Newgarden dominates enthralling race to clinch second consecutive victory at Texas Motor Speedway

Penske’s Josef Newgarden secures second consecutive victory in thrilling Texas IndyCar race marred by late drama.

Josef Newgarden, racing for Penske, clinched his second consecutive victory at Texas Motor Speedway in an enthralling race that harked back to the classic IndyCar events held in the state. The race came to a dramatic close when Romain Grosjean crashed out from fifth place late on.

The new aero updates on the cars and a dedicated practice session to rubber in the high side of the racetrack allowed drivers to race two-wide, adding to the excitement of the event which was further supported by NASCAR Trucks.

During the race, the lead changed hands between Josef Newgarden, Pato O’Ward of Arrow McLaren, and Scott Dixon of Ganassi, until they had to start saving fuel.

The race took a dramatic turn when Takuma Sato spun out and crashed into the inside wall off Turn 2 while attempting to avoid the sinking car of Will Power.

Newgarden took the lead after this incident and held it for the following stint, before making an early pit stop to benefit from fresh tyres and an undercut.

However, O’Ward closed the two-second gap and overtook Newgarden on lap 129 of 250, subsequently lapping the entire field except for Newgarden.

Pato O’Ward’s remarkable display saw him swiftly passing other cars on both the high and low sides of the track as if it was a video game set to easy difficulty.

O’Ward continued to hold the lead even after the next pit stop on lap 169, but his teammate Felix Rosenqvist, who had started on pole position, crashed in Turn 4 just a few laps later.

In anticipation of a possible caution later in the race, both O’Ward and Newgarden pitted to refuel and ensure they could avoid making another pit stop towards the end of the race.

However, this strategy decision resulted in six cars being unlapped, who then made pit stops. As they were pitting, Newgarden also pitted to refuel, giving him an extra five laps of fuel compared to O’Ward, who had to conserve his fuel.

After the restart and with fresh tyres, there was intense side-by-side racing, with Alex Palou of Ganassi briefly taking the lead from Newgarden and O’Ward. Newgarden managed to regain the lead, but with fuel-saving becoming crucial, the lead position kept changing hands, with drivers like Romain Grosjean and Colton Herta of Andretti, as well as Scott McLaughlin of Penske, getting in the mix.

With 40 laps to go, Sting Ray Robb crashed on his own, prompting a final caution period during which everyone pitted for fresh tyres except for Palou, who remained on track.

After the restart, O’Ward managed to regain the lead, but there was further drama as Herta collided with the back of Grosjean, causing Grosjean to hit the side of Newgarden’s car as they entered Turn 1. This incident resulted in another caution period, this time caused by Graham Rahal colliding with the crashed car of Devlin DeFrancesco further down the track.

Following the caution period, Grosjean and Dixon pitted and emerged in seventh and eighth positions, respectively, but with the advantage of fresh tyres.

As the race resumed, O’Ward and Newgarden battled for the lead, overtaking Palou, and engaging in wheel-to-wheel racing, with their cars even touching on the main straight with just three laps remaining.

However, in a stunning turn of events, a late incident occurred that would ultimately decide the race.

With just two laps remaining, Grosjean crashed out of the lead pack, causing the race to finish under a yellow flag, with Newgarden in the lead.

Newgarden’s victory in this race marks his second consecutive win at Texas, after his season-opener in St. Petersburg was ruined by an engine fire.

Despite the customary victory donuts that are usually performed by drivers after a win, Newgarden decided not to risk damaging his engine and refrained from doing so, mentioning his affection for his car’s engine.

O’Ward, though disappointed, leaves Texas with the championship lead, having missed out on a victory in St. Petersburg due to a plenum fire that cost him the win. He had to settle for second place in this race.

Meanwhile, Palou drove an excellent race on older tyres, displaying his best oval performance since the 2021 Indianapolis 500, and finished in third place, ahead of David Malukas.

Malukas, who had an impressive race for Coyne, was fortunate to be saved by his teammate Robb’s crash, as he had missed his pit stop during the previous caution period, although it is uncertain whether it was his mistake or the team’s.

During the race, Palou had to check his speed at Turn 2, which created dirty air, causing Grosjean’s car to slide up and clip Malukas. Fortunately, Malukas emerged unharmed from the incident.

Dixon managed to secure fifth place in the race, finishing ahead of McLaughlin and Herta, the only other drivers to complete the race on the lead lap.

Marcus Ericsson, Callum Ilott, and Helio Castroneves finished in the sixth, seventh, and eighth positions, respectively, while Grosjean was classified in 14th place after his late crash.

The 2023 Texas PPG 375 race has concluded, and here are the results:

Indycar series championship standings for 2023

Newgarden dominates enthralling race to clinch second consecutive victory at Texas Motor Speedway 2023 Newgarden dominates enthralling race to clinch second consecutive victory at Texas Motor Speedway 2023 Newgarden dominates enthralling race to clinch second consecutive victory at Texas Motor Speedway 2023 Newgarden dominates enthralling race to clinch second consecutive victory at Texas Motor Speedway 2023

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