IndyCar

Josef Newgarden was asked Saturday when he thought Long Beach polesitter Colton Herta would run away with Sunday's race. He took offense.

Yes, ultimately whether he finally wins the Indianapolis 500 at some point in his career will impact the way his career is viewed, but there have been few IndyCar drivers who, in their 20s, performed with such consistency and did so with such a level head. “Let’s get to a place where we’re not just there and trying to seal the deal at the end,” Newgarden said. But no matter what he says, or even what he believes, his actions – and successes that come with them – seem to paint a clear picture. But Newgarden held his own moments after Herta had killed his own race pushing too hard on an in-lap and slammed the wall in Turn 9 wielding what Newgarden said was a slightly better car. He’d go on to win two of the next six and put himself on pole for a must-win finale where he ultimately took 2nd-place. Newgarden continued from the media center podium Sunday: “I thought it was such a bizarre question, and I went to bed last night and said, ‘You know what, that kid is not checking out tomorrow. After Palou jumped Newgarden and Herta in the first cycle of pitstops, Newgarden hit right back, turning what had been a 2.7-second deficit on Lap 55 into a car-length lead when he blended into the field after both had pitted twice. Two years ago, he gave an angry post-race interview, airing his frustration of finishing fifth in the first race at Iowa as if he, far and away, had the car to win. We’ve been in the conversation every year; we just need to go to that next level where it doesn’t have to be close.” Maybe, just maybe, his team has finally found a way to capitalize from the season’s start in 2022. "(We had) one of the strongest seasons we've ever had and we lost the championship," Newgarden said of 2020. And with those teams making up the top-5 in points after three races, having occupied eight of the nine podium spots thus far, it’s not hard to see that trend continuing.

The Honda Indy Toronto makes its much-anticipated return to the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule on July 15-17. Public tickets sales will launch for all ...

The Gold 2-Day Grandstand seat also includes a Paddock Pass. For full ticket pricing and 2022 event information and news, visit hondaindy.com or follow Honda Indy Toronto on social media using #indyTO. The Honda Indy Toronto returns!” said Jeff Atkinson, president of the Honda Indy Toronto. “This is one of the must see and do events on Toronto’s annual calendar. After fans and festival goers missed out on this Toronto tradition the last two summers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 34th edition of this staple of summer returns.

The race was cancelled the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Honda Indy Toronto returns!” said Jeff Atkinson, president of the Honda Indy Toronto, in a news release. “It’s great to be able to say this. IndyCar's Honda Indy Toronto race returns after two-year absence due to the pandemic

Polesitter Colton Herta delivered the fastest lap of the raceday warm-up ahead of the 47th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, the only driver to duck into the ...

Graham Rahal was less lucky than Castroneves as he too lost it out of Turn 4, clipping his left-rear tire against the wall as he slid, breaking a toe-link and part of his rear wing. Championship leader Scott McLaughlin, who will roll off ninth today, suffered a suspected broken header on his Penske-Chevrolet. His main frustration, he told NBC, was not being able to use the warm-up session to practice his in- and out-laps, getting his braking marks for pitlane and checking out tire degradation. Team Penske-Chevrolet’s Will Power went fifth fastest, the quickest driver of the session on primary tires and the quickest Chevy driver, and finished up just ahead of Andretti’s Romain Grosjean, who beat him to a Firestone Fast Six slot yesterday by 0.0001sec.

Josef Newgarden claimed his second straight triumph after staving off challenges from Romain Grosjean and Alex Palou, while polesitter and favorite Colton ...

Grosjean, on alternates then tried to pass Palou for second into Turn 1 on Lap 69, but Grosjean forced him to the outside. A lap later, Newgarden used his last spurt of P2P to launch off the hairpin, and he was effectively safe for another lap. At the restart with 19 to go, Newgarden held off Palou, but behind them, Ericsson lost the rear of his car out of Turn 4, tagging the wall with his left rear. Newgarden ducked into the pitlane, and came out just ahead of Palou who took a look around the outside of the Penske into Turn 5, but there wasn’t a hope of that working. Power and Rossi also stopped that lap but the latter had a slow stop. Rosenqvist pitted at the end of Lap 23 to change to primaries.

Josef Newgarden won the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach for the first time, fending off Romain Grosjean for his second consecutive IndyCar victory.

“I was surprised,” Herta said about the loss of positions. It was a really good pit stop again, but I did the out lap before, and that’s why we came out behind Josef. They did an amazing job. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver was fine, though, waving to fans of his native Southern California while walking to a safety vehicle. I have to admit the Chevy engine was fast on the straights, and I couldn’t quite keep up. “We did a good strategy, went third to first on strategy and pit stops, and the crew did an amazing job,” Palou said. “Man, this was a fight today; this was not an easy race to win,” Newgarden told NBC Sports’ Marty Snider after his 22nd career victory (which ranks 20th all time on the IndyCar list). “I don’t know if it looked simple from the outside, but I was working my butt off with Grosjean at the end there. “I just broke a little too late, got in there, locked the right front, and that’s it,” Herta told Snider. “It’s just a stupid mistake. “Very close but not close enough,” said Grosjean, who started sixth after a final-round qualifying crash Saturday and had used up all his push-to-pass accelerant before catching Newgarden. “It was fun. “We knew coming into the race, we have a good strategy, make good fuel, and I had everything I needed with pit stops. Alex, he did really good braking to defend his position (in second), so I had to wait an extra lap and use another 15 seconds of push to pass. Newgarden led a race-high 32 of 85 laps in his No. 2 Dallara-Chevrolet, cycling ahead of pole-sitter Colton Herta on his first stop. It was the second consecutive NTT IndyCar Series victory for the Team Penske driver, who also won at Texas Motor Speedway last month.

It's two wins in two races for Josef Newgarden, who earned his latest IndyCar victory at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday.

Sunday's win allowed Newgarden to leapfrog teammate Scott McLaughlin for the points lead, with third Team Penske member Will Power now sitting in fourth place. "This was not an easy race to win. The 31-year-old thrust himself atop the 2022 driver's championship standings with Sunday's victory, which came after he started the race second on the grid.

Scott McLaughlin's IndyCar charge got a reality check at the Grand Prix of Long Beach in California. After a win and a second in the opening two races, ...

Like elite athletes at their peak, our sports journalists are highly trained in the art of news. So we're asking you to support us with more than your attention. After a win and a second in the opening two races, McLaughlin slumped to 14th in the latest race on Monday (NZT) that was won by his Team Penske team mate Josef Newgarden, with Scott Dixon sixth.

A grid of 26 cars makes up the second NTT INDYCAR SERIES field at Long Beach in seven months as this event served as the 2021 season finale. The race was ...

The most recent driver to do so was Alexander Rossi, who won this race from the first starting spot in 2018 and 2019. The session was led by Romain Grosjean, whose best lap time of 1:05.6520 eclipsed the record by more than half a second. Drivers are also noticing that the track features much more grip than expected, which is resulting in higher speeds. McLaughlin will retain his ninth spot on the starting grid. Defending winner Colton Herta struggled with it in Practice 2, spinning on corner exit and tapping the wall with his rear wing. This year, however, track officials made an intentional change to the wall in Turn 6 to help the NTT INDYCAR SERIES cars navigate the course. It’s a natural result of street courses, which are rebuilt on city streets leading into each race and torn down after the race is completed. Firestone is supplying more than 1,400 tires for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. The tires feature the same technology that Firestone Racing used at the season opener at St. Petersburg, which is also a street circuit that features a mix of concrete and asphalt surfaces. This time around, track officials built a more rounded wall, because NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers have historically clipped the two straight walls and found themselves in the tire barriers on corner exit. A grid of 26 cars makes up the second NTT INDYCAR SERIES field at Long Beach in seven months as this event served as the 2021 season finale. What does that mean for today’s race? The partly cloudy day is expected to feature 67 percent humidity and 10 mph winds.

Herta's crash did not bring out a full-course caution, but Pagenaud's lawn care did. Both drivers were eliminated.

Pagenaud was removed from the flowers and was able to continue racing. On Lap 60, Simon Pagenaud became beached on the flower beds in the Turn 2 and 3 roundabout complex. While running second Sunday on Lap 56, Herta hit a bump and locked his brakes up into Turn 9.

Alex Palou and Colton Herta looked as if they had the upper-hand in Sunday's Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, but Josef Newgarden finished on top.

8. (5) Alexander Rossi, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running. 6. (16) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running. 3. (3) Alex Palou, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running. 2. (6) Romain Grosjean, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running. With no push-to-pass, Grosjean couldn't muster a jump on the race-leader. Five laps later, Jimmie Johnson struggled on the brakes and smashed the wall for his third time this weekend in Turn 8. A full-course caution came out, and it took the AMR safety team six laps to get the track cleaned before the race restarted on Lap 66 with 20 to go. Two laps later, Simon Pagenaud spun after hitting the side of Takuma Sato around the fountain, and his car ended up turned around 180-degrees in the bushes. I feel really bad." Curiously, IndyCar opted not to throw a full-course yellow flag for the debris Herta's crash left on the track. He did but more than three seconds up the course sat Palou, whose undercut strategy by pitting early gave him some clean air to stretch his legs. Palou pitted Lap 28 from 3rd-place, two laps earlier than Herta and three sooner than Newgarden. When the No. 2 Team Penske Chevy came out and blended into the field, all eyes were on whether Newgarden would come out ahead of Herta or not.

Kiwi Scott McLaughlin has dropped to second on the IndyCar drivers championship standings, after a 14th place finish at the Grand Prix of Long beach.

Josef Newgarden claimed his second consecutive IndyCar triumph at Long Beach after staving off challenges from Romain Grosjean and Alex Palou, ...

He also remained ahead without an apparent threat from Grosjean on the penultimate lap, and then the yellow had to come out when Sato slid into the tyres in Turn 8 and couldn’t restart. The restart with four laps to go saw Grosjean try to make the pass into Turn 1, but Newgarden’s defence on the inside line was enough to rebuff him. Having started in second, Newgarden was left trailing by the Andretti Autosport polesitter's perfect start and was forced to fend off Palou in the opening stages.

Josef Newgarden kept Team Penske unbeaten in three NTT INDYCAR SERIES races this season with his second consecutive win of 2022, capturing the Acura Grand ...

The challenge offered by the industrial staffing giant is a bonus of $1 million to be awarded to the first NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver who can win on all three unique styles of tracks – street circuits, road courses and ovals – this season. Grosjean took advantage of the extended tire wear to pass Palou with an outside move into Turn 1 on Lap 70. Newgarden is splitting his award from today’s race with SeriousFun Childrens Network and Wags & Walks Nashville. Newgarden took the lead for good on Lap 55 when leader Palou made his final pit stop for fuel and primary Firestone tires. Newgarden is just one step away from winning the PeopleReady Force for Good Challenge with his victory. The “red” tires offer more traction with their softer rubber, but they wear more quickly. But Grosjean never got close enough before the race-ending caution. 2014 series champion Will Power finished fourth in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet as Team Penske has claimed at least two of the first four spots at the finish in all three races this season. But I think Grosjean, overall, just had a better shot of getting it done. But Newgarden stayed in front. He leads teammate Scott McLaughlin, who won the season opener at St. Petersburg, 118-113. I’ve been trying to win a race here for 11 years, so I’m so happy to get it done.”

Take a deep dive -- a REAL DEEP DIVE -- into all the action from Sunday's Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach!

- 4:01- 4:14Final restart, No. 2 Josef Newgarden maintains lead over No. 28 Romain Grosjean - 2:34- 2:50No. 2 Josef Newgarden defends lead from No. 10 Alex Palou - 3:28- 3:42No. 2 Josef Newgarden defends lead from No. 28 Romain Grosjean - 2:26- 2:34No. 2 Josef Newgarden blends after stop ahead of No. 10 Alex Palou - 2:18- 2:26No. 2 Josef Newgarden final pit stop - 1:25- 1:34No. 10 Alex Palou blends after stop ahead of No. 2 Josef Newgarden and No. 26 Colton Herta

Jimmie Johnson once again found himself in the tire barriers in Long Beach. This time it was with ten laps to go in the race.

Johnson spun through the apex of the turn and slammed into the tire barriers. After a troublesome weekend, he had been running at the tail end of the lead lap most of the race when his car lost control while braking into Turn 8. Rookie David Malukas then slammed into the damaged car of Johnson, ending his day as well.

With his second consecutive victory and first on the streets of Long Beach, Josef Newgarden moved atop the IndyCar points standings in 2022 results.

9. (14) Helio Castroneves, Honda, 85, Running 8. (5) Alexander Rossi, Honda, 85, Running 7. (13) Graham Rahal, Honda, 85, Running 6. (16) Scott Dixon, Honda, 85, Running 2. (6) Romain Grosjean, Honda, 85, Running Will Power and Pato O’Ward also were in the top five.

Just a few months after the 2021 IndyCar season ended in Long Beach, the 2022 IndyCar season returned to the California streets for another race that didn't ...

That finish stands out even further when fans consider the driver that Andretti hired instead of Kirkwood. Devlin DeFrancesco didn’t finish the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, and that was after a difficult Texas race in which he was involved in multiple incidents and ultimately hit with an “avoidable contact” penalty. Speaking of Andretti Autosport, it was a fairly big shock this season when Kyle Kirkwood left the Andretti organization and was signed to drive the No. 14 A.J. Foyt Racing entry. Rumors continue to circulate about this being Rossi’s final season with Andretti Autosport, and if that is in fact the case, it’d be fantastic to see him finish his tenure with a bang. And while it didn’t result in a race victory, one could argue that he got it in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, where if not for being on the red tires, he might’ve had a little something for Newgarden. What unfolded in the final 15 laps between Grosjean and Newgarden was some pure racing—lack of overtake, tires wearing down, just two experienced drivers hustling their cars to get them to the finish line. It wasn’t so long ago that Rossi dominated this race by a very wide margin, so it was nice to see him regain at least some of that form. Just a few months after the 2021 IndyCar season ended in Long Beach, the 2022 IndyCar season returned to the California streets for another race that didn’t disappoint.

Romain Grosjean has admitted to driving a “little bit differently” now that he is focused on an IndyCar title bid in his second year in the championship.

Trying to hold him off on the restart was super difficult.” Like in St. Pete in the race I was struggling a little bit with my front end, so I kind of took it carefully. I still believe there's a couple of things we can do better, but yes, I just think that last year I was unlucky sometimes. As I say, Long Beach was my fault.” “I was working my butt off with Grosjean at the end there on the used reds, I was hoping that he'd fade a bit towards the end. “But this year definitely I know I have to drive a little bit differently.