100th Indianapolis 500 Josef Newgarden update

Josef Newgarden was very close to winning the 100th running of the Indy 500.  It was so exciting!

 He started 2nd and finished 3rd

 and he led 14 laps!!!
Unfortunately he was a little short on fuel and had to stop for gas in the final few laps.

And now he is 4th in Indycar season points!!!

His fasted lap was on lap 169

His lowest position was 9th

2nd is Josef's best start at the Indianapolis 500

and 3rd is his best finish! 

Josef Newgarden started in the middle of the front row, next to my second favorite driver Hinch!!!

 

Josef in his #21 Preferred Freezer Car on the front straightaway.
 

 

This was Josef's garage.

 

 

 

 

Next up the Dual in Detroit!

Josef has only 2 Top 10's in 7 races in Detroit, but he ran well there last year and is always strong on street courses. 

So I'm expected a win...or two! 

Good Luck Josef.

post by Alexandra, age 8

                      

Our thoughts and experiences: Indy 500, 100th running

The Indy 500 was amazing!!!
 

We would have loved to see a shootout between Josef Newgarden and Carlos Munoz, but it came down to really amazing fuel strategy by Alexander Rossi.  It may not have been the side by side for the win finish that we were expecting, but we got plenty of excitement during the race!

In the opening ceremonies, 'Back Home Again in Indiana' was sung by Josh Kaufman.  He sounded really good but we're still getting used to not having Jim Nabors sing it like he had for so many years.

The bald eagle that was released during a song was a really neat touch,  it was really beautiful.  We got to see it up close when it was being taken through the crowd earlier in the morning and it had a little mask over it's eyes so that it didn't get upset around all the people.

We parked in the Speedway Trails parking a few blocks from the track.  It was the first time in years that we didn't park inside the track, because although we had a pass we didn't want to wait in the extra long line of traffic to get inside this year.  It was good because instead of getting up at 4:00 we actually slept in till 4:45 and were able to easily get to the track from downtown by 6:15.

We got our 100th anniversary milk that was being handed out by the Indiana Dairy Association and kept it in our coolers till after the race when we drank it while Alexander Rossi was drinking his milk in Victory Circle. 

It was 81 degrees, so we were hot, but luckily there were some dark clouds that gave us a break once in a while and thanks to our 100 SPF suntan lotion we didn't even burn a bit.  The same could not be said for many of the people sitting around us.  :)

The one-hundredth running definitely had, as Mario Andretti said, more pizzazz.  The stands were packed with people no matter where you looked and the grounds were teeming with fans whenever we ventured down from our seats.   You could feel the extra excitement in the air during every moment of the race.

The Program was $25 for the 100th running, but was by far my favorite one that I've ever read.  (and we have a lot, some dating back to the 60's).   It had all the drivers and all the Indy 500 winners dating back to 1911, plus tons of different facts and articles.  It's really cool, and really thick, so I am still trying to finish reading through it.

The pre-race activities were especially fun this year, too.  The video about the history and progression of the most famous words in motorsport was really neat, and all the old cars and driver legends that they had on the track.  We were in our seat from 8:30 until after Alexander made his victory lap and kissed the bricks because there was constantly something going on to watch!

The day after the race we went back to the Speedway to renew our tickets for next year!

The Starting Lineup for the 100th Running on the Indy 500

The Indy 500, 100th running, is only a few days away!

Starting Lineup

1. James Hinchcliffe  Hollywood couldn't make up a better story.  After his near-death crash at IMS last year, it's great to see him sitting on the pole for the 100th running

2. Josef Newgarden We readily admit that this is our favorite driver.  We'd love to see him win, although Alex is hoping for it the most.  Watch for her Josef update post for her view on it

3. Ryan Hunter-Reay Looking to become a 2-time winner after his battle for the win with Helio Castroneves in 2014

4. Townsend Bell  Only races in the Indy 500 each year, and has his best shot ever at the win this year, with Andretti Auto sport

5. Carlos Munoz  Always exciting to watch at Indy, came so close in his rookie year, finishing 2nd in the 2013 Indy 500

6. Will Power  Waiting for his chance to win an Indy 500 for Roger Penske

7. Mikhail Aleshin  No one was more exciting in qualifying as he drifted through all the corners

8. Simon Pagenaud  Looking to continue his 3-race win streak this season

 

9. Helio Castroneves Taking his 7th shot at becoming a four time Indy 500 winner

10. Oriol Servia  Racing in his 8th Indy 500

11. Alexander Rossi  Missed being int he Fast Nine by about .04 seconds, highest qualifying rookie

12. Takuma Sato  How great would it be if one of AJ Foyts drivers won the 100th running?

13. Scott Dixon    It's been 8 years since his Indy 500 win, would love to  win another.  Won four championships

14. Marco Andretti  An Andretti winning the 100th running of the 500...Wow.

15. JR Hildebrand  He's due a Indy 500 win after crashing so near the finish, last turn, last lap, in 2011

16. Charlie Kimball  His best Indy 500 finish is 3rd.  He's looking to be on the top of the podium, instead of the bottom

17. Juan Pablo Montoya  Will be racing to make his Indy 500 wins a 3 out of 4 starts

18. Tony Kanaan  One of the most popular drivers in the sport, especially after he finally got an Indy 500 win in 2013.

19. Sebastien Bourdais  Racing in his 6thh Indy 500

20. Ed Carpenter  2-time Indy 500 Pole winner, looking to win the race this time

21. Gabby Chaves  This is his best Indianapolis 500 start, and his second year as an Indycar driver

22. Max Chilton  The rookie from   England has taken well to the super speedway

23. Sage Karam  One of our two hometown drivers.  Had a fantastic rookie 500, didn't make it through the first lap in his second due to a crash.  How will he fare this year?

24. Conor Daly  He's a hometown favorite, and after a fire last year on the parade lap, he hope to make a comeback

25. Pippa Mann  After two crashes this month, she hopes she has better luck in the 500

26. Graham Rahal  Would love to win on the 30th anniversary of his dad's Indy 500 victory 

27. Matt Brabham  He becomes the 3rd third-generation to race in the Indy 500

28. Bryan Clauson  Accomplished USAC driver starting in his third Indy

29. Spencer Pigot  2015 Indy Lights champion.  Hopes to finish good and get a full time Indycar ride

30. Stefan Wilson  Is racing to honor his late brother Justin Wilson

31. Jack Hawksworth  Has been with AJ Foyt since last year, and is starting his 3rd Indy 500

 

32. Buddy Lazier  Is the 1996 Indy 500 winner, great to see him back again

33. Alex Tagliani  His best Indy 500 start is 1st, and his best finish is 10th