For the majority of the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500, the race lived up to its grand billing as ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’. Run at a searingly fast pace, and with just a couple of minor shunts to disrupt its flow, it became bogged down by a sequence of late-race, multi-car accidents and a trio of red flags. Its denouement was the Indy 2.5, a final-lap shootout straight out of the pits for a NASCAR-style green-white-chequered finish, which Josef Newgarden mastered to pass last year’s winner Marcus Ericsson to claim his maiden 500 win, and team owner Roger Penske’s record-extending 19th.
Newgarden started the day in 17th on the grid, admitting that his team had “fallen short” and “not done a good enough job” in qualifying. “Indy is not easy,” he mused. “I don't care how many Indy 500s you have, what team you are, there are no guarantees when you show up here. For whatever reason this cruel mistress, she's just tricking us.”
Newgarden made solid progress early on, nudging his way into the top 10 as early as one-quarter distance. Drivers bemoaned the latest aero package on the Dallara DW12s, which had extra downforce that appeared to be doing the opposite of what was intended in terms of improving overtaking opportunities. But Newgarden ignored that and got passes done when he had to and benefited from some pitstop perfection by his well-drilled crew.
In the second half of the race, the 32-year-old involved himself in the conversation over the leading positions. Remember, at this point the race was cracking along at a fair old rate - on course to be one of the least-interrupted editions in its long history. The first yellow was for the elaborately named rookie Sting Ray Robb, who got into the marbles in a turf war with Graham Rahal at Turn 1 on lap 92 and came off second best. “I need to pay more attention to the stereotypes of this series,” he complained, refusing to call Rahal by his name. “It was just way too aggressive of a move.”
The second caution, on the stroke of three-quarter race distance, was for Romain Grosjean. He’d earlier been speared in the pits by Andretti Autosport team-mate Colton Herta in an intra-team muddle, and the lure of the Turn 2 barrier pulled him into its grasp just like it did 12 months ago.
By this point, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Ericsson and Penske’s Newgarden looked to be the strongest horses in the field, but there were still some other pre-race favourites that they’d have to conquer. But polesitter Alex Palou and Rinus VeeKay had delayed themselves in the pits when VeeKay half spun and clattered Palou into the wall, breaking his front wing.
“I was next to Alex when I got wheelspin,” rued VeeKay. “I lost the car and hit him. I think I just used too many revs, you don’t wanna hit anyone so it’s just unfortunate.”
Source: Autosport