Tag: Josef Newgarden

Josef Newgarden flew to the top of the speed charts on Bump Day for the 2013 Indianapolis 500 in his first and only qualifying attempt in the second day of qualifying.

Driving the No. 21 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Century 21/Dallara/Honda/Firestone car, Newgarden drove a four lap average of 225.731 mph to secure the 25th starting position in next Sunday's Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

"We knew we would be fine," Newgarden said. "I think we would have been okay yesterday if we had another shot at it and then we would have had more opportunity to just work on the race car, but that wasn't the case so we came here today and got a nice run in."

"We're in the show so it's good," he said. "There's no speed loss in the car in my opinion. We had a little bit of a bobble yesterday and we weren't able to show our representative speed, but we did a little bit better today and I think we have even more to come for the race. We've got a lot of confidence."

Not only does Newgarden believe in himself, but he also has faith in his team as he prepares for his second Indianapolis 500.

"Everyone works really hard at Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing," Newgarden said. "We have some of the most talented guys out there. They built a fast car and I think we had a quicker car than we showed, but just getting the car in the show right now is the priority. We weren't contenders for pole so now we want to focus on the race."

The 97th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing will begin next Sunday, May 26 at 12 p.m. ET and will air live on ABC. For the latest updates from the Century 21 car follow @SFHRindy on Twitter.

Josef Newgarden set out to contend for the coveted pole position on Pole Day for the 97th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, but the cards were not in his favor.

Driving the No. 21 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing (SFHR) Century 21/Dallara/Honda/Firestone car, Newgarden was bumped from the top 24 positions with less than one minute remaining in Segment 1 of qualifying.

"It's a shame because we have plenty of speed in the Century 21 car, we just got the process wrong today," Newgarden said.

SFHR hoped Newgarden's first and only qualifying speed of 225.210 mph would be enough, but James Jakes, driver of the No. 16 car, knocked Newgarden off the bubble, leaving no time for a second qualification attempt.

"Qualifying is important in that it's a big part of the whole event and obviously we try our best to do well and we'd love to get the pole, but I don't think it's in our cards this year to be right up front," Newgarden said. "What is in the cards for us is to do well in the race and that's exactly what we're going to focus on."

Though Newgarden's qualification speed fell short of expectations, the Century 21 driver has proven he is fast, turning a lap at 228.609 mph earlier today during practice.

"We were not the fast guy out there and we lost a lot of speed from practice," he said. "I don't know where the speed went, but qualifying is not the most important thing at this track when you think about the race next Sunday."

The second year driver will work to claim his spot in the 2013 Indianapolis 500 field during Bump Day on Sunday, May 19, beginning at 12 p.m. ET. NBC Sports Network will air live coverage starting at 12 p.m. ET. For the latest updates from the Century 21 car follow @SFHRindy on Twitter.

During the action-packed Indy 500, racing teams understand the importance of a strong pit crew on the outcome of the race. That's why the pit crew for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing (SFHR), along with other teammates, is training with Community Health Network's Sports Medicine staff as part of an individualized employee wellness program from Community Employer Health.

"Our new partnership with Community Health Network is a great example of going beyond traditional marketing strategies in racing," said Sarah Fisher, co-owner of Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing. "Our team is focused on the health of our employees, both on and off the track, and this partnership allows us to emphasize the importance of their fitness in an environment where hundredths of seconds count. We hope people will peek into the new Body Shop, Powered by Community Health Network at our Speedway headquarters where training for the athletes of SFHR resumes in May."

Community Employer Health had the luxury of working with SFHR as the race team was designing its new racing headquarters site on the re-developed Main Street in Speedway. Knowing the team's focus was on physical and mental toughness for peak racing performance, Community designed detailed performance management plans for SFHR driver Josef Newgarden and his crew.

"Our relationship with Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing is an excellent example of why customization of employee health and wellness plans is so important," said Steve Zetzl, vice president of Employer Health at Community Health Network. "Each of our clients has unique issues and goals. Our objective is to understand those issues and plan a wellness program that makes employees the healthiest they can be. Having an onsite health program is one of best ways to lower healthcare costs for employers."

Components of the SFHR Employee Health and Wellness plan include:

Onsite Fitness Center
Management and staffing
Performance training for driver and pit crew
Corporate wellness services
Annual onsite health screening and health assessment
MyPath program, a digital health management platform that allows participants to wirelessly download and track their physical activity
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Occupational Health and Medical Services

Work-related injury care
DOT/CDL services (exams and substance abuse testing for those required to have a commercial driver's license)
Annual flu vaccinations
Ergonomic assessment

About Community Health Network

Ranked among the nation's most integrated healthcare systems, Community Health Network is Central Indiana's leader in providing convenient access to exceptional healthcare services, where and when patients need them-in hospitals, health pavilions and doctor's offices, as well as workplaces, schools and homes. As a non-profit health system with over 200 sites of care and affiliates throughout Central Indiana, Community's full continuum of care integrates hundreds of physicians, specialty and acute care hospitals, surgery centers, home care services, MedChecks, behavioral health and employer health services. To learn more, visit eCommunity.com or call 800-777-7775.

About Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing

Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing (SFHR) was established in 2008 and is owned by former driver Sarah Fisher, the youngest woman ever to compete in the Indianapolis 500 and the first woman to run a full IZOD IndyCar Series schedule, and businessman Wink Hartman. SFHR has competed in the IZOD IndyCar Series since 2008, earning its first victory in 2011 at Kentucky Speedway.

In the birthplace of the legendary racing driver Ayrton Senna lies an 11-turn temporary street circuit that hosted Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing (SFHR) and the rest of the IZOD IndyCar Series today. The 2.535-mile asphalt and concrete track for the Itaipava São Paulo Indy 300 bumps and bruises more than just about any course on the series calendar and two things are needed to survive - patience and time.

Starting dead last today in 25th position as a result of a penalty extended for an engine change, Nashville-resident Josef Newgarden and his team thought they might have to count on healthy doses of patience and time as their only strategy. But a record number of cautions at the São Paulo circuit gave the Speedway, Ind.-based team the opportunity they needed to get Newgarden the best finish of his brief IZOD IndyCar Series career.

"I thought we had a really strong race and a top-five is really good going into Indy," said Newgarden. "Given where we started, that's exactly what we wanted to do, score solid points and get some momentum going into the 500. I think we've absolutely done that."

A late-race charge by Newgarden after a restart put him in position to battle for the lead. The 22-year-old racer made several attempts to put his Honda-powered Dallara chassis on point, but he ultimately yielded to James Hinchcliffe, the eventual winner. Newgarden hung on to his fading tires to squeeze out a fifth-place finish for his SFHR team to take back to their new racing headquarters in Indiana.

"It was a little bit of a disappointment," Newgarden said. "I think we had a better car than fifth. You have to take what you can sometimes. We're really pleased at all of the hard work that gets put in from everyone here. It's good to get representative results. We'll try to take that momentum and do well at the 500."

The SFHR team heads home to Speedway for a short walk from the race shop to the 97th Indianapolis 500 where Newgarden put the No. 67 in a seventh-place starting position last year. To get the latest news from SFHR, follow @SFHRindy on Twitter.