QUALIFYING REPORT FOR JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama

DATE:  March 31, 2012
EVENT:  Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama
SERIES: IZOD IndyCar Series
LOCATION: Barber Motorsports Park (2.38-mile, 17-turn road circuit)
NEWGARDEN:  15^th (1:10.6851 at 117.139 mph)
POLE WINNER: Helio Castroneves of Team Penske (1:10.4768 at 117.485 mph)

LEEDS, Ala., March 31, 2012 – Rookie Josef Newgarden will battle his way to the front of Sunday's 2012 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama from the 15th starting position after he turned a lap of 1 minute, 10.6851 seconds at 117.139 mph in qualifying Saturday.

After a strong day of practice on Friday in which he finished fourth in the overall combined speed chart for the IZOD IndyCar Series, Newgarden’s speed in his No. 67 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone car fell short in qualifications on Saturday.

“The car was great and it drives really well, it was just my fault for not getting more out of it,” Newgarden said. “The field is so tight, we really only needed a couple of tenths.”

Newgarden is confident in his team’s ability to field him with a car that can move up in the field on race day.

“I don’t think we’re going to change too much for the race,” Newgarden said. “We’re in a good spot with the car.”

Helio Castroneves qualified on pole position with a lap speed of 1 minute, 10.4768 seconds. Castroneves won the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series race at Barber Motorsports Park.

James Hinchcliffe, Scott Dixon, Mike Conway and JR Hildebrand claimed the remaining top five qualifying positions. The 2011 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama winner, Will Power, will start the race from ninth position.

The Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama will air live on the NBC Sports Network (formerly Versus) beginning at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, April 1.

Of Note:

•Newgarden will appear on an episode of the TV show “Day Jobs” with country musician Hunter Hays on Wednesday, April 19th at 10 p.m. ET. “Day Jobs” airs on the Great American Country (GAC) network, and follows country artists as they step back into the jobs they had before they made it big in the music industry. Newgarden spent time with singer Hunter Hays at the IZOD IndyCar test in Sebring, Fla. in early March.

• In 2011 Newgarden competed in the Firestone Indy Lights race at Barber Motorsports Park and finished sixth. Newgarden went on to win the 2011 Firestone Indy Lights championship.

• Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing’s only other appearance at Barber Motorsports Park was in 2010, when driver Graham Rahal finished 17th.

IN THE COCKPIT: Josef Newgarden, St. Pete

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Written by: Josef Newgarden
Date: 03/29/2012 - 12:00 AM

One race down, 15 to go, or at least that’s the simple way I look at things. Let me rewind the clock to four months ago when I signed a contract to drive for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing in the 2012 IndyCar Series and tell you how I got to make my rookie debut last weekend.

I walked into a team that was fully operational and who knew exactly what they wanted to do and where they wanted to go. From the moment I met the people in this group, I knew I’d made the right decision. The chemistry seemed to come naturally between us, and it has only grown with each day we have worked together.  I’m only 21 years old, but I already know how rare that is and how fortunate I am to find myself in this position.

Jump ahead to today and you’ll know that we just came off of our first race weekend together at the season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg, FL.  Personally I thought we had a less than stellar weekend, but everyone I talk to seems to think differently about our result. I guess I should be happy because it was my first IndyCar race, but Sarah and Wink didn’t hire me to be satisfied with an 11th-place result.

The most positive part is that we finished the race and kept the car in one piece heading into Barber this weekend. It was crucial for us to stay incident free and keep the car running for the full distance. So yes, a positive weekend in some respects, but far from what I know we can achieve together. I’m here to win races and championships, and I’m not sure how to think any differently about it.

The same goes for all the people working in this group, and if you do not believe you can be a champion at what you do, than what’s the point of it all? I have lots to learn, but in the same respect I feel more than prepared to be here and delivering top results. I’ve been trained by some of the best and been given opportunities that kids my age dream of. I will not make the mistake of giving less than my 100 percent for this opportunity I’ve received. This is the point in my career that I have been working towards all along.

The start of our St. Pete weekend was a bit rocky with a couple gremlins showing up in the first practice session. We lost most of our track time but managed to make it out with 10 minutes left. It was just enough to get a feel for where the car was, and to see what we needed to build on in session 2. The next practice was more productive than the first, but we did not get to maximize our new tires at the end with a couple yellow flags and traffic. I was left feeling eager to show more and could barely wait for the night to pass.

The next day we rolled out in the final practice with some tweaks to our setup and ready to show what we had. We ended up finishing P8 and we were right there in the hunt with the big dogs. It gave us exactly what we needed - confidence heading into qualifying in just a couple hours.

Qualifying would serve as the first time I ran the Red Firestone compound tires. We had notes from previous year, and I was told by many what I should expect. I was super pumped to get those bad boys on the car and to really attack the session. We ended drawing the first group pick, and we would be the first ones on track after loads of feeder series rubber had been laid down on the track. We ended up heading out on track first and thought we would be able to post a competitive time without playing the waiting game like everyone does. This proved to be a mistake and we quickly found out that the track was not in the same condition it was left in after third practice.

We tried to scramble and make a change with the car setup and get back out for another pass, but it was too late, we had played our hand and we had to suffer the 19th grid position we earned. It was not the end of the world, but it sure was disappointing knowing what we were capable of doing. There was no head scratching after that session. We knew were we were at and we knew what had happened that put us where we were on the grid. It was a matter of keeping our heads cool and focusing on the race.

I had a bunch of thoughts bouncing around my head that night, but I really just wanted to get back out on track and race. We started Sunday with damp track conditions for the warm up, but we were able to practice lots of hot pit stops in preparation for the race. As the clock ticked by and it got closer to race time, the excitement and tension was building in me. This is the big payday and the time to get things right, regardless of how your weekend had gone up to that point.

Standing on the grid before the event, I felt comfortable and more than ready to run my first IndyCar race. The team strapped me into the car and we waited for the command. As soon as we lit the engine and headed onto track for the pace laps, it was go time, full focus. The field had a clean start and surprisingly no incidents happened into Turn1, even more surprising is that they did not happen there all day! I had a decent start, but as soon as I got to Alex Tagliani, I got squeezed heading into Turn 10 and this allowed James Jakes to slip past by me on the opening lap.  I found myself just feeling out the first stint and trying to settle into a rhythm.  At lap 15, we had our first pit stop and we decided to jump on the three-stop strategy plan.

At the restart I was able to jump pass Tag into turn 1 and almost immediately after another caution was thrown. At this point I was sitting behind the man himself, Will Power. At the restart I managed to pass Power into Turn 1, and then the next lap I got by Simon Pagenaud in the same spot.  This put me directly behind Justin Wilson, but everybody’s tires were fully back up to temp and this made passing difficult.

We were running quick times, and I actually felt like Wilson and I were quicker than the cars in front of us. We ran in this spot for some laps, until we reached our final caution of the day on lap 48. Somehow the pits were opened up with Carpenter’s car and a safety truck directly in front of it. I was following Wilson in, but he slowed suddenly with an issue and I was already confused with everything happening on the entrance into the pits that for all I knew, he was slowing for a legitimate reason other than running out of fuel. By this time three other cars had passed me, and I finally realized what was going on and went by Wilson to get into the pits. The SFHR boys serviced our car quickly and got me back out on track, but my pit entry error cost us a couple spots.

The race was restarted and I was able to get back by Mike Conway and Hildebrand but at some point in the exchange I ended up breaking the left part of my front wing. There was a moment when everyone in Turn 4 checked up, and this could have been where it happened. From this point on, it was just a battle trying to manage the car, and on top of that I ended up flat spotting my left front tire when I overtook Hildebrand into Turn 1.

Everything took a turn downhill for the following laps, but it was all about maximizing the result and finishing strong. I ran just around the top 10 from this point and tried to hold my ground until the last pit stop, but I could feel the damage getting worse and worse with increasing laps. The vibration from the lockup was worsening too and finally on lap 72, I was able to get into the pits for my final stop and a new set of tires.

At this point I did not actually know I had a wounded car, and I was really looking for some help with the new tires. When I exited the pits, I fell right in front of Charlie Kimball. The handling condition was not improved at all with the aid of the new rubber and I knew it was going to be a long run to the finish. I worked tirelessly to cover my territory and hold of a charging Kimball, but I was fighting a worsening condition. With 10 laps to go, I could see Wilson pressuring Kimball and knew it would be difficult to hold him off if he managed to get by. Wilson ended up passing Kimball (most likely from me holding him up badly…sorry, Charlie…) and Justin was on my tail for the final 5 laps.

I cannot describe how tough the car was becoming to drive, and my mid-corner speeds were dropping rapidly. On the final lap Wilson mounted a charge out of the last corner and there was nothing I could do to stop him. I ended up blocking him a little too aggressively for my normal style out of frustration with the wing damage. We ended up touching down the front stretch, but he still managed to complete the pass and I followed him over the line to end the race. I apologized to him afterwards, as I knew I was in the wrong for our contact.

That’s not my style, and with someone as respected as Justin, I wanted to make sure he knew that I knew I was at fault.

So there it is, the first race of the year, and the first race of my “big car” career was in the books. There are many points and notes to take away from the weekend, and we will be looking to apply all of our lessons this weekend in Barber. I can tell you that we are more than ready to give the guys up top some trouble, and not just for this weekend, but also for the entire year. Everyone at SFHR is aiming high and expecting the most from each other, which fits me perfectly.

Stay tuned, and I hope you’ll enjoy my “Rookie Report” after each race this season on SPEED.com.

~Josef Nashville, Tennessee’s Josef Newgarden, the reigning Firestone Indy Light Series champion, drives the Honda-powered No. 67 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing entry in IZOD IndyCar Series. Learn more about the 21-year-old rookie athttp://raceroftomorrow.com, his team at http://sfhracing.com and follow Josef on Twitter @josefnewgarden.

Special thanks to Marshall Pruett for his contributions.

Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston to Debut in 2013 Featuring the IZOD IndyCar Series

HOUSTON, March 28, 2012 – Officials announced today that the Grand Prix of Houston will return to Reliant Park in 2013 with the IZOD IndyCar Series. It was further announced that the event will hereafter be known as the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston thanks to a multi-year title sponsorship agreement between Shell Oil Company and event promoter Mi-Jack Promotions. The inaugural Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston will take place at Reliant Park on October 4 – 6, 2013.

“We are thrilled to be returning to Houston,” said Michael T. Lanigan, Chairman and CEO of the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston. “The Grand Prix was very successful in 2006 and 2007, with big crowds at Reliant Park witnessing an exciting three-day festival of speed. In 2013 it will be better than ever, with the IZOD IndyCar Series making its debut in the Bayou City, and a great new title sponsor in Shell and Pennzoil. We are looking forward to a long and productive relationship with Shell and Pennzoil as well as the IZOD IndyCar Series.”

Among those participating in the press conference were Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, City of Houston Mayor Pro-Tem Ed Gonzalez, Shell Oil Company President Marvin Odum, IZOD IndyCar Series CEO Randy Bernard, Chairman of the Grand Prix Local Organizing Committee George DeMontrond, IZOD IndyCar Series driver Helio Castroneves, and IZOD IndyCar Series team owner Roger Penske.

Bernard explained that many factors contributed to the decision to award Houston a spot on the schedule.

“We are excited to bring the competition and excitement of the IZOD IndyCar Series to Houston beginning in 2013,” said Randy Bernard, CEO of INDYCAR. “When we look at growing our schedule, one of our top objectives is to showcase our racing in major U.S. cities, which in turn helps our sponsors, team owners and television package and is key to the success of our sport. As the fourth largest city in the country, Houston is a great fit for the IZOD IndyCar Series and Reliant Park will be a tremendous venue.”

The multi-year title sponsorship agreement between Shell and Pennzoil and event promoter Mi-Jack Promotions made the Grand Prix’s return possible.

“Shell has built a long, storied history in motorsports across the world,” said Lisa Davis, President of Shell Commercial Fuels and Lubricants Americas. “Becoming the title sponsor for the IZOD IndyCar Series race lets us bring the Grand Prix home to enjoy with our customers, employees, and neighbors. Shell and Pennzoil look forward to supporting our city, this sport and a spectacular event with great racing on the streets of Houston, Texas.”

In 2006 and 2007, the Grand Prix of Houston had an estimated economic impact of more than $35 million per year to the region and resulted in substantial international exposure for the City of Houston and Harris County. With this in mind, City of Houston Mayor Annise Parker and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett founded the Grand Prix Local Organizing Committee (LOC) in 2010, and local businessman George DeMontrond was appointed as Chairman.

The LOC was established with the intent of identifying a title sponsor to make the Grand Prix’s return possible, so today’s announcement represented the culmination of that effort. “This is a very exciting day for the City of Houston!” remarked DeMontrond. “On behalf of all of us involved in the Grand Prix Local Organizing Committee, I would like to thank Randy Bernard and the IZOD IndyCar Series for their confidence in Houston. We are also very grateful for the leadership of Mayor Parker and Judge Emmett, and for Shell and Pennzoil stepping up and providing the sponsorship support we needed.”

Penske and Castroneves were in Houston as representatives of the IZOD IndyCar Series teams and drivers who will be competing in the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston. “It is important for the IZOD IndyCar Series to bring events to major markets to not only grow the series, but to expand the audience and create new fans of the sport,” said owner of Penske Racing, Roger Penske. “With the history of open-wheel racing in downtown Houston and at Reliant Park, this is a great opportunity to bring a vibrant street race to the fourth-largest city in the United States. We look forward to working closely with our sponsors at Shell and Pennzoil to make this a truly special event.”

“I’m excited about the IZOD IndyCar Series bringing a street race back to a city the size of Houston,” said Helio Castroneves, driver of the No. 3 Shell V-Power/Pennzoil Ultra Chevrolet. “It’s always fun to put on a great show in front of large crowds, and with Houston being a gateway to Central and South America, it’s important for the series’ Latin America audience to have the opportunity to experience these urban festivals that always have a fun and exciting atmosphere. My fellow drivers and I are looking forward to putting on a great show for the people of Houston and really appreciate our sponsors from Shell and Pennzoil in making that happen.”

Organizers of the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston are planning a “three-day festival of speed”, with a variety of family-friendly activities complementing world-class racing. Planned activities include live music, a family fun zone, interactive exhibits, and go-karting. In addition to the IZOD IndyCar

Series, the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston will feature a number of “support series” races that will be announced at a later date. “The Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston will be much more than just a race,” said Chuck Kosich, General Manager of the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix. “Seeing the stars of the IZOD IndyCar Series driving more than 180 miles per hour around the Reliant Astrodome will be a thrill for race fans and non-race fans alike. We are also focused on creating a family-friendly weekend of entertainment that will be ‘the place to be’ all weekend long.”

Tickets for the 2013 event are not yet on sale, but fans are encouraged to visit www.grandprixofhouston.com to join the “Checkered Flag Club”. Registered members of the club will receive the latest information on the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston and will receive pre-sale opportunities before tickets go on sale to the general public.

Contacts: Jessica Manning, Love Advertising 713-398-2525 jessica@loveadv.com Sam Brown, Shell Motorsports Communications U.S. 704.230.3981 sam@sportdimensionsinc.com Austin Crossley, Mi-Jack Promotions 713.598.7772 acrossley@grandprixofhouston.com

RACE REPORT FOR JOSEF NEWGARDEN - Honda Grand Prix

Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
DATE:  March 25, 2012
EVENT:  Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
SERIES:  IZOD IndyCar Series
LOCATION:  St. Petersburg, Fla. (1.8-mile, 14-turn street circuit)
START/FINISH:  19^th/11^th (Running, Completed 100 of 100 laps)
WINNER:  Helio Castroneves of Team Penske

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Sunday, March 25, 2012 – The recipe for a successful IndyCar career includes copious amounts of hard work and even more talent, and rookie Josef Newgarden showed evidence of both in spades with an 11^th-place finish in the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

In his debut IZOD IndyCar Series race, Newgarden picked up eight positions in his Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone car.

“I think we had a good day considering that it was my first race,” Newgarden said. “I made a couple of mistakes, but I’m learning and I think we’ll get stronger.”

Newgarden drove most of the race with a damaged front wing after making contact early during a congested restart. He managed numerous on-track passes despite the wing damage and worked with his team throughout the race to improve his car.

“I think we’re going to be a force all year long, and hopefully this is just the beginning for us,” Newgarden said.

Team Owner Sarah Fisher viewed Newgarden and her team’s performance as a solid building block for the rest of the IZOD IndyCar season.

“It was a great, clean race,” Fisher said. “Josef did exactly what we all wanted to do, which was to learn and to make up some ground.”

Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves won the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. His victory was punctuated with an emotional tribute to the late Dan Wheldon. Castroneves stopped his car on the victory lap near the new Dan Wheldon Way street sign recently placed by the City of St. Petersburg. He then climbed the fence and placed his hand on the street sign, pausing for a moment before ascending and obviously emotional.

Finishing second was Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon, 5.5292-seconds behind Castroneves. Rounding out the top five were a pair of Andretti Autosport drivers, Ryan Hunter-Reay and James Hinchcliffe, followed by Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe.

There were nine lead changes among seven drivers. Dixon led the most laps with 37. There were three caution periods for a total of 15 yellow flag laps.

The next IZOD IndyCar Series race is the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park on Sunday, April 1 in Birmingham, Ala.

Notes:

More time to take care of business: Newgarden’s first IndyCar race on the streets of St. Petersburg was 55 laps longer than the Firestone Indy Lights race he won at the same track last year. “Having a breather for the yellows was nice to have because it’s a long race,” Newgarden said. “There’s just a lot more you can do with strategy, and you’ve definitely got to be patient to get through the whole thing.”

The race car driver who never pitted: Prior to Sunday, Josef Newgarden had never completed a pit stop during a race. In the Firestone Indy Lights series, race distances are short enough that no pit stops are necessary. “That’s the first time I’ve ever pitted in a race,” Newgarden said. “It’s all new. It’s something else to learn, and I had a great time with it.” Newgarden and Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing completed three successful pit stops together during the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

QUALIFYING REPORT FOR JOSEF NEWGARDEN - Honda Grand Prix

Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

DATE: March 24, 2012 EVENT: Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg SERIES: IZOD IndyCar Series LOCATION: St. Petersburg, Fla. (1.8-mile, 14-turn street circuit) NEWGARDEN: 19^th (1:02.7155 at 103.324 mph) POLE WINNER: Will Power of Penske Racing (1:01.3721 at 105.585 mph)  

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., March 24, 2012 – Rookie Josef Newgarden qualified 19th out of 26 cars for Sunday’s Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Newgarden was building speed in the No. 67 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone car when time ran out in his 15-minute session of knock-out style qualifying.

“I thought we did a good job, but obviously it wasn’t good enough for what we’re trying to achieve,” Newgarden said. “I think we’re learning, and that’s the biggest thing that I can say right now. We learned a lot from the session and how the strategy needs to play out.”

Sunday’s race will mark Newgarden’s IZOD IndyCar Series debut. He finished a strong eighth in the final practice session before qualifying, and his team will build from that strong result on race day.

“We know where we’re at, and I think we’re in a good position for the race tomorrow,” Newgarden said.

Will Power qualified on pole position with an IZOD IndyCar Series circuit-qualifying lap record of 1:01.3721 seconds. This marks the third consecutive year that Power has started the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg from pole position.

Ryan Briscoe, Ryan Hunter-Reay, James Hinchcliffe and Helio Castroneves claimed the remaining top five qualifying positions. The 2011 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg winner, Dario Franchitti, will start the race from ninth position.

The Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will air live Sunday, March 25, on ABC beginning with coverage at 12:30 p.m. ET. Coverage of the race by the IMS Radio Network can also be heard on Sirius XM Radio channel 94 or through local radio affiliates.

Notes:

• Josef Newgarden served as a guest commentator for the Firestone Indy Lights race at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Saturday, March 24. Alongside Mike King and Jon Beekhuis, Newgarden provided insight to a race that he won just one year ago. Catch the broadcast on NBC Sports Network (formerly Versus) at 5 p.m. ET on March 29, 2012.
• Will beginner’s good fortune strike again for Josef Newgarden? Newgarden won the 2011 Firestone Indy Lights race at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, which was his debut in that series. He went on to win the 2011 Firestone Indy Lights championship.