caution period, Newgarden was able to start working his way back through the field, eventually getting back inside the top 10 on Lap 229. The two-time Indianapolis 500 winner picked up two more positions over the remaining laps to score his 11th top 10 finish of the season.
RACE 2 RUNDOWN: Josef Newgarden and the No. 2 Snap-on Chevrolet team continued their unfortunate string of luck at the Milwaukee Mile with a 25th-place finish in Sunday’s Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250. In a strange scheduling change, the second race of the doubleheader weekend was contested before the finish of the first race that was postponed until Sunday evening after 91 laps were completed on Saturday. A 14-time winner on short ovals in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Newgarden started Sunday’s 250-lap event from the third position and quickly raced his way into the lead on Lap 35. While he was able to keep his Snap-on Chevy at the front of the field through the first two pit cycles, Newgarden asked for front wing adjustments on each pit stop to help a persistent tight-handling condition. Following the team’s third pit stop of the day on Lap 125, the Nashville native cycled into the third position before spinning his Chevy on the exit of Turn 4 on Lap 143. Newgarden made significant contact with the attenuator at the entry to pit lane, effectively ending his day.
NEWGARDEN'S THOUGHTS: “It was a hard weekend, a really hard weekend. It was a disappointing weekend. Tough for the team. We wanted a lot more here. They showed up and put in the effort. Put in the work and don’t have a lot of reward for it. I want to thank everybody on the No. 2 Snap-on Chevy crew more than anything. They did a great job. There always hanging in there and doing anything that is needed. First race, I couldn’t quite get the car to do what I wanted, and I forced the issue and spun off Turn 4. Just trying too hard and making a mistake. Second race. All over the place. Really struggling. Couldn’t quite get what I wanted out of the car. Then kind of got shoved around a couple of times. Side-checked into the marbles. Thankfully didn’t hit the fence. Went way backwards then and tried to recover as much as we could, but didn’t have the pace. Didn’t have the feel in the car on the tires. Ended up in seventh at the end. We fought back to something reasonable, but not what we wanted and what this crew is capable of. We’re going to leave here disappointed and wanting more."
