Josef Newgarden, the two-time reigning Indianapolis 500 champion, emerged victorious at the IndyCar Bommarito 500 on Saturday. Despite spinning on the track, he managed to regain control and withstand two late restarts to secure the win.
Newgarden’s impressive recovery and victory echoed Danny Sullivan’s famous move in 1985 at the Indy 500. This win marks Newgarden’s 31st career IndyCar victory and his fifth at the 1.25-mile oval at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois.
Reflecting on his win, Newgarden praised his team for providing him with winning cars throughout the year. “It’s nice to get another one on the board,” he remarked.
The 33-year-old American finished 260 laps ahead of Scott McLaughlin, who started on pole, with Linus Lundqvist in third, Colton Herta in fourth, and Alex Palou in fifth, with no other cars on the lead lap.
The race looked poised for a close finish with 10 laps remaining before a dramatic restart led to a red flag due to a crash involving Will Power and Alexander Rossi.
Newgarden managed to pull away on the final restart with six laps remaining to claim the victory.
Looking back at the race, Newgarden expressed regret over the incident that caused the red flag, acknowledging the impact it had on Power’s race.
In addition to his latest victory, Newgarden has previously won on the Madison oval in 2017, 2020, 2021, and 2022.
– Malukas and Power Incident –
The race saw some intense moments, including a bump between Malukas and Power, which resulted in Malukas crashing into the wall. Despite the challenges, Newgarden prevailed and emerged as the winner of the IndyCar Bommarito 500.
Four races remain in the 17-race IndyCar season, with the next event scheduled for August 25 in Portland, Oregon.
js/bfm
