LONG BEACH — This is quite a happy time for Josef Newgarden. He and his wife Ashley are about to have their first child, and on Sunday he won the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach for the first time in what has been a fine career for the Team Penske driver.
The race, in its 47th edition, ended on a yellow caution because Takuma Sato went into the tires on Turn 8 on the 85th and final lap. That meant that respective second- and third-place finishers Romain Grosjean and Alex Palou would have no chance to overtake Newgarden at the end.
It was a cool 66 degrees when the race began at 12:45 p.m.
Pole-sitter Colton Herta, the defending champion, went out on Lap 56 after he smacked the left front of his car into the concrete. He was done.
IndyCar race winner Josef Newgarden (left) is congratulated by second-place finisher Romain Grosjean (right) as third-place finisher Alex Palou (center) looks on in victory lane following the 47th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 10, 2022. Josef Newgarden won the race. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
IndyCar pole sitter Colton Herta shows his disappointment in the pits after crashing out of the 47th annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 10, 2022. Josef Newgarden won the race. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Indycar driver Alex Palou exits the hairpin onto Shoreline Driver during the early laps of the 47th annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 10, 2022. Josef Newgarden won the race. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Indycar pole sitter Colton Herta takes the green flag to start the 47th annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 10, 2022. Josef Newgarden won the race. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Indycar driver Alex Palou makes his first pit stop of the race during the 47th annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 10, 2022. Josef Newgarden won the race. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Race winner Josef Newgarden (left) sprays second place finisher Romain Grosjean (right) with champagne as they celebrate in victory lane following the 47th annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 10, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Second place finisher Romain Grosjean drinks champagne as he celebrates in victory lane following the 47th annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 10, 2022. Josef Newgarden won the race. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Josef Newgarden leads Alex Palou during the early laps of the 47th annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 10, 2022. Josef Newgarden won the race. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Indycar drivers exit the hairpin onto Shoreline Drive during the 47th annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 10, 2022. Josef Newgarden won the race. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Indycar drivers Rinus Veekay (left) and Graham Rahal (right) race together onto Shoreline Drive during the 47th annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 10, 2022. Josef Newgarden won the race. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Second place finisher Romain Grosjean acknowledges the crowd in victory lane following the 47th annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 10, 2022. Josef Newgarden won the race. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Indycar driver Josef Newgarden takes the checkered flag to win the 47th annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 10, 2022. Josef Newgarden won the race. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Race winner Josef Newgarden (left) sprays second place finisher Romain Grosjean (right) with champagne as they celebrate in victory lane following the 47th annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 10, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Indycar driver Romain Grosjean races down Shoreline Drive during the 47th annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 10, 2022. Josef Newgarden won the race. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Josef Newgarden leads Alex Palou during the early laps of the 47th annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 10, 2022. Josef Newgarden won the race. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Indycar driver Romain Grosjean exits the hairpin onto Shoreline Driver during the early laps of the 47th annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 10, 2022. Josef Newgarden won the race. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
The 47th running of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach took place Sunday April 10, 2022. Josef Newgarden took the checkered flag to win the race. (Photo by Chuck Bennett, Contributing Photographer)
The 47th running of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach took place Sunday April 10, 2022. Josef Newgarden took the checkered flag to win the race. (Photo by Chuck Bennett, Contributing Photographer)
The 47th running of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach took place Sunday April 10, 2022. Romain Grosjean took 2nd place in the race. (Photo by Chuck Bennett, Contributing Photographer)
The 47th running of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach took place Sunday April 10, 2022. Race winner Josef Newgarden leads Romain Grosjean who took 2nd place in the race. (Photo by Chuck Bennett, Contributing Photographer)
The 47th running of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach took place Sunday April 10, 2022. Josef Newgarden took the checkered flag to win the race. (Photo by Chuck Bennett, Contributing Photographer)
The 47th running of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach took place Sunday April 10, 2022. Race winner Josef Newgarden leads Romain Grosjean who took 2nd place in the race. (Photo by Chuck Bennett, Contributing Photographer)
The 47th running of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach took place Sunday April 10, 2022. Colton Herta who had the pole position crashed late in the race. (Photo by Chuck Bennett, Contributing Photographer)
Newgarden has won two NTT IndyCar series championships — in 2017 and 2019 — and entered with 21 race victories, but this was his first time winning on the streets of Long Beach.
“It’s a huge pleasure to finally get a win around this place,” said Newgarden, of Nashville, Tenn. “I’ve been coming here for 11 years. I remember my first race here in 2011 I was running in (support series) Indy Lights and I stuck the car on the fence with about two (laps) to go in Turn 8. I was leading with literally two to go.
“And so I’ve never had a victory here and so it’s pretty special to finally get one. I’m really pleased for the team, the 2 car.”
Newgarden expounded on that when he was asked if this victory coming at a time when he is about to become a father makes it even more special.
“Well, I think the cool factor of having a child is it’s just so fortunate that everything is going so well to this point,” he said. “There’s nothing that really changes that. A victory is a victory. But I kind of compartmentalize things. I’m really pleased to get this win for the team.
“Of course, on the inside I’m super excited for my family and my wife and for us to welcome our first child — hopefully, pretty soon. But the victory, I think about the team a lot more, to be honest. All the people that are putting in all the work, the effort and the hours and the sacrifice.”
It wasn’t easy. Newgarden started second and was in the thick of the race the whole time, with Herta leading for 28 laps and Palou for 22.
There was also a re-start with six laps to go, the result of a yellow flag that came with 10 laps to go when Jimmie Johnson and rookie David Malukas came together into the tires on Turn 8.
“It was not easy today, by any means,” Newgarden said, adding, “this place is a hard nut to crack.”
He was happy that the final yellow that ended the race came when it did, at the final lap, instead of a few laps earlier.
“I’m glad it didn’t go yellow with three laps to go; it was like half a lap,” Newgarden said. “I’m glad it wasn’t some token victory when the yellow came out really early.”
Newgarden, who led 32 laps, has won two consecutive races as he was coming off a victory at the XPEL 375 in Texas. He is now the series leader with 118 points.
Indeed, ending the race on a yellow is not the most exciting way to win a race. But Grosjean and Palou both admitted afterward that neither had a realistic chance of catching Newgarden on that final lap.
Newgarden had a 1.2869-second lead on Grosjean, and a lead of 1.7594 seconds on Palou.
“I didn’t,” said Palou, when asked if he had something for Newgarden at the end. “I mean, you always want to finish on a green flag, but you kind of understand that it’s a street course and somebody touched the wall, so, yeah, I didn’t have anything for him. So, for me, it didn’t really change much.”
Palou, 25, of Chip Ganassi Racing, is the defending series champion from Spain. He secured that title at the 2021 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach with a fourth-place finish at what was the season-finale. The race was run in September instead of April because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Grosjean, 35, of Switzerland, is a former Formula One driver in just his second season in IndyCar. Sunday’s podium was the fourth in the series.
“No, I think Josef had it,” said Grosjean, of Andretti Autosport, adding that was more because of Newgarden than anything else.
“I don’t think I was close enough on that lap and Josef was driving well and not making any mistakes,” Grosjean said. “It’s not ideal to finish on a yellow, but I don’t think the result would have been much different.”
Rounding out the top 10 were Will Power (Team Penske), Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren SP), Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing), Graham Rahal (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing), Alexander Rossi (Andretti Autosport), Helio Castroneves (Meyer Shank Racing) and rookie Kyle Kirkwood (A.J. Foyt Enterprises).
As for Herta, he was understandably bummed out. He was a close third at the time of his crash.
“It’s just a stupid mistake,” said Herta, of Santa Clarita. “We were running good there with third and keeping up with Alex (Palou) and Josef (Newgarden). It’s unfortunate. I feel really bad.”
NASCAR legend Johnson drove with a splint on his right hand after breaking a bone in it during Friday’s practice. He finished 20th.
