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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.

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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.