JOSEF NEWGARDEN PREVAILS DURING WILD INDIANAPOLIS 500 TO CAPTURE CHEVROLET’S 12TH WIN IN LONG-STANDING HISTORY
Newgarden raced to his first Indianapolis 500 victory in a chaos-filled event, earning Chevrolet’s fifth since 2012 in the 2.2L twin turbo direct injected era
INDIANAPOLIS – In what will go down as a race for the history books, Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet, raced to his first Indianapolis 500 victory and capturing the Bowtie brand’s 12th in its long-standing history at Indianapolis. Additionally, Newgarden’s win today earned Chevrolet the fifth Indianapolis 500 victory in the V-6 2.2L twin turbo direct injected era since 2012.
Coming down to a one-lap dash for the checkered flag after a late-race incident on-track that brought out the red flag, it was Newgarden making the jump and taking the lead on the last lap to take the checkered flag.
"I'm so I thankful,” exclaimed Newgarden after today’s victory. “I've cried out the emotions. I had it. I had a ton of emotion there for a little bit. I'm just thankful to the team that we finally got this done. You know, I was trying to put it off that you know it's not going to define a career winning a race here. But everyone seems to want to make it a defining moment, and for me, you know, it's impossible but I look at it that way and then I'm elated to finally get it to work out. This is way more than me. This is the entire team. They built an amazing car. Tim (Cindric) calling an amazing strategy. [Roger Penske] for sticking with us and having the fate. I can't speak enough about the team effort because that's what it takes. I've been wanting to win here and go in the crowd for so long. I've been waiting to do that. I've always wanted to go in the crowd here to Indy. There's nothing like it. I'm just so thankful to be here to have a shot to run this race. I will never forget this from my life."
“What an exciting pass by Josef Newgarden and an incredible finish to The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” said Jim Campbell, vice president, Performance and Motorsports. “We all will be talking about Josef’s last lap move, sprint to the finish line and post-race celebration for a long time. Josef drove a solid race all afternoon and he put himself in position for that well-timed and memorable move. This is a great win for a popular driver and champion. Congratulations to Josef and the No. 2 Shell Team Penske Chevrolet team for their first Indianapolis 500 win, and congratulations to Roger Penske on his 19th.”
Campbell added: “Thanks to all of the hard work by our Chevrolet engineers along with our technical partners at Ilmor on delivering an engine package that delivered the right combination of power, durability and efficiency.”
Fast facts
- Josef Newgarden raced to his first Indianapolis 500 victory of his NTT INDYCAR Series career and earned Chevrolet their 12th in event history.
- Newgarden’s win at Indianapolis marks Chevrolet’s fifth win since 2012 in the V-6 2.2L twin turbo direct injected era.
- Newgarden’s win today also marks Chevrolet’s 109th victory in the NTT INDYCAR Series since 2012.
- Newgarden’s victory was the fourth closest finish in Indianapolis 500 history, separating first from second by 0.0974.
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***Story and image credits courtesy of GM/Chevrolet Pressroom