MAY 31, 2023
Sunday, May 28, 2023 at 01:04PM 
Two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Team Penske Shell Chevrolet) passed reigning Indianapolis 500 by Gainbridge winner Marcus Ericsson (No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing Huski Ice Spritz Honda) on the last lap to capture his first career victory in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on Sunday at a packed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Newgarden, from Nashville, Tennessee, earned his spot on the Borg-Warner Trophy and in racing immortality in his 12th career “500” start, extending Team Penske’s event record to 19 victories in the race. Newgarden, who started 17th, passed Ericsson on the back straightaway with an outside move just before Turn 3 and snaked down the front straightaway to victory. Ericsson fell just .0974 of a second short of becoming the first repeat winner since Helio Castroneves in 2002. It was the fourth-closest finish in Indianapolis 500 history. “Everyone just kept asking me why I haven’t won this race,” Newgarden said. “They looked at you like you’re a failure if you don’t win it. I wanted to win it so bad. I knew we could. I knew we were capable. It’s a huge team effort, as everybody knows. I’m so glad to be here." After his cooldown lap, Newgarden went into the packed front grandstands to celebrate with fans. He disappeared into a joyous throng of humanity before re-emerging to reap congratulations from his family and Team Penske crew at the Yard of Bricks start-finish line. Santino Ferrucci finished third in the No. 14 A.J. Foyt Racing Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet. It was the best “500” finish for A.J. Foyt Racing since Eliseo Salazar also finished third in 2000. Watch the extended race highlights from Motorsports on NBC here.
(Photo by James Black for Penske Entertainment)
Marcus Erisscon (No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing Huski Chocolate Honda), Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Team Penske Shell Chevrolet) and Santino Ferrucci (No. 14 A.J. Foyt Racing Chevrolet) run hard at the end of the race. Editor-in-Chief's Note: Ericsson was furious with race officials for throwing the last red flag, insisting the race should have finished under a caution. I can't say that I disagree, but I was happy for Newgarden nonetheless. I wasn't happy about the last quarter of the race, however, as it turned into a messy crash-fest that ruined the race for me. But it is what it is at this point. I'm just glad no drivers were seriously injured, and I'm really glad that the errant tire miraculously didn't hit a spectator. -PMD
Tim Cindric greets Josef Newgarden in Victory Lane. It was a big day for Team Penske.
Santino Ferrucci ran strong all day and finished third in the No. 14 A.J. Foyt Racing Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet. It was the best “500” finish for A.J. Foyt Racing since Eliseo Salazar also finished third in 2000. Santino has established himself as a new fan favorite.
Marcus Ericsson was not pleased with the last Red Flag, because he felt it cost him the win. But it is what it is at this point, and we don't want to see that dreaded green-white-checker become a thing in INDYCAR. The restart came off without a hitch, so most everyone is okay with it now, but if it hadn't - and there was more on-track carnage - feelings might be different.
When you think about it, this was another classic Team Penske victory at The Speedway. Newgarden slowly but surely worked his way to the front so he could be in the mix for the win when it mattered. And he was. And he did.
INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, May 29, 2023) – The Indianapolis 500 purse record was shattered for the second year in a row after a monumentally successful 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, with race winner Josef Newgarden of Team Penske earning $3.666 million from a total purse of $17,021,500.
After record-breaking payouts in 2022, this is the largest purse and largest winner’s payout in the century-plus history of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” The year’s average payout for NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers was $500,600, which also exceeds last year’s average of $485,000.
Second-place finisher Marcus Ericsson of Chip Ganassi Racing took home $1.043 million, exceeding the take-home prize for last year’s second-place finisher.
“This is the greatest race in the world, and it was an especially monumental Month of May featuring packed grandstands and intense on-track action,” Penske Entertainment President and CEO Mark Miles said. “Now, we have the best end card possible for the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500: a record-breaking purse for the history books.”
The Month of May was full of major milestones as Indianapolis Motor Speedway welcomed more than 330,000 fans to the Racing Capital of the World for Sunday’s race, making it the second-largest Indianapolis 500 crowd in more than two decades.
A.J. Foyt Enterprises’ Benjamin Pedersen earned Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honors for his performance during the Month of May. Pedersen earned a $50,000 bonus for being named Rookie of the Year, adding to a total take-home prize of $215,300.
The Indianapolis 500 purse consists of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and NTT INDYCAR SERIES awards, plus other designated and special awards. Purse awards are presented annually at the Victory Celebration, held this year at the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis Monday night.
The next NTT INDYCAR SERIES race is the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented on Sunday, June 4 on the streets of Downtown Detroit. The race will be broadcast live on NBC, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network starting at 3 p.m. (ET).
Max Verstappen (No. 1 Oracle Red Bull Racing) kept Red Bull’s 2023 winning record intact by overcoming a rain shower – and the chaos that ensued – in the closing stages of the Monaco Grand Prix, leading home rival Fernando Alonso (No. 14 Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team), who was second, and Esteban Ocon (No. 31 BWT Alpine F1 Team), who finished third. Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to Formula1.com)
Justin Marks (No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Camaro) overcame multiple mechanical challenges over the weekend on his way to victory in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli Memorial Day Classic, where he broke Chris Dyson’s three-race winning streak at CD Racing’s home track of Lime Rock Park. After starting the race seventh, Marks drove through the field to earn his first win of 2023. Chris Dyson (No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang) was second and pole-sitter Matthew Brabham (No. 20 GYM WEED Ford Mustang) finished third. “Winning feels good,” said Marks. “You know, we were on pole the first two races, so it’s been a good start to the year, but we weren’t able to translate either of those into wins. It’s so good to get the win today. My crew had to work a lot harder than they signed up for this weekend, having to replace a motor after first practice and a rotor after qualifying. It’s nice to reward those guys with a win. It was tricky; both of the CD Racing cars were fast and I had to really use lapped traffic to try to get by them. I think in a straight-up dog fight it would have been tricky to get around them. I’m so proud of my team and all these guys, and I’m so glad to be here in Victory Circle at Lime Rock.” (Thank you to Trans Am Series Media)
(Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)Breaking a 59-race drought in Monday’s rain-delayed Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Ryan Blaney (No. 12 Team Penske Ford) gave team owner Roger Penske his first same-year sweep of IndyCar’s biggest race and NASCAR’s longest. With a dominant machine that gained long-run speed as the race progressed, Blaney led a race-high and career-best 163 of 400 laps and held off pole-sitter William Byron (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet) for his first victory on the 1.5-mile Charlotte oval and the eighth of his career. A day after Josef Newgarden delivered Penske’s 19th Indianapolis 500 victory with a last-lap pass, Blaney won for the first time since taking the checkered flag at Daytona on Aug. 28, 2021. After a spate of cautions late in the race, Blaney led the field to green with 20 laps left and built a one-second lead over Byron before winning by .663 seconds. Martin Truex Jr. (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) finished third. Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to Reid Spencer/NASCAR Wire Service)
Our dearly departed billboard at Road America. As most of you know, Peter coined the phrase "America's National Park of Speed" and gifted it to the track. -WG
The overall vision of Road America grew out of the dreams of Clif Tufte, a highway engineer, who chose 525 acres of Wisconsin farmland outside the Village of Elkhart Lake for the track. The natural topography of the glacial Kettle Moraine area was utilized for the track and for fan viewing areas, sweeping around rolling hills and plunging through ravines. Since opening in 1955, countless facility improvements have been made over the years, but the 4.048-mile, 14-turn road course itself is virtually the same today as it was when it was first laid out. Now in 2023, an entirely new track surface stands ready for racers and enthusiasts alike. - Road America
Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG