Championship leader Josef Newgarden faced an early setback during the Arlington race weekend after a practice incident forced Team Penske to switch to a backup car ahead of qualifying for the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington.
The two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion made contact with the wall during practice, an incident that initially appeared minor. However, further inspection revealed that the impact had pierced the chassis of the Dallara, leaving the team unable to continue using the primary car for the remainder of the weekend.
Team Penske was therefore required to prepare the No. 2 Chevrolet backup car before qualifying. Because the crash occurred prior to the final split practice session, Newgarden also lost valuable track time that many of his competitors used for qualifying simulations.
Despite the limited preparation, Newgarden managed to secure 11th place on the starting grid for Sunday’s race on the new Arlington street circuit.
While the result leaves him outside the Firestone Fast Six fight, the Team Penske driver will now focus on making progress during the race as he looks to maintain the momentum gained from his recent victory at Phoenix Raceway.
written by Philipp Kraus // Media Credit: Penske Entertainment
