IndyCar: Josef Newgarden wins 2019 DXC Technology 600

Josef Newgarden earned his series-high third victory of the 2019 IndyCar season by winning the season’s ninth race, the DXC Technology 600, at Texas Motor Speedway.

Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden earned his series-high third victory and his second victory in the last three races in the 2019 IndyCar season’s ninth race, the DXC Technology 600, at Texas Motor Speedway.

Newgarden, who started the 248-lap race around the four-turn, 1.44-mile (2.317-kilometer) high-banked Texas Motor Speedway oval in Fort Worth, Texas in seventh place in his #2 Chevrolet, took the lead as a result of a pit strategy call by race strategist Tim Cindric, and he never looked back en route to a 0.8164-second victory over second place finisher Alexander Rossi of Andretti Autosport in his #27 Honda.

During the race’s first caution flag period that began on lap 135 when Andretti Autosport’s Zach Veach spun out on the back straightaway, Newgarden and a few other drivers came into the pits for new tires, with Newgarden being the leader among these drivers. With only 11 drivers on the lead lap and Newgarden having spent most of the race in the latter half of that top 11, he didn’t have much to lose.

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As a result, he was able to stay out longer than the drivers who were the leaders at the time, and he was able to capitalize on his new tires to put himself in a position to make his final pit stop and maintain the lead even after doing so.

While he was challenged by Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon and Rossi, the latter of whom nosed ahead of him on several occasions going into turn one in their late battle for the victory, he was able to hang on to earn his first career victory at Texas Motor Speedway.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Graham Rahal ended up rounding out the podium by finishing in third place in his #15 Honda. Dale Coyne Racing rookie Santino Ferrucci and Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay rounded out the top five by finishing in fourth and fifth in their #19 Honda and #28 Honda, respectively. As a result, American drivers swept the top five.

Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports rookie Marcus Ericsson and Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan’s Sebastien Bourdais were the final three drivers who finished on the lead lap. They finished in sixth, seventh and eight place in their #22 Chevrolet, #7 Honda and #18 Honda, respectively.

Team Penske’s Will Power and Andretti Herta Autosport’s Marco Andretti rounded out the top 10 by finishing in ninth and 10th place in their #12 Chevrolet and #98 Honda, respectively. Carlin’s Conor Daly was the highest finishing non-Team Penske Chevrolet driver. He finished in 11th in his #59 Chevrolet in what was his debut driving for Carlin.

The race featured a total of 13 lead changes among eight drivers. Aside of Newgarden, who led 54 laps, including the final 46, seven drivers led at least one lap of the race. These seven drivers were Rossi, Rahal, Hunter-Reay, Ericsson, Bourdais, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Takuma Sato, who started the race from the pole position, and Dixon.

There was a time when Rossi and Dixon were swapping the lead every few laps, reminiscent of the battle between Rossi and Pagenaud at the end of the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last month that Pagenaud ultimately won.

Hunter-Reay led more laps than anybody else in the field with 90 laps led, and the race was truly dominated by Honda drivers, who combined to lead its first 189 laps. Sato led the first 60 laps before overshooting his pit box, hitting one of his pit crew members and hitting the wall during his first pit stop. This incident led to a very lengthy pit stop for himand an ensuing stop-and-go penalty, miring him three laps down. He ultimately finished in 15th place in his #30 Honda.

Newgarden was the only Chevrolet driver who led any laps, and he was really the only Chevrolet driver who spent a considerable amount of time running in the top five.

Aside of the caution flag period that took place when Veach spun out, the race featured two caution flag periods. The race’s three caution flag periods spanned a total of 22 laps. The second caution flag period of the race on lap 219 when Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’ James Hinchcliffe hit the wall coming out of turn two and spun out on the back straightaway after trying to pass Rossi for fourth.

During this caution flag period, Hunter-Reay, who did not have enough fuel to make it to the end of the race without pitting, came into the pits for fuel and new tires. He dropped to the tail end of the lead lap in 10th place, but he had the fastest car over the course of the race’s final few laps as he tried to replicate what he did at Iowa Speedway five years ago on new tires en route to winning.

The race’s third and final caution flag period began on lap 229 when Dixon and Harding Steinbrenner Racing rookie Colton Herta collided in a battle for second place heading into turn three. Rossi nearly got caught up in this crash, but his avoidance from it shot him up to second. Of the 22 drivers who started the race, 16 finished it.

Here are the full race results of the 2019 DXC Technology 600 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Race Results
1st – Josef Newgarden
2nd – Alexander Rossi
3rd – Graham Rahal
4th – Santino Ferrucci
5th – Ryan Hunter-Reay
6th – Simon Pagenaud
7th – Marcus Ericsson
8th – Sebastien Bourdais
9th – Will Power
10th – Marco Andretti
11th – Conor Daly
12th – Felix Rosenqvist
13th – Ed Carpenter
14th – Spencer Pigot
15th – Takuma Sato
16th – Tony Kanaan
17th – Scott Dixon
18th – Colton Herta
19th – James Hinchcliffe
20th – Zach Veach
21st – Charlie Kimball
22nd – Matheus Leist

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The next race on the 2019 IndyCar schedule is the season’s 10th race, the REV Group Grand Prix at Road America. This race is set to be broadcast live on NBC from Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 23, and it is scheduled to get underway at 12:30 p.m. ET.