Tag: Firestone 550

Texas Motor Speedway proved too tough to tame for many IZOD IndyCar Series veterans in the Firestone 550, but rookie driver Josef Newgarden kept his head above water and brought his car home to a 13th-place finish.

Newgarden’s No. 67 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone car started from the 25th position due to an engine swap that prohibited him from making a qualifying attempt.

With a quick jump on the green flag, Newgarden passed Katherine Legge and James Jakes on lap one. Unfortunately, stability issues became apparent shortly into the run.

On lap 62 Newgarden and SFHR went one lap down to then-leader Scott Dixon. However, a caution period caused by a single-car crash involving Charlie Kimball just two laps later enabled Newgarden to win his lap back.

Following more adjustments from his SFHR crew, Newgarden began reeling in cars in front of him. He was unable to hold off the hard-charging leader Dixon, however, and went one-lap down for a second time.

On lap 138 Newgarden entered pit lane with heavy traffic for service from the SFHR crew. He overshot his pit box, which prevented Helio Castroneves from entering his own pit. INDYCAR race control issued a drive through penalty for the No. 67 car, which he served on lap 140.

After the penalty Newgarden found himself two laps down, which he was unable to earn back.

Newgarden rallied with consistent laps and brought his car home in 13th.

“I think this was a very difficult track for all of us to race on tonight,” Newgarden said. “It was difficult for us to get a grasp on things tonight, but we finished the race, which was great.”

The Firestone 550 proved to be a long race that tested Newgarden’s patience as a rookie, but he is eager to press on with his team.

“The fact that we were able to finish the race shows how hard SFHR worked as a team,” he said. “We’re going to continue to work hard and our time will come eventually.”

Justin Wilson snuck by Graham Rahal, who tapped the wall while leading in the closing laps of the race, to win the Firestone 550. Rahal finished in second place, which made the Firestone 550 the third race in a row where Honda-powered cars finished first and second.

Ryan Briscoe, James Hinchcliffe and JR Hildebrand rounded out the top five finishers.

Scott Dixon led the most laps of the race (133). There were nine lead changes and the race was slowed by 32 caution laps.

The IZOD IndyCar Series returns to action June 16 for the Milwaukee IndyFest. The race will be broadcast live on ABC at 1 p.m. ET.

With the third-fastest time in the first practice session for the Firestone 550, Josef Newgarden was setting a blistering pace in his Honda-powered car. Unfortunately, an engine issue didn’t allow the rookie to qualify, and he will start 25th.

In the closing minutes of morning practice at Texas Motor Speedway, Newgarden’s No. 67 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing (SFHR) Dallara/Honda/Firestone car lost power as it rolled into its pit box.

SFHR immediately began work to change engines but was unable to have the car ready for qualifying, which was scheduled only two hours and 15 minutes after the incident.

Per INDYCAR rules, Newgarden will incur a 10-spot grid penalty at the Firestone 550 because of the engine change. He will start from the 25th position.

“I think we’re in a bit of a hole from our starting position, but it’s nothing that we can’t hopefully overcome during the race,” Newgarden said. “One thing about SFHR is that they never give up.”

Newgarden rallied with a brand new Honda-powered engine under the cover of his No. 67 car during the final practice session of the day at Texas Motor Speedway to finish 10th on the time chart.

“The race is going to be very difficult tomorrow, so we’ll have to have a great set-up,” Newgarden said. “I have complete faith in the entire team behind me though.”

Honda-powered cars swept the top-four qualifying spots for the Firestone 550. Alex Tagliani of Bryan Herta Autosport claimed the pole with a two-lap average speed of 215.691 mph.

Dario Franchitti (215.646 mph), Graham Rahal (215.554 mph) and Scott Dixon (215.331 mph), all driving Honda-powered cars, will start in positions two through four. Will Power rounds out the top five with a qualifying average of 215.116 mph.

The green flag will drop on the Firestone 550 at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, June 9 at 8:45 p.m. ET.

When the IZOD IndyCar Series stables its high-powered horses in Texas this weekend for the Firestone 550, Josef Newgarden and Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing (SFHR) will be working to turn the tables on a string of unfortunate events that has kept the team from a high finish the past two weekends.

SFHR and Newgarden come to Texas after a 15th-place finish last weekend at the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix. After sustaining a punctured tire from the deteriorating track surface Newgarden was knocked off of his fuel strategy. Then the No. 67 SFHR Dallara/Honda/Firestone car was hit from behind and spun near the end of the race by Simona de Silvestro.

Two weeks ago at the famed Indianapolis 500 Newgarden qualified seventh, making him the highest qualifying rookie since 2005 when Danica Patrick qualified fourth for her debut at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Unfortunately the No. 67 car wouldn’t catch gear on its first pit stop and Newgarden fell a lap down early on.

After fighting back the entire afternoon Newgarden found himself back on the lead lap within the final half of the 500-mile race only to have his car role to a stop with no power on the backstretch on Lap 161.

Newgarden is not worried about the bad luck sticking around for long, however.

“I’m not superstitious, and I try really hard not to be,” he said. “I think luck in racing is all a cycle. You have to let it play out and it will turn around and come back to your favor. You just have to be patient.”

Looking to the Firestone 550 at TMS, Newgarden is eager to put the lessons he learned at his IZOD IndyCar Series oval test at TMS in early May to use in race conditions.

“I think it’s going to be difficult to run flat throughout the entire race because of the mandated wing settings from INDYCAR,” Newgarden said. “That will be a challenge for everybody, including the veterans, this weekend.”

In recent years IZOD IndyCar Series action at Texas Motor Speedway has been marked by nail-biting pack racing where a fraction of an error from any driver had magnified consequences.

The 2012 Firestone 550 presents a question mark however because teams and drivers are unsure of what to expect from the new cars during race conditions. Similar to every other track on the this year’s IZOD IndyCar Series schedule, Texas provides a whole new list of unknowns since having no data from the past forces guesswork from drivers and engineers.

“We’ll have to wait and see what the new car does to pack racing at Texas,” Newgarden said. “I think the cars will tow up really well so it will be interesting to see what happens to the racing product.”

SFHR and Newgarden take to the Texas Motor Speedway for the first IZOD IndyCar Series practice session on Friday, June 8 at 12:30 p.m. The Firestone 550 will be run on Saturday, June 9 at 7:45 p.m. CT.

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