Tag: Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

Josef Newgarden and Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing (SFHR) had a tough day swerving through the Streets of Long Beach after a pit stop glitch halted the progress of the No. 67 SFHR/Dallara/Honda/Firestone car.

“We shot ourselves in the foot on both ends,” Newgarden said. “We had a slow stop and then I ended up stalling the car. So we had a double foul all around. I feel bad, we were already slow in the stop and then I pretty much finished us off with the stall.”

Newgarden, who fell from 12th to 20th-place after stalling the No. 67 car, fought his way back into the mix finishing the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach 13th overall.

“We had an ok recovery from the slip-up,” he said, “But thinking about where we could have been if we didn’t have the mistake is disappointing. We probably would have gone straight to the front with the decision we made if the stop would have been cleaner. It’s a shame, but we will learn from it and move on.”

The sophomore driver, who holds 19th-place overall in the IZOD IndyCar Series Championship, understands that every second in a race is crucial with the competitive field of drivers surrounding him.

“Anytime you have an error like that, it pretty much ruins your day,” Newgarden said. “It’s tough to come back that late in the race from a mistake. Those are things you have to minimize, so we’re going to try to not have as many of those slip-ups in the future because they can be detrimental. Luckily it didn’t bite us too bad today.”

The 22-year-old Nashville-native is keeping a positive outlook on the long season that lies ahead.

“The positive is that the car is in one piece and we finished 13th, which is not horrible,” Newgarden said. We’re not satisfied with a mediocre finish, but I’m excited to go to Brazil in a few weeks and get another shot.”

A.J. Foyt Racing’s Takuma Sato took first place on the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach podium, making him the first Japanese driver to win an IZOD IndyCar Series race. Rounding out the top five were Graham Rahal, Justin Wilson, Dario Franchitti and JR Hildebrand.

The next IZOD IndyCar Series race is the Sao Paulo Indy 300 on May 5 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. To get the latest news from SFHR, follow @SFHRindy on Twitter.

Josef Newgarden and Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing (SFHR) are ready for redemption in Sunday’s IZOD IndyCar Series race at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Newgarden will start the race in the 16th position after turning a lap of 1 minute, 8.2579 seconds at 103.795 mph during qualifying on Saturday afternoon.

The sophomore driver is extra hungry for success on the Streets of Long Beach after starting second in 2012 and getting knocked out of competition on the first lap after contact with veteran driver Dario Franchitti.

“What happened last year was horrible for us,” Newgarden said. “I think everyone on the team wants to have a good result tomorrow and that’s what we are all very focused on.”

The No. 67 SFHR Dallara/Honda/Firestone car ran as high as first during the first round of qualifying before slowly slipping into eighth near the end of the 20-minute session.

"Our strategy was to get out early and run two sets [of red tires],” he said. “I think we were a little behind with pace and the red flag kind of slowed us down. We definitely didn't maximize our strategy, so I think we have to find some pace in the car tomorrow.”

The SFHR team is prepared to climb through the 80-lap race along North America’s longest running street circuit.

“It’s incredibly important to finish races and pacing yourself does that,” Newgarden said. “It’s not easy to do. This is a two-stop race so we have to stay out of trouble at the start and then we have to keep a clean nose from all the guys around us.”

The 39th annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network on Sunday, April 21, at 4 p.m. ET. To catch live action from the No. 67 car along the 1.968-mile street circuit, follow @SFHRindy on Twitter.

A top-10 finish is an excellent starting spot for Josef Newgarden and company, but it is consistency that will keep Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing (SFHR) on track to reach its long-term ambitions.

SFHR is headed west for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, the street circuit where Newgarden started in the front row as a rookie, before getting spun out by veteran driver, Dario Franchitti.

"Not being able to run the race last year and getting knocked out into Turn 1 on the first lap was difficult," Newgarden said. "So I'd like to run the whole race and hopefully do well."

After a ninth place finish in Alabama on April 7, SFHR is confident that California will bring continued success.

"Long Beach is going to be so important to continue the momentum that we have," Newgarden said. "We really want to come into Indianapolis with a steady stretch of good results, so it's super important that we go to Long Beach and score solid points and continue the consistent streak."

New Firestone tires for all of the IndyCar drivers will challenge each team on the 1.968-mile street course.

"The tires are different this year so that's going to be a variable that most people have to deal with," Newgarden said. "I am excited because we had a really good car in Long Beach in 2012 and I think we'll have an even better one this year."

Since his first top-10 finish at Barber Motorsports Park, Newgarden said his team has turned a corner and is working on continued improvement each day.

"We're working on pit stops continuously," he said. "I'm working on my in and out laps and trying to make everything as smooth as possible leading up to pit stops."

The No. 67 SFHR Dallara/Honda/Firestone car will start its engine at the longest running street course in North America on NBC Sports Network at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 21. Newgarden will begin practice on Friday, April 19 at 1:30 p.m. ET and will qualify at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 20. For live trackside Twitter updates, follow @SFHRindy.

LONG BEACH, Calif., Sunday, April 15, 2012 – Josef Newgarden and Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing had high hopes for a strong finish in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday after starting on the outside of the front row, but contact on the first lap of the race with Dario Franchitti ended Newgarden’s day.

“I got alongside him and gave him the inside lane, but I got touched on the exit and went right to the wall,” Newgarden said. “If he was braking alongside of me, I would have just given him the lane and tucked right in.”

The damage sustained to the Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone car was too substantial for Newgarden to continue.

“It was a difficult day for us, and I feel really bad for the SFHR crew,” Newgarden said. “They put together an unbelievable race car, and I think we had a shot at a good finish today.”

Rookie Newgarden caught the eye of many IndyCar veterans on Saturday in qualifying when he drove his car to the seventh starting position. After penalties sustained by Chevrolet-powered cars for unapproved engine changes, Newgarden’s Honda-powered car moved up to the second starting position.

Despite an abrupt end to SFHR’s race in Long Beach, the team moves forward with knowledge gained from the solid result in qualifications.

“It’s always best to get back on the race track and start working again after something like this happens,” Newgarden said. “I think we’ll have just as strong of a package in Brazil as we did in Long Beach, and hopefully we can apply it to get a good result.”

By winning Sunday’s Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, Will Power continued Team Penske’s dominance of the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season. Team Penske has won all three races so far this season, and Power went back-to-back with his win today and at Barber Motorsports Park two weeks ago.

It was Power’s 17th career Indy car win and his second at Long Beach. He beat Simon Pagenaud Sunday by .8675 seconds.

Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay followed Simon Pagenaud across the line in third place, but he was penalized for late-race contact and moved back to sixth position. The penalty moved his teammate, James Hinchcliffe, up to third place. Rounding out the top five were KV Racing’s Tony Kanaan and Panther Racing’s JR Hildebrand.

There were nine lead changes among seven drivers. Pagenaud led twice for a total of 26 laps, 10 more than any other driver.

Three caution periods allowed the yellow flag to wave for 12 laps.

On the strength of his back-to-back wins, Power leaves Long Beach with a 24-point lead in the IZOD IndyCar Series championship over his teammate Helio Castroneves (127-103). Pagenaud is third with 100 points. Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon is fourth with 96 points, while James Hinchcliffe is fifth with 95 points.

The next IZOD IndyCar Series race is the Sao Paolo Indy 300 in Sao Paulo, Brazil on April 29.

NOTES:

LONG BEACH, Calif., April 14, 2012 – Rookie Josef Newgarden sailed through Saturday’s qualifying for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach to qualify seventh with a lap of 1 minute, 9.0697 seconds at 102.575 mph.

However, Newgarden’s Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone car will actually start second in Sunday’s race because all 11 IZOD IndyCar Series cars powered by Chevrolet engines incurred a 10-spot grid penalty after unapproved engine changes. Newgarden will move up to the front row alongside Dario Franchitti.

“We wanted to qualify up front outright, but we have a good spot to start from tomorrow,” Newgarden said. “The car was just unbelievable.”

For the first time in his IZOD IndyCar series career, Newgarden advanced out of the first round of knockout style qualifying with the fastest speed of his group of thirteen drivers. He went on to miss advancing to the Firestone Fast Six by one position.

“I’m bummed we didn’t make it to the Firestone Fast Six because I think we had a little more speed to pull out of the car,” Newgarden said.

Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing has made a steady improvement in qualifying for the first three races of the 2012 Izod IndyCar Series season.

“The coolest thing for the team is that each time we’ve qualified, we’ve ended up higher than the previous race,” Newgarden said. “We haven’t gone backwards yet.”

Ryan Briscoe qualified on pole position with a lap speed of 1 minute, 08.6089 seconds. Briscoe will move back to the 11th starting position after being penalized for his Chevrolet engine’s unapproved change. Dario Franchitti will start from pole position.

The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will air live on the NBC Sports Network (formerly Versus) beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET Sunday, April 15.

Of Note:

Racing is a numbers game. What number is a driver on the starting grid? What lap number is the best to pit on? How many tenths of a second can be shaved off a qualifying lap?

IZOD IndyCar Series rookie Josef Newgarden has a few shocking numbers in his arsenal, but the 21-year-old Tennessee native enters the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach with a cool head and strong showings at the previous two events of the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season.

Following are a few of Newgarden’s numbers that might warrant a head scratch:

It would be easy for most 21-year-olds to get caught up in racing’s dizzying numbers game, but Josef Newgarden and the Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing team will take each of the 85 laps in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach one at a time to battle for a number at the top of the finishing order.

QUOTES

JOSEF NEWGARDEN-Driver

The Streets of Long Beach are known as a street circuit that requires driver skill to excel. What has been your experience there?

"Long Beach has long straightaways, which provides for good speed. You also have to have a good compromise on your downforce levels. It’s a tricky track with a couple of manhole covers that can bite you. I certainly caught the wrong end of one last year in the Firestone Indy Lights race. I ended up in the wall very late in the race when I was in the lead. Hopefully I’ve learned from those lessons and can apply the track knowledge I have to make it easier for us going there in an IndyCar."

With your first two IZOD IndyCar races under your belt, how are you feeling in your car?

"I feel great in the car, and it’s been a really good transition from Indy Lights. Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing has made it easy on me. I love the car and I love working with the group of engineers and mechanics on the team. It’s fun trying to get ahead of other teams and figure out the new car quicker than everyone else."

EVENT BROADCAST SCHEDULE

The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will air live on the NBC Sports Network (formerly Versus) beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET Sunday, April 15.