Newgarden sends strong Carb Day message to Indy 500 peers
May 23, 2025; Speedway, Indiana Josef Newgarden, Team Penske practices on Carb Day before the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Photo by Michael C. Johnson
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio
Carb Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is for sending messages, and Joseph Newgarden made it clear Friday he is fully capable of rewriting history during the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.
May 23, 2025; Speedway, Indiana A general view during NTT IndyCar practice of the south short chute on Carb Day before the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Photo by Michael C. Johnson
Newgarden and Team Penske swept the two key elements of Miller Lite Carb Day, leading the two-hour final practice with a top lap of 225.687 mph in the No. 2 Shell V-Power NiTRO+ Team Penske Chevrolet. Relegated to a last-row/32nd starting for Sunday’s scheduled 200-lapper due to a technical rule violation, Newgarden is aiming to become the first driver to win three consecutive Indy 500s.
“Good final run here,” Newgarden said after completing 71 laps around the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “Excited to check the car off again and work with the team. I’m really excited for Sunday. The main show. Everything we work for.”
SEE: Practice Results
May 23, 2025; Speedway, Indiana Devlin DeFrancesco, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing practices on Carb Day before the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Photo by Michael C. Johnson
Newgarden and his Penske crew capped the day by winning the Oscar Mayer $150,000 Pit Stop Challenge for the second consecutive year.
Newgarden will start 32nd in the traditional 33-car field after he and teammate Will Power were penalized Monday by the sanctioning body, which determined the attenuators at the rear of their respective Dallara chassis were in violation of INDYCAR rules during PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying on Sunday. The grid penalties not only dropped Newgarden and Power into the 11th and final three-car row, but also prompted team-owner Roger S. Penske to fire three members of his organization’s top management.
The record for the deepest starting spot for an eventual “500” winner is 28th, by Ray Harroun in the inaugural race in 1911 and Louis Meyer in 1936. Newgarden matter-of-factly stated during a Media Day interview on Thursday that he “absolutely” could win the race from P32.
“I just see a bigger mountain. That’s all I see,” said Newgarden, a 34-year-old native of Nashville, Tenn., and winner of 31 NTT IndyCar Series races. “There is no one formula (to win). I know ‘a’ formula, and I don’t think it changes starting 32nd. We know what we need to do throughout the race to give ourselves an opportunity to go for the win. I think that’s really not the secret, but it’s just the formula. You have to give yourself a chance at the right time.
May 23, 2025; Speedway, Indiana A general view of the 2nd corner during NTT IndyCar practice on Carb Day before the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Photo by Michael C. Johnson
“Proud of everything that we have done up to this point. Ready to go racing. So that’s what I got to say.”
Two-time “500” winner Takuma Sato of Japan was second at 225.415 mph in the No. 75 AMADA Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. However, “Taku’s” trademark speed came at a cost. His car slowed on the backstretch late in the session with an apparent problem after completing 62 laps, triggering the last of two caution periods. Sato’s one-off RLLR entry stopped on the deceleration lane between Turns 3 and 4 before it was placed inside the retaining wall.
May 23, 2025; Speedway, Indiana Callum Ilott, PREMA Racing practices on Carb Day before the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Photo by Michael C. Johnson
“I would say we weren’t entirely happy with (car setup) yet, but we were making good progress,” said Sato, a 48-year-old native of Tokyo who qualified second. “We were pointing in the right direction, so I want to check all the data. We had a mechanical failure on the last run and lost performance on one side of the car. It’s too early for me to say what that was until the team investigates it, but I almost lost control in Turn 1, and we are just fortunate I didn’t hit anything.”
Native New Zealander Scott Dixon, winner of the 2008 Indy 500 and a six-time series champ, placed third at 225.200 mph in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Dixon, who completed 67 laps, will start fourth Sunday. Expanded Race Day broadcast coverage will be carried on FOX Sports, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network starting at 10 a.m. (EDT), with the green flag set for approximately 12:45 p.m.
May 23, 2025; Speedway, Indiana Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Enterprises practices on Carb Day before the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Photo by Michael C. Johnson
Canadian Devlin DeFrancesco, starting 16th after a one-year layoff, moved to fourth overall at 224.778 mph in the No. 30 Dogecoin Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
Power, starting 33rd, completed the top-five at 224.419 mph in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. “As far as the engine goes, we were all good,” said Power, who completed 69 laps. “The track changed and the wind changed, which will be different again on race day. Probably some minor changes to the car and then go.”
Both Newgarden and Power are two-time series champions for the team founded/owned by Roger S. Penske. Power, who joined Team Penske fulltime in 2010, is 44-years-old and in the final season of his current contract. The native Australian also is fully-aware that a strong result Sunday would bolster his case for at least another one-year deal with the team based in Mooresville, N.C.
May 23, 2025; Speedway, Indiana A general view of the Pagoda on Carb Day before the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Photo by Michael C. Johnson
“Yeah, I mean, man, I’ve been around long enough to shut that stuff out and still focus on the thing that you’re here to do, and that’s to get the absolute most out of the car,” Power said. “You still have to do your homework. You can’t be distracted by all this. My main focus is Sunday, and that’s true. I’m not too swept up in it. I’ve got plenty of time after the race to think about that, but we’re coming up on the biggest race of the year for us.
“I feel like everyone on the team is positive and very motivated. I think being the driver you need to show that this is not affecting you, and you’re very focused on the job at-hand, and I am. I am. I haven’t allowed too much emotional stress to take away energy that I need on Sunday. Tough situation, but we still got a job to do.”
May 23, 2025; Speedway, Indiana Devlin Defrancesco, Rahal Leterman Lanigan Racing practices on Carb Day before the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Photo by Michael C. Johnson
Four-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves was seventh overall at 224.235 mph in his one-off bid in the No. 06 Cleveland-Cliffs Honda fielded by Meyer Shank Racing. The popular Brazilian won the 2021 Indy 500 with MSR to join the exclusive Four-Timers Club featuring Houston native A.J. Foyt Jr., Al Unser and Rick Mears. Castroneves, 50, won his first three Indy 500s with Team Penske.
Castroneves, who will start 22nd, has finished in the top-10 in 17 of his 24 Indy 500 starts (70.8 percent) and has led laps in 14 different events _ a total third among all series drivers. Helio holds the race record for average speed (190.690 mph, 2021) as well as the most consecutive laps-completed (2,310) without falling out of competition.
May 23, 2025; Speedway, Indiana A general view of F-16 fighter jets practicing for the flyover on Carb Day before the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Photo by Michael C. Johnson
Pato O’Ward placed eighth at 224.159 mph after 71 laps in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. “That’s the last little bit right before race day,” said O’Ward, a native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio, Texas. “Happy we got her dialed-in a little bit better and I think we’ve got a package we can work with, so we’ll see what Sunday has in store.”
David Malukas led the two-car contingent from Waller, Texas-based A.J. Foyt Racing at 223.843 mph in the No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet.
“It was another really good session,” said Malukas, who completed 80 laps. “We’ve got one more to go on Sunday and it’s going to be a perfect month for us here in May. Really, really happy. We had another setup that we wanted to try. We had some issues to figure out in the first 20 minutes of the run. After that, the 10-lap average was really strong. The 20-lap average was right there in the top-five cars. I think we’re going to be right there when we need it to be. It all comes down to a good Clarience Technologies Chevrolet and the guys.”
May 23, 2025; Speedway, Indiana A general view of the Louis Chevrolet memorial in the infield on Carb Day before the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Photo by Michael C. Johnson
Dallas resident Santino Ferrucci, Malukas’ teammate, was 13th at 223.437 mph in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet. “Solid day for Carb Day,” said Ferrucci, who completed 75 laps. “Finally found a really good direction with the car and the balance. Definitely a couple changes to make going into Sunday’s race but all-in-all, I feel very confident.”
Alex Palou, the three-time/reigning NTT IndyCar Series champion, placed 14th after completing a workmanlike 56 laps in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. A 28-year-old native of Spain, Palou has won four of the season’s first race races. Palou _ who has yet to win a series oval-track event _ is looking to add his first Indy 500 victory to an otherwise brilliant open-wheel resume at CGR.
Kyle Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion, was ranked 26th at 224.779 mph after 65 laps in the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Larson qualified 21st at 231.326 mph on Sunday for his second Indy 500 after earning Rookie of the Year honors last May. Larson is again attempting to complete “The Double” of competing in the Indy 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., on Sunday. Larson drives the No. 5 Chevrolet fielded by Hendrick Motorsports in Cup.
May 23, 2025; Speedway, Indiana A general view of the scoring pylon on Carb Day before the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Photo by Michael C. Johnson
Pole-sitter Robert Shwartzman _ the first “500” rookie to claim P1 since Teo Fabi of Italy in 1983 _ was 29th at 220.987 mph in the No. 83 PREMA Racing Chevrolet. Shwartzman, a 25-year-old native of Tel Aviv, Israel, concentrated on running in traffic while his pit crew sharpened their routine during several tire-changing drills.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Team Penske both placed two cars in the top-five during a session that featured not only thick packs of traffic but also mechanical issues.
Sato wasn’t the only RLLR driver forced to deal with mechanical trouble, as Graham Rahal’s trying Month of May continued when his No. 15 United Rentals Honda was returned to Gasoline Alley after just 45 minutes and 21 laps-completed. The team announced it will change Rahal’s Honda engine for Sunday’s race after opting to withdraw from the pit stop contest.
May 23, 2025; Speedway, Indiana Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren practices on Carb Day before the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Photo by Michael C. Johnson
“We had a mechanical failure before the halfway point of the session, unfortunately,” said Rahal, the son of team founder and 1986 Indy 500 champion Bobby Rahal. “We’ve had our challenges this month, but we’ve hung in there. This is the most recent one and we’re done for the day. I was out on the first new set of tires I’ve had and was trying to get in the pack but I could tell the car wouldn’t stay in the pack. It kept getting slower and slower, then finally out of Turn 1, I felt it grind pretty good to end our day, which is disappointing for our team, for United Rentals and everyone.
“The car was better today, a lot better, which is a positive. The car felt really good in Turn 2, which is key for the race so I was pleased with that. I just wish we could have gotten more time on-track. At this stage you’ve just got to make the best of it. It’s not ideal but we’ll do what we can.”
May 23, 2025; Speedway, Indiana Christian Lundgaard, Aarrow McLaren practices on Carb Day before the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Photo byMichael C. Johnson
Rahal qualified 30th for his 18th Indy 500 but will start 28th due to two Team Penske cars being penalized.
Alexander Rossi, winner of the landmark 100th Indy 500 in 2016 as a rookie, lost time on-track with a water leak in his No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Java House Chevrolet. Rossi was limited to only five laps completed.
First caution of the final practice was triggered just past the halfway point when flames erupted from the back of 2014 Indy 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay’s No. 23 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Cusick Wedbush Securities Chevrolet on the backstretch. Hunter-Reay guided the stricken car to the top of pit lane before scurrying out as the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team extinguished the flames. “Captain America” completed 33 laps before the issue developed to place 11th on the chart.
May 23, 2025; Speedway, Indiana Felix Rosenqvist, Meer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian practices on Carb Day before the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Photo by Michael C. Johnson
“All-in-all, we had a good day on the track,” Hunter-Reay said. “It was productive and we made some good changes with the race car. Then I left the pits, and we left some fire on the ground. Then, all of a sudden in the acceleration lane, I had bunch of fluid all over me and a lot of smoke. I did my best to get the car back to pit lane. We’re still looking for answers of what the cause was. We’re analyzing how much damage has been done.”
INDYCAR scheduled a special, 15-minute session Saturday morning for RHR and the No. 23 entry after the team changed its Dallara chassis. The No. 23 was only allowed to run install laps (out-and-in) within the time frame. The car was not allowed to stay on-track to cross the start/finish line and the Yard of Bricks.
May 23, 2025; Speedway, Indiana Josef Newgarden during the Pit Stop Competition on Carb Day before the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Photo by Michael C. Johnson
An all-Team Penske pairing in the Oscar Mayer $150,000 Pit Stop Challenge saw Josef Newgarden beat Will Power in a final that required all three rounds. Newgarden’s crew won the first round and Power’s prevailed in the second.
In the final, Newgarden’s No. 2 crew changed four tires and completed a simulated fueling in 10.263- seconds, while Power and the No. 12 crew trailed at 10.503-seconds. The No. 2 crew earned a $50,000 prize, with the No. 12 crew collecting $25,000.
This was the record-extending 20th victory in the annual contest for Team Penske, and Newgarden became just the fifth driver to win three or more times. The victory could be a positive omen for Newgarden, who last year became the first driver to sweep the pit stop contest and the “500” in the same year since Helio Castroneves in 2009, also for Team Penske.
Newgarden has won the past two Indy 500s via last-lap passes. Newgarden is just the sixth driver to win an Indy 500 in consecutive years, joining Wilbur Shaw (1939-40), Mauri Rose (1947-48), Bill Vukovich (1953-54), Al Unser (1970-71) and Helio Castroneves (2001-02). No driver has won three consecutive editions of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” And Newgarden never has started lower than 22nd in the race’s traditional 33-car field since joining Team Penske in 2017.
Assorted fast facts and figures about the starting field for the 109th Indianapolis 500:
_ Rookie pole-sitter Robert Shwartzman is the first native of Israel to compete in the world’s greatest auto race and first rookie to earn P1 since Teo Fabi of Italy in 1983. Tony Stewart, a native of Indiana, started from pole in 1996 when the race was part of the Indy Racing League schedule. Stewart qualified second but moved to P1 after teammate Scott Brayton of Canada suffered fatal injuries in a crash during post-qualifying practice.
_ Robert Shwartzman is the third rookie to win the pole on-track. The others were Walt Faulkner (1950) and Teo Fabi (1983). Lewis Strang started from pole for the inaugural “500” in 1911, when starting position was determined by entry postmark date. Jean Chassagne started on pole in 1914 when starting position was determined by a draw. This also is the first time car No. 83 has earned the Indy 500 pole.
_ There are three rookies in the 33-car field: pole-sitter Robert Shwartzman, Louis Foster of Great Britain (20th) and Nolan Siegel (24th). There were six rookies in the 2024 field. The last race with fewer than three rookies was 2021 (Scott McLaughlin of New Zealand and Pietro Fittipaldi of Brazil).
_ Other than the three rookies, David Malukas, Devlin DeFrancesco of Canada and Jack Harvey of Great Britain are the drivers who didn’t start the race in 2024. All three made their last start in 2023.
_ The field average speed of 231.207 mph is the third-fastest in event history. The fastest is 232.184 mph in 2023, followed by 231.943 mph in 2024.
_ There are eight former Indy 500 winners in the starting field: Helio Castroneves of Brazil (2001, 2002, 2009, 2021); Scott Dixon of New Zealand (2008); Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014); Alexander Rossi (2016); Takuma Sato of Japan (2017, 2020); Will Power of Australia (2018); Marcus Ericsson of Sweden (2022) and Josef Newgarden (2023, 2024). Among them, these drivers have scored 13 victories. The record for most former winners in the field is 10, in 1992. The fewest, other than the inaugural race in 1911, is zero in 1912, 1913, 1915 and 1916.
_ Helio Castroneves, a native of Brazil, is the most experienced driver in the field with 24 previous Indianapolis 500 starts. The record is 35, set in consecutive years from 1958-1992 by A.J. Foyt Jr. of Houston.
_ Six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon of New Zealand and Chip Ganassi Racing has led 677 career laps in the Indianapolis 500 _ the all-time event record. The only other driver in the field who has led more than 200 laps is Helio Castroneves (326).
_ Oldest driver in the starting field is Helio Castroneves at 50 years, 15 days on Race Day. The youngest driver is Nolan Siegel, 20 years, 197 days. A.J. Foyt Jr. is the oldest driver to start the Indy 500. He was 57 years, 128 days old when he made his last start in 1992. A.J. Foyt IV is the youngest driver to start the Indianapolis 500. His 19th birthday was on Race Day, 2003.
_ Helio Castroneves and Takuma Sato will be older on Race Day than Al Unser when he became the oldest winner of the Indy 500 in 1987 at age 47 years, 360 days. Castroneves will be 50 years, 15 days old on Race Day; Sato 48 years, 117 days.
_ Helio Castroneves will become the 15th driver age 50 or older to start the Indianapolis 500. The others are Mario Andretti, Cliff Bergere, Gary Bettenhausen, Duane Carter, A.J. Foyt Jr., Ralph Hepburn, Gordon Johncock, Jim McElreath, Danny Ongais, Johnny Rutherford, Johnny Parsons, Lyn St. James, Dick Simon and Al Unser.
_ Helio Castroneves will be the first driver age 50 or older to start in the Indianapolis 500 since Lyn St. James in 2000.
_ Nolan Siegel, Kyffin Simpson of the Cayman Islands and Louis Foster of Great Britain will be younger on Race Day than Troy Ruttman when he became the youngest winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 1952 at age 22 years, 80 days old. Siegel will be 20 years, 197 days old on Race Day; Simpson 20 years, 228 days; Foster 21 years, 302 days.
_ Twenty-five different drivers in this year’s field have led a total of 2,575 laps in previous Indianapolis 500s.
_ There are a combined 253 previous Indianapolis 500 starts among the 33 drivers in this year’s field. The record is 260 years of experience, set in 1987 and 1992. There were 222 years of combined experience in last year’s field.
_ The most-experienced row in this year’s starting lineup is Row 10, with a combined 37 career starts (Graham Rahal 17, Marco Andretti 19, Marcus Armstrong 1). The least-experienced row is Row 7, with four combined career starts (Kyle Larson 1, Louis Foster 0, Callum Ilott 3).
_ Eight former Indianapolis 500 Rookies of the Year are in this year’s field: Marco Andretti, Helio Castroneves, Santino Ferrucci, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Kyle Larson, Scott McLaughlin, Pato O’Ward and Alexander Rossi. The record is nine, in 1991 and 2021.
