The Thrill of Victory, the Agony of Defeat
Photo Credit: Paul Hurley, Penske Entertainment
Sunday’s epic finish to the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge echoed that famous opening sequence of ABC’s Wide World of Sports with the reactions of Josef Newgarden’s thrilling 0.3417-second victory over Pato O’Ward.
A jubilant Newgarden parked his Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet on the famous yard of bricks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, leaped from his car, launched himself through the same photographer’s gap in the fence below the flag stand he did last year, jumped another fence and ran into the crowd to celebrate.
“Oh, so similar. I genuinely mean that. It was very similar. You don't know that you're ever going to win this race. Of course you could dream about it.
“How could you not?
“I've dreamed about winning this race for years, but you never know you're going to win it until you're winning it, and that's right before the line that you know you're winning it.
“It's very spur of the moment, and I just wanted to get back to what we did last year and celebrating with this group so quickly was very gratifying.
“I'm so throttled, you have no idea. I don't know that I'm going to be very articulate right now in this moment.
“But I'm appreciative of this team. This team earned this win the entire month. They've earned it the entire year. You have no idea how much effort has gone into this. It's every individual. That is what Indy exemplifies. It exemplifies the team.”
Photo Credit: Matt Fraver, Penske Entertainment
Meanwhile, a heartbroken O’Ward pulled into his pit with tears in his eyes, coming two corners short of winning his first “500”. O’Ward paused briefly, leaving his helmet on, bending over the aero screen of his papaya and black Arrow McLaren Chevrolet to gather his emotions as crew members patted him on the back to console him.
“It was just very wet in there,” offered O’Ward. “I didn't want to take it off just yet. Just wanted to calm down a little bit.
“Yeah, first of all, very proud of what Arrow McLaren did for not just me, but for everybody within the team. I think I can speak on behalf of Kyle (Larson), Alex (Rossi), Callum (Ilott). They gave us the tools to fight. They gave us the tools to be there.
“As for my race, it was just such a stressful race. We were up and down, up and down. The car definitely wasn't the easiest to drive at certain moments.
“I just tried to keep pace as much of the race as I could. I feel like I did. Really prepared to open the doors to ultimately have a chance to win at the end of this, and yeah, it's just heartbreaking. Two corners short.
“I'm glad that we finished the race. Congratulations to Josef, two in a row. But yeah, I put that car in certain points where I didn't know if I was going to come out the other end and in one piece because I just want to win this race so freaking bad. It owes me nothing, so every time we come back, there's always a smile on my face to have another opportunity.”
Photo Credit: Joe Skibinski, Penske Entertainment
Newgarden became the sixth driver to win back-to-back 500’s and the first since Hello Castroneves in 2001, 2002, also for Team Penske.
“I had let go of the thought of winning this race last year. It's so difficult to win. There is no guarantees. It doesn't matter how good you are or how well you execute. It does not guarantee a victory at Indianapolis ever.
“Last year I really started focusing on just the opportunity and saying, you know, this is so fun that we get to show up here and we've got great cars, we've got a great crew, and we have an opportunity to win the race. I know we did. I know we did last year, and I definitely know we did this year. I focused on that. I said if we win it, that's great, but it's the opportunity that's the joy of it.
“I say that because it is very difficult to win the race. It's very difficult to win it back-to-back. I'm over the moon. I've got no words for what we've been able to do. I'm really proud of this team. They deserve it.”
Photo Credit: Chris Owens, Penske Entertainment
The win was Newgarden’s 30th in NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition and extends Team Penske’s record at Indy to 20. Important numbers, for sure.
“They're very important. I think they're important to Roger. It's one of the things that I love about him is his vision to always be moving forward. I think some people, maybe it doesn't work for them, but you don't have the success and the integrity of someone like Roger Penske without that vision.
“I have seen it personally over the last eight years. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him, and the numbers matter. I know how bad he (Penske) wanted 20, and I can tell you I really wanted the second one, and this entire group wanted to win today.
“I think they deserved to win today, and they care about winning these races. You have to. Why do we show up if we don't care about it? We care tremendously.
“It means a lot, and glad to get back there.”
Photo Credit: Matt Fraver, Penske Entertainment
In other numbers, it’s the ninth time Newgarden and O’Ward have finished one-two in INDYCAR, with the Team Penske driver coming out on top six times. But that wasn’t what made O’Ward’s heart break.
“No. I was glad that I was racing somebody that I can trust and somebody that I think is a fantastic competitor. He's on a fantastic team.
“For us, I think it's a privilege to really make them sweat. I think we certainly did today.
“Like I said, a couple seconds short.”
Photo Credit: Joe Skibinski, Penske Entertainment
Having to lay it all out on the line, again, to win the “500” on the last lap, Newgarden was glad it was O’Ward that he was racing outside of going into Turn 3.
“Yeah, hard to know if it's going to work. I don't think it works unless you're racing someone like Pato. It's not that Pato didn't race me hard, he just raced me clean. That move doesn't work unless you're racing someone like that. It just doesn't. It's very easy that that doesn't work out.
“So I think he's a tremendous champion. He could have easily won the race himself. He was very capable of that with his team. For us, it worked out. He drove me excellently. I'm very thankful for him and the way that he drove.
“From our side, we left it all on the track. There was nothing that we were going to come home and regret. I definitely felt that way in the final. I'm like, we're going to put it all on the line. You have to if you want to win Indy. That's just the way it's got to be, especially nowadays.
“It was enough. Our car was so fast, and it was pretty good. It was a little hairy at the end as far as the trickiness, but we had it all day as far as the commitment and the car and the team, and we laid it all out there in Turn 3.”
Photo Credit: James Black, Penske Entertainment
O’Ward says he’s not going to go back and watch the video to see if there was something he could’ve done differently racing with Newgarden.
“No, I don't think you can control that. I think in a way I've cracked a code and I know how to position myself to win this race. I know I can win this race, and I know that I know how to also protect a good result when maybe the win isn't in the cards for me.
“But yeah, just in a race like that where it was a constant emotional roller coaster where things -- things that weren't going perfectly smooth, they really weren't, but I think the team did a fantastic job, gave me an opportunity and called a really good strategy to then get ourselves back to the front and made a very strong overcut which ultimately put us into contention there in the end.
“And then just trying to get into the top two cars the last few laps was like -- it's so hard to do with these cars. You're just stuck there, and you have to risk so much.
“I was like probably higher probability of shunting the car than getting back in one piece. But that's what you have to do, I guess. Today we're second.
“I feel very proud of what I did today,” O’Ward continued. “I really do. It's just after all that work and all those -- just very risky kind of choices that I had to make in order to put myself in that position, it's just like, oh, it just stings to not be able to just finish it. But it is what it is.
“I know we'll be there next year.”
Photo Credit: Dana Garrett, Penske Entertainment
In some ways, Sunday’s win at Indy was a redemption for Newgarden, having had his season-opening win at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg taken away for illegal use of the push-to-pass system used on road and street courses. He’s using that as fuel for the rest of the season.
“In an odd way, I think it's a very -- I'm grateful for the experience. I think it's good. It's been a very illuminating experience to me, more from the outside world.
“I know what I take from that personally. I know what it showed me, which I'm thankful for. I think it shows you things that maybe weren't fully clear but are very clear now.
“I think it's an experience that it's got to either break you or tough you up, and for me, that's all I'll say about it. We've been moving forward. We've never worked together more as a group than this weekend, and I thought that was difficult to do.
“This is the most tight-knit team I've ever seen. It's been a pleasure to be a part of it because it's such a well-conjoined group. Everybody works so well together. It's fun to show up here. It's fun to go to work.
“I've never had it better than this month. Excited to go forward. We've had a really good time this month.”
Photo Credit: James Black, Penske Entertainment
That it took Newgarden 11 tries to get his first “500: win was little solace to O’Ward at the moment.
“I think everybody's path is different,” said O’Ward. “I don't quite think -- some guys obviously get it done very early on and then never again, and some guys take a long time and get it. But I don't think any of these guys have been basically in contention five years in a row and not gotten the win. That's what I'm going through.
“I think probably the closest one that's been through that is probably Helio (Castroneves). I know he has four, but he's been second a lot of times. So I think it's a good thing that I'm finishing second. Maybe I get a couple in a row in the future. I don't know. Maybe I don't get any.
“This place, like I said, it doesn't owe me anything. It's just very cool to be a part of this event.”
“It's been a tough month,” O’ward continued. “So much goes into this race. I think I'm somebody that wears my heart on my sleeve. I don't really hide anything. It's just when you've come so close and it just doesn't seem to -- you just can't seem to get it right, it's just a lot of emotion I would say.
“I think in a few hours. I feel very proud of what I did today. I really do. It's just after all that work and all those -- just very risky kind of choices that I had to make in order to put myself in that position, it's just like, oh, it just stings to not be able to just finish it. But it is what it is.
“I know we'll be there next year.”
If ever the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat was on full display, it was at this year’s Indy 500.