Josef Newgarden joins the list of Indy 500 winners after winning the 107th edition of the race. The American Team Penske driver won on the last lap over Sweden's Marcus Ericsson, who triumphed on the mythical Indianapolis oval last season.
"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," added the champion.
Welcome to racing immortality!@josefnewgarden wins the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.#INDYCAR // @Team_Penske pic.twitter.com/z7OzGoLmKN
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) May 28, 2023
Newgarden, who started from 17th, is the first Tennessee-born Indy 500 champion in history, organizers confirmed. He was followed by Ericsson in second position and the American Santino Ferrucci in third. Spaniard Alex Palou, who started the race from pole position, finished fourth.
Apart from the results and the spectacle offered by the drivers, the Indy 500 had some tense moments due to several accidents. Up to three red flags were signaled due to collisions of several of the single-seaters.
This incident involving multiple cars brought out the third and final red flag of the race.#INDYCAR // #Indy500 pic.twitter.com/Htv556zukw
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) May 28, 2023
The most precarious and hazardous of the accidents came close to ending in tragedy. After the single-seaters of Sweden's Felix Rosenqvist and American Kyle Kirkwood, one of the wheels of Kirkwood's car came off, going over the fence protecting the public. The wheel ended off-site, in one of the outdoor parking lots. Fortunately, no one was injured and only one vehicle was affected.
IndyCar has achieved a high level of motorsport safety by studying accidents in minute detail and learning every possible lesson from them. This could have been a horrendous accident, I have no doubt changes will be made as a direct result.
📸: IndyCar#INDYCAR | #Indy500 pic.twitter.com/ZhNy79bN6u
— Bryson Sullivan 🇺🇲 (@NaturalParadigm) May 29, 2023
Another accident involved Alex Palou. A collision in the pit area with the Dutch Rinus Veekay reduced the Spanish driver's chances of victory, who had to change the tires and the front wing of his car.
ALEX PALOU AND RINUS VEEKAY HAVE COME TOGETHER ON PIT LANE!
📺: @nbc and @peacock pic.twitter.com/KUsmQvHgug
— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) May 28, 2023
