Josef Newgarden admits he “want[s] to cry” after crashing out of a seemingly comfortable lead in Race 2 of the Iowa IndyCar double-header.
The Team Penske driver was on for a sweep of the weekend after leading 208 out of 250 laps in the Saturday race, and 148 in the latest encounter.
He was two seconds up on second place when the #2 Chevrolet spun at Turn 4 on Lap 235 and crunched the outside wall.
The incident not only cost Newgarden a fifth victory of 2022, but also the live series lead.
UPDATE: Newgarden has now been hospitalised after a fall
“It definitely was a bit of a shot,” he said.
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“I want to cry. I’m so sad for my team.
“I don’t know what happened. It was a good run.
“It’s just one race but I feel terrible for us. Team Chevy and Hitachi guys did a great job. Something went wrong there.”
Leader @josefnewgarden‘s day ends after this incident at @iowaspeedway.
WATCH LIVE: @NBC and @PeacockTV#INDYCAR // @INDYCARatIowa pic.twitter.com/cE5LDk7Da7
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) July 24, 2022
Television replays suggested that some sort of mechanical failure in the rear of Car #2 caused it to swap ends.
Newgarden had earlier reported on his radio that he could feel a vibration, but did not know what exactly precipitated his downfall.
“I’m not sure,” he said when asked if the vibration was a factor.
“Everything felt fine to me up to that point.
“I did have a vibration at the start of the stint, which isn’t abnormal; tyre balances are always shifting, it’s very possible that we had a mismatched set or something.
“It wasn’t diabolical whatsoever. Actually, everything felt just fine.
“It was totally unexpected when it happened. It caught me by surprise.
“I didn’t know what happened until I was in the wall.”
Once everyone used the Caution to take their final pit stops, it was a 51-lap run home and O’Ward quickly skipped clear of Will Power.
The Queenslander finished second and Scott McLaughlin made it two Penskes on the podium for the second day in a row, although that is likely to be scant consolation for the broader squad.
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