Josef Newgarden scores his first IndyCar win at Barber

By Apr 26, 2015, 5:37 PM EDT
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – In a thrilling 90-lap Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama that was a mix of pace, persistence, patience and pit strategy, the Verizon IndyCar Series has a first-time race winner, and a first-time champagne sipper.

His name is Josef Newgarden.

The driver of the No. 67 Hartman Oil CFH Racing Chevrolet made it home on the final 27-lap stint en route to the victory, holding off fellow American Graham Rahal, who turned in arguably the drive of his career en route to second in the No. 15 Steak ‘n Shake Honda.

Scott Dixon, the Long Beach winner, finished third in the No. 9 Coca-Cola Chevrolet.

While Newgarden led a race-high 46 laps – 25 more than his previous career total of 21 entering the day – he didn’t have it easy as the stats would indicate, as two separate strategies ruled the roost.

Polesitter Helio Castroneves led the opening 18 laps but Newgarden was an early charger, moving up to third from fifth on the start and second by end of the first lap with a pass on Will Power at Turn 16.

Power’s race nearly came unglued when following a pit stop, he collided with Takuma Sato, who had nowhere to go exiting Turn 2. Sato spun and Power cascaded through the gravel, later earning a drive-through penalty for avoidable contact.

Rahal though was the driver to watch, as an alternate strategy from his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing put him in a position to advance throughout the race. He ran a longer second stint (from Laps 19 to 48) before pitting earlier for his final stop to push harder towards the finish.

Newgarden and Castroneves were 1-2 with Rahal up to third by Lap 22. He inherited the lead by Lap 35 as most of the leaders, led by Newgarden and Castroneves, pitted.

Rahal stopped again on Lap 48, just past the halfway mark, which left his final stop for Lap 70. That allowed him to push harder on both stints, while others who pitted between Laps 62 and 64 would theoretically have to save more fuel throughout the run to the finish.

Newgarden made his last of three stops (Laps 19, 35, 63) and came out in second, behind Rahal, who was due to stop.

Rahal was sixth after his final stop but quickly made work of Power and Hunter-Reay, who made it back into contention past the halfway mark, before hunting down Dixon and passing him out of Turn 9 on the final lap.

It wasn’t enough to catch Newgarden, who won by 2.2061 seconds to complete the first American 1-2 in IndyCar since last year at Iowa Speedway. There, Hunter-Reay beat Newgarden on the sub-one-mile oval.

The win is the first for the combined CFH Racing but the sixth for the team overall, including the five prior wins by either Ed Carpenter Racing or Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing between 2011 and 2014.

Power and Hunter-Reay ended fourth and fifth. Carlos Munoz was a season-best sixth for Andretti Autosport.

Neither Tony Kanaan nor Castroneves – who ran strongly at various points during the race – were able to parlay the combination into a successful result. Kanaan ended 13th, Castroneves 15th on the day.

Despite two cautions for nine laps, there were no major incidents and all 23 drivers finished. Several drivers made great moves throughout the race.

But at the end of it all, Newgarden emerged as a first-time winner heading into the Month of May.

The series isn’t racing next weekend, but will have its oval aero kit test on Sunday, May 3, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

RESULTS

Results Sunday of the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama Verizon IndyCar Series event on the 2.3-mile Barber Motorsports Park road course with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (5) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 90, Running
2. (8) Graham Rahal, Honda, 90, Running
3. (4) Scott Dixon, Chevrolet, 90, Running
4. (2) Will Power, Chevrolet, 90, Running
5. (18) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Honda, 90, Running
6. (22) Carlos Munoz, Honda, 90, Running
7. (10) James Hinchcliffe, Honda, 90, Running
8. (7) Sebastien Bourdais, Chevrolet, 90, Running
9. (3) Simon Pagenaud, Chevrolet, 90, Running
10. (13) Marco Andretti, Honda, 90, Running
11. (9) Luca Filippi, Chevrolet, 90, Running
12. (11) Charlie Kimball, Chevrolet, 90, Running
13. (6) Tony Kanaan, Chevrolet, 90, Running
14. (15) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 90, Running
15. (1) Helio Castroneves, Chevrolet, 90, Running
16. (17) Gabby Chaves, Honda, 90, Running
17. (20) Takuma Sato, Honda, 90, Running
18. (12) Sage Karam, Chevrolet, 90, Running
19. (16) Stefano Coletti, Chevrolet, 90, Running
20. (21) Rodolfo Gonzalez, Honda, 90, Running
21. (19) Jack Hawksworth, Honda, 90, Running
22. (14) James Jakes, Honda, 89, Running
23. (23) Francesco Dracone, Honda, 89, Running

Race Statistics
Winners average speed: 107.176
Time of Race: 01:55:53.0630
Margin of victory: 2.2061 seconds
Cautions: 2 for 9 laps
Lead changes: 10

Lap Leaders:
Castroneves 1 – 18
Pagenaud 19 – 21
Newgarden 22 – 34
Rahal 35 – 46
Hinchcliffe 47
Bourdais 48 – 49
Montoya 50
Newgarden 51 – 62
Dixon 63 – 64
Rahal 65 – 69
Newgarden 70 – 90

Point Standings: Montoya 136, Castroneves 133, Dixon 123, Newgarden 119, Power 112, Hinchcliffe 110, Kanaan 110, Rahal 103, Pagenaud 96, Bourdais 91

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).