Tag: Barber Motorsports Park

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Newgarden, SFHR Looking to Bounce Back at Barber

After a tough day on track for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing (SFHR), sophomore driver Josef Newgarden will battle his way back to the top of Sunday’s Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama from the 22^nd starting position. Newgarden turned a lap of 1 minute, 7.7830 seconds at 122.155 mph in qualifying on Saturday morning.

“It’s been a really rough day for us,” Newgarden said. “Things haven’t exactly gone our way. I had a little trouble trying to find some spacing in qualifying.”

The No. 67 SFHR Dallara/Honda/Firestone car did not make it to the Firestone Fast 6, but Newgarden is keeping a positive attitude about Sunday’s competition.

“We’re definitely better than where we are starting tomorrow,” he said. “A top-10 qualifying is what we were looking for, and I think that’s probably where we were so it gives us something to look forward to tomorrow in the race.”

Sunday will be a fresh start, with factors such as heat and length of race taken into consideration. Newgarden believes it is important for his team to conserve and to continue fighting the small battles along the 2.38-mile, 15-turn road course.

“It’s going to be a long day and it’s going to be hotter than what we’ve seen the last couple of months,” he said. “Everyone has been focusing on short runs and trying to find their car’s optimal performance, but tomorrow is going to be all about lasting all the way through to the end.”

Newgarden’s focus has turned to getting proper rest, knowing how mentally and physically taxing the 90-lap race will be on Sunday.

“I think tomorrow we have the potential to do something big,” he said. “I think we could race to the podium to be honest, but a good top-10 solid points day is what we’re looking for.”

The Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network on Sunday, April 7, starting at 3 p.m. ET. Follow @SFHRindy on Twitter for live trackside updates.

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Lights, Camera, Action on "Take Two" for SFHR and Newgarden at Barber Motorsports Park

Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing (SFHR) and Josef Newgarden are ready for "take two" on-track at Barber Motorsports Park for the second IZOD IndyCar Series race of the 2013 season.

The first take in St. Petersburg was cut short after 50 laps due to a mechanical issue.

"I think we really just had a hiccup," Newgarden said. "It's one of those things that happens sometimes to teams and I don't think it will slow us down. I still think we have a great package going into Barber and the next couple of races afterwards."

With a new stage set for the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, the SFHR crew is prepped for action.

"We learned a lot at St. Pete with the new tires that Firestone has brought on this year," Newgarden said. "The compound is very different on the street courses compared to last year. It's difficult figuring out the balance between the front and rear tires and making them work optimally. We learned a lot from that aspect for the future street courses of the season, which is going to be crucial for us."

The No. 67 SFHR Dallara/Honda/Firestone car took practice shots at Barber on March 12 and 13 for open testing.

"The track changed at Barber because they did a re-surfacing of the entire track, which added a substantial amount of grip, very different to 2012," Newgarden said. "So getting some laps before we go there was pretty crucial to figuring out what we need from a race car around the place and learning how to deal with that large of a grip increase."

Newgarden is excited to race at the 15-turn, 2.38-mile track at Barber Motorsports Park, one of his favorite sets to work on.

"I love the facility. It's probably one of the nicest if not THE nicest facility that we'll go to this year for a racing event," he said. "I also love the fans that come to Barber because they are super passionate about not only racing, but IndyCar specifically. It's always nice to go to an event that is so popularly supported by people."

The Nashville, Tenn. native spent most of his time between takes in St. Petersburg and Barber relaxing and rejuvenating in his hometown. Many of his family and friends will be in Barber due to the close proximity of the race to Nashville.

"I really hope to see some more Nashville natives down in Birmingham for the race because it is the closest event to my hometown."

The No. 67 car will spring into action for the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on NBC Sports Network at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 7. Newgarden will begin practice on Friday, April 5 at 1:45 ET and will qualify at 11:25 ET on Saturday, April 6. Follow @SFHRindy on Twitter and Facebook for real-time updates from Barber Motorsports Park.

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Josef Newgarden Race Report: Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama

DATE: April 1, 2012
EVENT: Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama
SERIES: IZOD IndyCar Series
LOCATION: Leeds, Ala. (2.38-mile, 17-turn street circuit)
START/FINISH: 15th/17th (Running, Completed 90 of 90 laps)
WINNER: Will Power of Team Penske

LEEDS, Ala., Sunday, April 1, 2012 – Rookie Josef Newgarden drove his Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone car into the top 10 twice during Sunday's Honda Grand Prix of Alabama before contact with another car forced him into a 17th-place finish in just his second IZOD IndyCar Series race.

From his 15th starting position, Newgarden was climbing his way through the field when he was forced to pit to fix front wing damage after contact with Ed Carpenter. “I didn’t expect Ed to slow so much in the flat-out chicane and I just got caught out,” Newgarden said.

After the contact Newgarden was forced to pit immediately to change the front wing of his car.

“We were on a really great strategy and Josef was moving up through the field,” Sarah Fisher, owner of Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, said. “Having to pit to repair the damage threw us off of a strategy that I think would have had us close to a top-10 finish.”

Newgarden lost a lap to the leaders of the Honda Grand Prix of Alabama during the unscheduled pit stop, but got the lap back shortly thereafter when a full-course caution was thrown on lap 66 for a spin by Katherine Legge.

Unfortunately, Newgarden’s tires went away from him on the last restart and he was not able to gain back the positions he had lost.

“On the last run I lost a ton of grip in the Firestone reds (tires) and I couldn’t carry any speed into the corners,” Newgarden said. “Our reds were a little older than the other teams and that hurt us.”

Team Penske continued its dominance of Barber Motorsports Park Sunday. Will Power won his second consecutive Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama by holding off Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon over the final 25 laps. Power’s margin of victory was 3.3709 seconds.

The win was Power’s 16th of his IndyCar career and maintained Team Penske’s perfect record at Barber. Helio Castroneves won the event in 2010.

Dixon finished in second place for the second consecutive week. It is Dixon’s third consecutive runner-up finish at Barber.

Rounding out the top five were Castroneves, Ganassi Racing’s Graham Rahal and Sam Schmidt Motorsport’s Simon Pagenaud.

There were nine lead changes among five drivers. For the second week in a row, Dixon led the most laps with 38, one more than his 37 in St. Petersburg.

All but three of the 26 starters were running at the finish. There were two caution periods for a total of seven yellow flag laps.

On the strength of his win in St. Petersburg and his third-place finish Sunday, Castroneves leaves Barber Motorsports Park with a two-point lead in the IZOD IndyCar Series championship over Scott Dixon (86-84). Power is third with 77 points. Andretti Autosport’s James Hinchcliffe has a two-point lead over Pagenaud (60-58) to round out the top five in points.

The next IZOD IndyCar Series race is the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 15 on the streets of Long Beach, Calif.

Notes:

You’re pretty fast for a rookie: On lap 56, Newgarden had the 5th fastest lap in the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. Only race winner Will Power, Scott Dixon, Simon Pagenaud and Marco Andretti turned faster laps than Newgarden.

Looking to Long Beach: After the first two events of the IZOD IndyCar Series schedule rookie Josef Newgarden is 15th in the driver point standings. With two races under his belt, he is ready to apply the knowledge he has gained in the first two races to the streets of Long Beach.

“I think we’re learning and getting better each time we’re on the track,” Newgarden said. “Eventually we’re going to get it all put together and be right up there.”

Standing out from the crowd:When the No. 67 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone car was painted last winter, the colors blue, white and silver were chosen as a way to stand out from other cars in the IndyCar paddock. Unfortunately, teams for the cars driven by Simon Pagenaud, Katherine Legge and Takuma Sato had the same idea and all feature similar liveries of blue and white. To help Newgarden’s No. 67 car stand out at Barber Motorsports Park, the Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing team added orange to the car’s nose and rear-view mirrors.

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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.