IndyCar: Elusive first win continues to escape Newgarden, SFHR

By Aug 3, 2014, 7:15 PM EDT
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LEXINGTON, Ohio – Like at Long Beach back in April, all the stars seemed set to align for Josef Newgarden and the No. 67 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda team during Sunday’s Honda Indy 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

And then, as it seemingly always happens, circumstances outside Newgarden’s control conspired to prevent the talented 23-year-old third year driver from capturing an elusive – and deserved – first career victory in the Verizon IndyCar Series.

Although Newgarden started from second on the grid on reds, he then burned off the primaries for his second stint and was all set, back on the reds for the duration to hunt down then leader Scott Dixon.

He got close but not past the Ganassi driver, but was poised to jump ahead on fuel strategy. But unfortunately his plans were foiled in a Lap 65 pit stop, when a crew member fell down, his air jacks failed to engage and he hit an air hose – all of it culminating in a drive-through penalty that dropped him to 12th.

Yet just after Long Beach, when he could have had every reason to be visibly frustrated or incensed with what had transpired, Newgarden displayed maturity, temperament and calmness well beyond his years.

“We didn’t get it right; it’s a shame,” Newgarden told MotorSportsTalk and IndyCar Radio post-race. “We had such a strong car and man we had great strategy. It was a killer idea going blacks. We hung on (Sebastien) Bourdais, he was on reds, and then it fell right into our seat. I knew it was happening the whole time. You don’t always stick with the plan, and we did today. It was perfect. Everyone knew we were strong today and we had a shot to win. We’ve had a couple of those this year and a couple more to come.”

Race winner Scott Dixon hailed Newgarden’s drive, although Dixon was still saving fuel and able to hold back the challenge.

“Josef came at me with a pretty big charge, but we were saving a lot of fuel,” Dixon said. “Yet we could still hit the number we needed to achieve. So long as you’re good through (Turns) 1 and 2, it’s impossible to pass. Then you can save.”

The air in the media center was nearly sucked out upon Newgarden’s pit stop and then insult to injury. Yet again though, it was the Nashville native now residing in Indy who remained more upbeat than a wealthy number of people on the ground at Mid-Ohio.

This moment reminds me a bit of 2003, when another talented, up-and-coming driver named Michel Jourdain Jr. was poised to win his first ever Champ Car race at Long Beach, driving for Bobby Rahal. Jourdain grabbed the pole, lost the lead but was in position to win before a gearbox issue on his final pit stop cost him the race.

Jourdain would then break through three races later to win his first career race at The Milwaukee Mile.

Guess where IndyCar’s heading in two weeks.

We said it after Long Beach and we’ll say it again after Mid-Ohio – his first win is coming, and ideally sooner rather than later.

Ford unveils a new Mustang for 2024 Le Mans in motorsports ‘lifestyle brand’ retooling

Associated PressJun 9, 2023, 7:00 PM EDT
Ford Mustang Le Mans
Ford Performance
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LE MANS, France — Ford has planned a return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with its iconic Mustang muscle car next year under a massive rebranding of Ford Performance aimed at bringing the automotive manufacturer “into the racing business.”

The Friday unveil of the new Mustang Dark Horse-based race car follows Ford’s announcement in February (and a ballyhooed test at Sebring in March) that it will return to Formula One in 2026 in partnership with reigning world champion Red Bull.

The Mustang will enter the GT3 category next year with at least two cars in both IMSA and the World Endurance Championship, and is hopeful to earn an invitation to next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The IMSA entries will be a factory Ford Performance program run by Multimatic, and a customer program in WEC with Proton Competition.

Ford CEO Jim Farley, also an amateur sports car racer, told The Associated Press the Mustang will be available to compete in various GT3 series across the globe to customer teams. But more important, Farley said, is the overall rebranding of Ford Performance – done by renowned motorsports designer Troy Lee – that is aimed at making Ford a lifestyle brand with a sporting mindset.

“It’s kind of like the company finding its own, and rediscovering its icons, and doubling down on them,” Farley told the AP. “And then this motorsports activity is getting serious about connecting enthusiast customers with those rediscovered icons. It’s a big switch for the company – this is really about building strong, iconic vehicles with enthusiasts at the center of our marketing.”

Ford last competed in sports car racing in 2019 as part of a three-year program with Chip Ganassi Racing. The team scored the class win at Le Mans in 2016 in a targeted performance aimed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ford snapping Ferrari’s six-year winning streak.

Ford on Friday displayed a Mustang with a Lee-designed livery that showcased the cleaner, simplified look that will soon be featured on all its racing vehicles. The traditional blue oval with Ford Performance in white lettering underneath will now be branded simply FP.

The new mark will be used across car liveries, merchandise and apparel, display assets, parts and accessories and in advertising.

Farley cited Porsche as an automaker that has successfully figured out how to sell cars to consumers and race cars in various series around the world while creating a culture of brand enthusiasts. He believes Ford’s new direction will help the company sell street cars, race cars, boost interest in driving schools, and create a merchandise line that convinces consumers that a stalwart of American automakers is a hip, cool brand.

“We’re going to build a global motorsports business off road and on road,” Farley told the AP, adding that the design of the Mustang is “unapologetically American.”

He lauded the work of Lee, who is considered the top helmet designer among race car drivers.

“We’re in the first inning of a nine inning game, and going to Le Mans is really important,” Farley said. “But for customer cars, getting the graphics right, designing race cars that win at all different levels, and then designing a racing brand for Ford Performance that gets rebranded and elevated is super important.”

He said he’s kept a close eye on how Porsche and Aston Martin have built their motorsports businesses and said Ford will be better.

“We’re going in the exact same direction. We just want to be better than them, that’s all,” Farley said. “Second is the first loser.”

Farley, an avid amateur racer himself, did not travel to Le Mans for the announcement. The race that begins Saturday features an entry from NASCAR, and Ford is the reigning Cup Series champion with Joey Logano and Team Penske.

The NASCAR “Garage 56” entry is a collaboration between Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear, and is being widely celebrated throughout the industry. Farley did feel left out of the party in France – a sentiment NASCAR tried to avoid by inviting many of its partners to attend the race so that it wouldn’t seem like a Chevrolet-only celebration.

“They’re going right and I’m going left – that NASCAR thing is a one-year deal, right? It’s Garage 56 and they can have their NASCAR party, but that’s a one-year party,” Farley said. “We won Le Mans outright four times, we won in the GT class, and we’re coming back with Mustang and it’s not a one-year deal.

“So they can get all excited about Garage 56. I almost see that as a marketing exercise for NASCAR, but for me, that’s a science project,” Farley continued. “I don’t live in a world of science projects. I live in the world of building a vital company that everyone is excited about. To do that, we’re not going to do a Garage 56 – I’ve got to beat Porsche and Aston Martin and Ferrari year after year after year.”

Ford’s announcement comes on the heels of General Motors changing its GT3 strategy next season and ending its factory Corvette program. GM, which unlike Ford competes in the IMSA Grand Touring Prototype division (with its Cadillac brand), will shift fully to a customer model for Corvettes in 2024 (with some factory support in the IMSA GTD Pro category).