Josef Newgarden shares clear message after 'chaotic' IndyCar race at Barber

Team Penske star Josef Newgarden finished P10 at the Alabama Indy Grand Prix after starting the race in P9. The 34-year-old came out with a clear message following the race at Barber Motorsports Park as he reflected on the 90-lap race and hailed the team for managing the chaos during the weekend.

Josef Newgarden started the race in P9 on the primary tires while those behind him started on the softer alternate tires. The Team Penske driver lost multiple positions in the first five laps and was down to P15. Newgarden spent the rest of his race moving up the grid and overtaking the drivers to whom he lost positions at the start.

The 34-year-old opted for the alternate strategy where he ran the primary at the start, followed by three stints on the alternate tires, where he made up most of his position. While P10 was not the result that a top team like Team Penske wanted, Newgarden made the best out of the strategy and the pace that the car had.

The IndyCar driver took to the social media platform X and uploaded a video reflecting on the race weekend at Barber Motorsports Park. The Team Penske star said:

“So we finished P10 today. We didn't have a ton of natural pace. It was not a terrible day, just was hard to really charge for just what we wanted, ultimately. So we leave here with a top ten. Just on the cusp of it.”

“Nothing to really brag about, but putting a good result on the board is still important. We had a clean day. The team executed really well. Got through all the chaos yesterday, which we all covered. So yeah, proud of the team,” he added.

The remaining month of May will be dedicated to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Josef Newgarden looked forward to the same in the latter part of the video.

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Josef Newgarden “excited” for the upcoming races at the IMS Road Course and the Indy 500

The Sonsio Grand Prix and the Indy 500 are up next on the IndyCar calendar for the month of May. Josef Newgarden, after reflecting on the Barber race, suggested that he's eagerly awaiting the IMS events and said:

“We can roll into the true month of May at the Indianapolis motor speedway and try and just start charging forward again. Figure out how we get on the podium get a win, and I think we're in a good position to do that, so excited. We got a lot more to go. It's only round four and already ready for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. So we'll see you guys real soon.”

AUTO: MAY 27 NTT IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500 Champion - Source: Getty

Josef Newgarden will be attempting the three-peat at the Indy 500 this time around and trying to become the first-ever driver to achieve the feat. The Team Penske driver won his first Indy 500 in 2023 after waiting for over a decade before becoming a back-to-back winner in 2024.