Josef Newgarden respects Pato O'Ward's Indy 500 decision against public belief

Josef Newgarden recently spoke about Pato O'Ward's split-second decision on the final lap of the 2024 Indy 500. O'Ward, who was in P2, overtook Newgarden for the race lead in Turn 1 of Lap 200. However, with three more corners to go, the Team Penske driver retook the lead to win the Greatest Spectacle of Racing for the second time in a row.

Fans and analysts theorized that O'Ward could've won the race had he simply postponed his overtake to later in the lap. Then, Josef Newgarden wouldn't have gotten another chance to retake the lead.

In a recent interview with IndyCar and IMS president Doug Boles, the two-time Indy 500 winner justified O'Ward's move, explaining why it was right considering the track conditions that only the drivers could experience.

"I liked his decision. Most people look at Pato and when he passed me, and think, you know, after the fact, you go 'Why did you do it then?' But that's hindsight, hindsight's 20/20. I understood his logic. That day, it was cooling off. It was very racy, but the conditions were really tough in (turns) 1-2. The track was cooling faster in 1-2 compared to 3-4. 3-4 was really easy, like it was super easy to follow, stay close to people," he said on Doug and Drivers: Josef Newgarden. [6:00 onwards]

"Turn 1 and 2, as soon as someone passed you going into 1, you had to check up, and you'd lose a lot of ground. I think Pato was thinking, 'Let me pass him into one, and he won't be able to recover and get me to the line again.' I think that was his thought process, and I actually agree with it. That's kind of how I was assessing the racetrack."

Pato O'Ward was shattered after nearly missing out on his maiden Indy 500 win. He was in tears after the heartbreak and was being consoled by his team and family on pit road.

For Josef Newgarden, the pass on his Arrow McLaren rival was a déjà vu from his first win at the IMS in 2023, when he passed then-defending winner Marcus Ericsson for the lead in Turn 2.

Josef Newgarden highlights the "critical ingredient" in his Indy 500 wins

Josef Newgarden celebrates after winning the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

Josef Newgarden has enjoyed the majority of his success in IndyCar with the legendary Team Penske. The Roger Penske-led team has the most Indy 500 wins in the race's history, having won it a whopping 20 times.

The team's cars have always been quick at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In 2024, the trio of Scott McLaughlin, Will Power and Newgarden took a historic front-row lockout in qualifying. Though the former two couldn't finish on the podium, it was a race to remember for Team Penske.

On the latest episode of 'Doug and Drivers' with Doug Boles, while elaborating on his final lap battle with O'Ward, Newgarden said:

"I definitely had the car to get the job done. It goes without saying, but it's such a critical ingredient at Indy. The care can be handling well, but if you don't have that natural car speed, it's hard to make something happen there. In the last two years, I have had the fastest racecar in race conditions that I've ever had in that place." [7:18 onwards]

Josef Newgarden is chasing an unprecedented third consecutive Indy 500 win at the 109th running of the race on May 25. No driver has ever achieved a three-peat at the premier IndyCar race.