Story by: TINA STRADER / TEAM PENSKE – SPEEDWAY, IN – The 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 ended in a final lap pass for the win that propelled Josef Newgarden and the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Chevrolet team to the Winner’s Circle to celebrate Newgarden’s first Indy 500 win and Team Penske’s record-extending 19th triumph.
The 32-year-old Nashville, Tennessee, native entered Sunday’s event making his 12th attempt at an Indy 500 win. Newgarden started the Month of May showing speed early on – he even reached the top of the charts on day one of the IMS Open Test Day – yet a competitive PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying weekend saw Newgarden bumped from the top-12, forcing him to a 17th starting place for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Until yesterday, only two other drivers had won from that 17th position in the field, yet the sixth row starting spot didn’t thwart the No. 2 team’s dedication to winning.
They focused on steady progress, a clear strategy, and smooth work by the crew on pit road to climb through the field and put themselves in position for the lead by race end. A flurry of late-race red flags resulted in a one-lap shootout to the Advance Auto Parts checkered flag, with Newgarden lining up second to ultimately overtake defending Indy 500 winner Marcus Ericsson by a .0974 margin of victory to advance himself to the iconic IMS Victory Podium.
When the No. 2 crossed the yard of bricks, it resulted in a win for Newgarden and Team Penske, and unlocked key milestones for Team Penske partners and crew members including:
- The 100th win for Shell-Pennzoil and Team Penske across any series
- Since 1983, Shell-Pennzoil and Team Penske have collected 100 wins across points-paying races in NASCAR, INDYCAR, SuperCars, CART IndyCar and USAC.
- Eight different Team Penske drivers have contributed to the overall success by securing victories at 38 various tracks across the globe.
- The first win for Chevrolet since they last visited Indy 500 Victory Lane with Team Penske driver Simon Pagenaud in 2019
- Sunday marked Chevrolet’s 12th Indianapolis 500 win.
- The first time the winning Indy 500 team included a female over-the-wall pit crew member
- Caitlyn Brown, 24, is the inside front-tire changer for the No. 2 team.
- She became the first female to go over-the-wall for Team Penske at the start of the 2023 season.
- Brown started with Team Penske in 2019 as a NASCAR shop mechanic before traveling with the INDYCAR team in 2021.
Newgarden’s teammates Scott McLaughlin and Will Power both moved their way into the top-10 at some point within the 500-mile event, yet they ultimately finished 14th and 23rd respectively after late-race issues slowed their progress to the front.
Team Penske’s INDYCAR drivers now sit 4th (Newgarden), 6th (McLaughlin) and 9th (Power) and in the point standings with 11 events remaining in the 2023 schedule.
We look forward to continuing the excitement of this year’s Indy 500 win with a Victory Celebration streamed live from Indianapolis on Peacock this evening at 8 p.m. ET. Then we’ll jump back into racing action in the Streets of Detroit as the INDYCAR Series returns to Downtown Detroit on its original 1.7-mile, 10-turn street circuit this upcoming Sunday, June 4 at 3 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock).
We’ve also got a chance for another meaningful victory this Memorial Day weekend as the NASCAR Cup Series takes the green at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600, currently in progress on FOX.
We’re appreciative of the continued support from our partners who give us an opportunity to make history. It’s always better when we achieve big things together!