Josef Newgarden won a final lap duel with Pato O'Ward to become the first back-to-back winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 22-years on Sunday.
in Sunday's rain-delayed race to become the first driver to win consecutive 500s since Castroneves did it for Penske in 2001 and 2002. And just like last year, Newgarden stopped his Chevrolet-powered car on the track and climbed through a hole in the fence to celebrate with fans in the grandstands.
O'Ward, who finished .3417 seconds behind Newgarden, slumped his head over his steering wheel in bitter disappointment. He was trying to become the first Mexican driver in 108 runnings to win the Indy 500. He refused to back down last year and wound up crashing as he raced for the win. As O'Ward bided his time in the closing laps -- he and Newgarden traded the lead several times -- he waited to make the winning pass on the final lap."It is hard to put it into words -- we went back, we went forward, we went back, some people were driving like maniacs," O'Ward said."We had so many near-race enders. Just so close again. ...
Roger Penske, who owns the race team, IndyCar, the Indy 500 and the speedway, suspended four crew members, including Team President Tim Cindric. The Cindric suspension was a massive blow for Newgarden as Cindric is considered the best strategist in the series."Absolutely, they can say what they want, I don't even care anymore," he said.
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