Josef Newgarden (Team Penske) celebrates his 2024 #Bommarito500 win at Gateway, Illinois with his entire team Photo credit: @Team_Penske via X
IndyCar is back after the summer break for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 on the oval in Madison (St. Louis area – Editor’s note), Illinois. 260 heart-pounding laps, on a small but decidedly treacherous circuit reserved for specialists. The victory went to Josef Newgardenwho repeated the success of 2023 (the fourth in the last 5 years – Editor’s note). Teammate Scott McLaughlin took second place con Linus Lundqvist (Chip Ganassi Racing) terzoclosing the podium. Fourth place for the championship leader, Alex Palou.
Everything we love about short oval racing 🍿
Watch the best moments from the #Bommarito500 🎬
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) August 18, 2024
We knew it, Ovals are the favorite hunting ground for Roger Penske’s driversThey have been winning here often for years, they are used to doing it and they have a team that supports them in every way on this type of track. Scott McLaughlin took the pole but Newgarden was right there in third placeready to take advantage of any favorable situation, which, in fact, happened. It must be said, but we will go into more detail later, that what happened in the final stages of the race is not a good page in sports at all.
For being an oval race, There were six Cautions in totalequally distributed throughout the race, in addition to a red flag. That it was a hard-fought event is demonstrated by the fact that, during the race, eleven of the twenty-seven drivers took turns in the lead. In practice, almost half of them were able to complete at least one lap in the lead. In addition to this, everything was inevitably influenced by the end of the race. But let’s go step by step.
Newgarden’s victory aside, the big disappointment of the day was, without a doubt, Will Power (Team Penske). After having led the race for 117 lapsin fact, what happened at the last restart made him fall to eighteenth position. In all this, Alex Palou (Chip Ganassi Racing) ringrazia: with his regularity of placings and his ability to always maximise the result even on less than favourable weekends, is getting closer and closer to his third title.
I repeat again that Colton Herta (Andretti Global) woke up late. Fifth place in a comeback, after a start in the back due to a mistake in qualifying. The question is: where could Colton have arrived without that touch in the wall? We will never know, however, the series of useful results is widening but it seems that the train to be able to pull the sprint for the championship has now passed. If Alex Palou continues to run like this, there is very little that can be done for anyone, especially for Colton who has only settled down in the second part of the season. In this IndyCar, the ups and downs don’t pay off. If Colton is serious about the championship in 2025, he will have to leave behind his tendency to make mistakes and inconsistent results. Consistent presence in the top positions on all types of circuits is the key to being able to sit at the table that counts. This category features street circuits, permanent circuits and ovals: you necessarily have to be a complete driver and this is a feature that European pilots will also have to work on who intend to compete overseas.
Bad setback, however, for Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren)The Mexican Arrow McLaren driver was forced to retire due to a mechanical problem on lap 42. There is nothing official yet, but an engine failure seems likely.
Now that the bad news is over, let’s move on to the good news. Let’s say right away that we are talking about a somewhat atypical top ten, because there are some interesting “new entries”. First of all, let’s point out the two debutants: in addition to Linus Lundqvist who conquered the podium, Nolan Siegel (Arrow McLaren) finished seventhauthor of a really well-managed race. In ninth place we find Sting Ray Robb (AJ Foyt Enterprises). After a thousand problems and adventures, the native of CITTA has finally put in a noteworthy performance. These are the races he must do if he intends to aspire to a more competitive team for the next seasons. Excellent race also by Rinus Veekay (Ed Carpenter Racing), finished ninth.
The big topic of the day is, without a doubt, the story of the restart delayed by Josef Newgarden who caused contact in the midfield, causing Alexander Rossi (Arrow McLaren) to crash into Newgarden’s teammate Will Power. The carom also involved Romain Grosjean (Juncos Hollinger Racing). After the inevitable red flag, the race restarted with only 8 laps to go.
Power was understandably furious after the finish line and he certainly didn’t mince his words with his teammate:
“Whoever is in charge cannot behave like this. Accelerating and then braking two, three times is simply absurd. He should have taken Turn 3 and Turn 4, not behave like this. When I understood what was happening I was sure that someone would hit me and so it was. It is tough like this, because we had a great car today after the bad luck of the last two grands prix and to finish like this is a shame. We will try to continue fighting, but it will be quite tough from here on”
To these words, Newgarden promptly replied
“I didn’t do anything strange. I’m used to restarting in the lead and I don’t think I did what they accuse me of. If anyone has any complaints, especially teammates, they can look at my telemetry and see that the speed was very consistent. The problem, and it’s something we’ve already talked about, is that the drivers in the back tend to anticipate restarts, causing accidents. Looking back at the footage, it’s clear that at least one driver anticipated the restart. At that point, accidents are inevitable.”
In essence, “It’s not me who slowed down, it’s you who started up first”. Could there be an interpretation? Absolutely, there is a Race Direction that can request the telemetry and make its own decisions on the matter. Of course, the problem of early restarts is common in this type of race and is very dangerous. If this is what happened, perhaps we should start taking serious measures. There are drivers who, in other categories of motorsport, have lost their lives due to dynamics of this type.
For those who don’t know, “early restart” means hitting the accelerator pedal before the race leader, who is the only one who can actually dictate the restart time. If the restart is anticipated and the drivers in front are following the pace of the one leading the race, the risk of a rear-end collision is very high.With riders all stuck together, the chances of triggering very risky pile-ups are exponentially higher than in an accident where the group is already spread out.
Among those calling for a penalty for Josef Newgarden is Colton Herta, who was also penalized (from third to fifth) for having obstructed Linus Lundqvist. Brian Herta spoke for himhis father -and former pilot-
“Colton didn’t deserve a penalty today, especially after what Josef Newgarden did. Why was Colton penalized and he wasn’t? His way of restarting caused an accident, I think everyone can see that. His teammate is fighting for the title and his race was ruined. His conduct of the race was much more damaging than Colton’s, but why wasn’t he penalized? I don’t understand this yardstick, I really don’t understand it.”
The current championship standings see the top spot Alex Palou with 443 points, followed by Colton Herta with 384 and Scott Dixon with 378The next appointment is in a week, on the permanent circuit in Portland.
That was edge-of-your-seat racing 🤩
Where did your favorite driver finish at @WWTRaceway?
#INDYCAR // #Bommarito500— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) August 18, 2024
Only four races remain to crown a champion.
#INDYCAR pic.twitter.com/Zj3C9Lqf1T— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) August 18, 2024
