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| Doug Mathews/IMS Photo |
Josef Newgarden and his No. 2 Team Penske-Chevrolet crew have earned Roger Penske his 20th victory in Carb Day’s traditional Pit Stop Challenge.
Newgarden and teammate Will Power will be starting the 109th Indianapolis 500 from the back row of the grid, but they can expect exemplary service from their pit crews, having created an all-Penske final for this year’s Pit Stop Challenge, with Newgarden’s No. 2 squad – consisting of Luke Mason, Chad Gordon, Clint Cummings, Keenan Watson, Sean O'Hara, Tom Jones, Caitlyn Brown and Shaun Rinaman – emerging ahead after a best-of-three finale.
In the first run of the finale, Power and his team got a drive-in, stop, and drive-out completed in 10.699s on the left-hand lane to beat the previous record for the competition, yet they were edged by Newgarden and crew who produced a 10.45. The drivers swapped lanes for Run 2, and Newgarden made the better getaway, but the No. 12 crew and Power produced a 10.5, edging their teammates by 0.2s.
However, Newgarden’s fastest time from Run 1 gave him lane choice for the third, and he elected to switch back to the right side. Power’s standing start put him slightly ahead, but Newgarden departed his pitbox in time to capture Penske’s 20th Pit Stop Challenge victory with a remarkable 10.263s stop, Power and his crew having produced 10.503s.
The competition started with Conor Daly getting a solo run, due to the absence of Graham Rahal following the RLL car’s engine failure in this morning’s Carb Day practice. Daly overshot his marks but his Juncos Hollinger Racing No. 76 crew got him going and together they sharpened up their act.
Next to roll were Andretti Global’s Colton Herta versus Nolan Siegel of Arrow McLaren, and Siegel got the jump but he skidded long into his box, allowing Herta to win by 3.5s with an 11.87.
Newgarden’s No. 2 Penske crew went up against Christian Rasmussen of Ed Carpenter Racing, and won with an 11.7s victory. The David vs Goliath theme continued with Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing facing Rinus Veekay of Dale Coyne Racing. Both had issues, but Palou’s team predictably prevailed.
A second ECR entry was up next as Alexander Rossi faced up to RLL’s rookie Louis Foster. The arrival and stops were similar, but Rossi’s departure was swifter, to ensure Ed Carpenter’s team at least had one car through to Round 2. The final first round tussle saw Power’s No. 12 line up alongside Christian Lundgaard of McLaren. They were dead even departing but Power was more precise on his marks while Lundgaard slid slightly long, giving his right-rear tire changer an issue that knocked the No. 7 out of the competition.
His teammate Pato O’Ward had had a bye into Round 2, however, and so faced Daly who came up only two-tenths short of toppling the McLaren ace. To O’Ward’s ultimately misplaced pleasure, that ensured he’d take on Newgarden in Round 3, as the team/driver who edged him to Indy 500 victory last year set the fastest time yet, under 11.1s, to easily knock out Herta and crew.
The next pairing was an all-Ganassi affair, as Palou faced up to Scott Dixon’s No. 9 crew, who had gotten a bye. Palou made the better departure so arrived in the box sooner, but his car was dropped off the jacks before the left-rear changer had completed his task, causing a delay that allowed Dixon to win. The fourth semi-final went Penske’s way when Power departed slightly ahead of Rossi, whose issues were then compounded when his front-left rolled in front of his car, delaying his departure.
Penske’s No. 2 crew and Newgarden excelled themselves to deliver a 10.7 to defeat O’Ward’s still impressive 11.1 to reach the final, and Power made it an all-Penske affair by edging long-time rival Dixon by approximately quarter of a second.
- David Malsher-Lopez
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