No. 1: Newgarden Executes Rare Last-Lap Pass for First ‘500’ Win
December 31, 2023 | By Curt Cavin, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Note: The Penske Entertainment editorial staff is looking back at the 10 biggest moments of 2023 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in this year-end series, with one installment appearing on the site per day in countdown fashion from Dec. 22-31.
In recent years, NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers have used a massive weave down the long straightaways at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to protect their position in the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Josef Newgarden bucked the trend – at least in one location.
Newgarden opted not to follow race leader Marcus Ericsson off Turn 2 on the final lap of the May 28 race, using his momentum to grab the lead down the backstretch. Then when Ericsson tried to overtake him off Turn 4 coming to the checkered flag, Newgarden zipped to the bottom part of the track and then moved purposefully back to the middle to hang on for his first win in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
Newgarden’s margin of victory over the 2022 race winner was .0974 of a second in a thriller before a packed IMS. It was the fourth-closest finish in “500” history and only the third time the race was decided on a final-lap pass. Fourteen drivers led laps in the race, the second-highest total in event history, and there were 52 lead changes, the third-most ever.
The driver of Team Penske’s No. 2 Chevrolet earned the win in his 12th career “500” start, extending Roger Penske’s event record to 19 victories in the race. Newgarden started from the 17th position, the lowest for the race’s winner since Ryan Hunter-Reay started 19th in 2014.
Ericsson was bidding to become the first repeat winner since Helio Castroneves in 2002.
After his cooldown lap, Newgarden went into the packed front grandstands to celebrate with fans. He disappeared into a joyous throng of humanity before re-emerging to reap congratulations from his family and Team Penske crew at the Yard of Bricks start-finish line.
Fourth-place starter Santino Ferrucci finished third in a stirring run for AJ Foyt Racing. It was the best “500” finish for the famed team since Eliseo Salazar also finished third in 2000. Ferrucci’s teammate, Benjamin Pedersen, was named Rookie of the Year after qualifying 11th.
Pole winner Alex Palou rallied from being pinned against the pit wall by Rinus VeeKay early in the race and falling deep into the 33-car field to finish fourth for Chip Ganassi Racing.
The scintillating finish came in a one-lap showdown for victory after the race’s third red flag, all in the last 15 laps. Pedersen, Ed Carpenter and Graham Rahal were collected in a chain-reaction collision on the frontstretch on a Lap 196 restart.
After the cleanup for that incident, the remaining running cars returned to the track from pit lane on Lap 199. Ericsson got a big jump on the restart with the green and white flags in the air atop the flag stand and led in Turns 1 and 2. But Newgarden gained ground in Turn 2 and darted to the outside on the back straightaway.
Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward led a race-high 39 laps. The event also featured the fastest qualifying lap by a female – Katherine Legge ran 231.070 mph – and Benjamin Pedersen delivered the fastest one-lap qualifying speed by a rookie (233.297 mph). Agustin Canapino became the first Argentine in the race since Raul Riganti in 1940.
The event’s purse record was shattered for the second year in a row, with Newgarden earning $3.666 million from a total purse of $17,021,500. The average payout was $500,600, exceeding the 2022 average of $485,000.