Last-lap pass propels Newgarden to victory in IndyCar thriller at Texas
If Sunday’s XPEL 375 was indeed the last IndyCar race at Texas Motor Speedway, race fans in the Lone Star State were treated to one hell of a finale.
TMS was once one of the most popular venues on the schedule and drew the largest crowds outside of the Indy 500 due to close racing and even closer finishes. But recent races at the facility have failed to live up to the hype and now the future of the event remains in jeopardy.
However, Sunday’s race was a throwback to races of years gone by, as Josef Newgarden passed teammate Scott McLaughlin on the last lap to win by the slim margin of 0.0669 seconds in an instant classic.
"Oh my gosh!” Newgarden told NBC Sports following the race. “I was fuming in the car. We had all this traffic, and it wasn't helping me and then right when I needed it to help me. And then right when I needed it to help me, literally last corner, last lap traffic helped me out.”
Josef Newgarden had a lot to smile about after winning on the final lap of Sunday's XPEL 375 at Texas Motor Speedway. Photo courtesy IndyCar.
The final lap was the lone one Newgarden led in Sunday’s race, with McLaughlin leading the majority of it (186 of the scheduled 248 laps). While he failed to go two-for-two, the New Zealand native still holds a 28-point lead at the top of the championship standings, leading teammate Will Power by a 97-69 point margin.
“Second is a great day, but unfortunately, we made a little lapse and at the end of the day lost," McLaughlin said. "If you’re going to lose to anyone, your teammate is the guy you want to lose it to.
"Gutted I couldn’t get it done for XPEL and Chevy. But at the end of the day, we’re there, and I learned a lot in the race that going to help us going in May to the Speedway.
“But I’m gutted. It still hurts. It’s how it is. But I’m pretty proud of how we’re running.”
Newgarden’s victory was also the 600th for Team Penske across all forms of motorsports. When asked if he had ever had a more dramatic victory in his career, Newgarden said “never”.
“Last lap, last corner. That's what it's all about at Texas,” Newgarden said.
He then added his hope that IndyCar and TMS officials will reach agreement on a new sanction contract, as the last race of the current four-race deal ended once Sunday's checkered flag fell.
“I hope we come back. Let's come back," said Newgarden, who now has two wins at the 1.5-mile track.
Marcus Erricsson finished the race in third, while Will Power and Scott Dixon rounded out the top five.
Jimmie Johnson - the winningest driver in NASCAR competition at Texas - finished sixth for his best IndyCar result to date in his first oval race in the series.
“Once we hit the halfway point in the race, I could sense and feel the car, and it became second nature, and off I went,” Johnson said. “I’m just very thankful for the support from Chip Ganassi Racing. We knew going oval racing would help, and today got us in a competitive mix.”
While the race was a great one for the Penske and Ganassi camps, it was a stressful day for Andretti Autosport. All Andretti drivers with the exception of Colton Herta retired from the race.
Devlin Defrancesco lost control of his car when he clipped the apron, taking out himself, Helio Castroneves and Graham Rahal in the process. Romain Grosjean’s car experienced an engine issue that forced him out of the race roughly 100 laps in, and Alexander Rossi only made it to lap 20 before experiencing an electrical issue.
"Well at least we saw the green flag, so that's cool," Rossi said.
The NTT IndyCar Series now heads to Southern California for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 10.