Josef Newgarden: Indy 500 retirement “tough to take”

Josef Newgarden was left to wonder what could have been after his attempt to score three wins in a row in the Indianapolis 500 ended with mechanical issues.

Having been sent to the back of the grid after Penske was caught illegally modifying the accentuator on the #2 Dallara-Chevrolet, Newgarden made a brilliant recovery to climb inside the top 10 by lap 120.

He should have firmly been in the hunt for victory in the final quarter of the race, but drama struck on lap 135 when we called into the pits for a second time with a fuel pressure problem.

The Penske crew frantically tried to fix the issue on his car, leaving him several laps down.

Ultimately, no solution could be found and Newgarden had to climb out of the car and retire from the 109th running of the race.

Given the speed he had shown from the back of the grid, the 34-year-old admitted that the DNF was tough to take.

"It looks like some fuel pressure issues, I'm not sure," he said. "It’s some kind of anomaly or something we've never seen before.

"It’s just unfortunate for the whole group. It's a team sport, which that very much shows it. You guys were definitely right on pace for what you had to do today to have a shot to make history."

"It’s tough to not have a shot here at the end," he said. "It’s a team sport. It takes everything to win here.

"I’m still immensely grateful to run at Indianapolis. As tough as it is to take, I still feel grateful to be out here today. I just wish we had a chance to fight for it."

Writing on social media, Newgarden added: “Started 32nd. Made it up to fifth on our strategy before having a problem with the fuel pressure. The car was unbelievable. The team was unbeatable. Feels so frustrating to not even have the opportunity to know “what if”…

“That’s the way Indy works. One year you’re on top of the world and the next you’re heartbroken.

“It’s been an honour of a lifetime to have the opportunity to be a 500 champion. Onto the next year.”

Newgarden’s retirement capped off a day to forget for Penske.

Teammate Scott McLaughlin, the only driver from the team not to be penalised in qualifying, crashed on the parade lap while warming up his tyres.

Will Power made some progress early on from 33rd and last on the grid, running on the fringes of the top 10 in the middle portion of the race, but eventually finished down in 19th place - a lap down on race winner Alex Palou (Chip Ganassi Racing).