Newgarden wins at Road America

American Josef Newgarden (Penske) won Sunday’s GP Road America, contested at Elkhart Lake (Wisconsin), his third victory this season in IndyCar.

The double winner of the championship (2017, 2019) and runner-up for the past two years, has beaten the Swede Marcus Ericsson (Chip Ganassi), fresh winner of the Indianapolis 500 Miles, and Alexander Rossi (Andretti), who started on pole but who finally closes the podium.

As he won this season on the oval of the Texas Motor Speedway and on the street circuit of Long Beach, Newgarden, thanks to this victory on the road circuit, will have imposed himself on the three types of races of the championship after only eight events.

He will share a reward of 500,000 dollars with his team, while another 500,000 will go to two charities working in Nashville (Tennessee), the hometown of the pilot.

Newgarden took the lead on the 26th of the 55 laps of the race, halfway through. Rossi, who finished second in the last GP in Detroit (Michigan), was often pressing but without managing to overtake his rival.

Eight laps from the finish, the Mexican Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren), victim of a mechanical problem, left his car at the edge of the track. The race was neutralized and Rossi to come back close to Newgarden again.

Starting off stronger, the latter had to produce the same effort again, three laps from the end, after a second immobilization behind the safety car. He was not worried and it was even Rossi who had to give up his second place to Ericsson.

Not far away, Romain Grosjean (Andretti), a time in the lead by the pit lane game, fought for the places of honor, notably making a short passage in the grass, under pressure from Colton Herta (Andretti).

The Frenchman nevertheless managed to overtake his American teammate and was not even far from grabbing the podium behind Rossi.