It was a methodical climb through the field for Josef Newgarden’s run to seventh in the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
The result was a strong rebound in what had otherwise been a tough weekend for the Tennessee native. In opening practice, he found the tire barrier in Turn 13 on the complex 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit. Then, in the opening round of qualifying, a mishap during his flying lap in the final minute cost him a shot at advancing, relegating him to a 23rd-place start for Sunday’s 100-lap race.
“Yeah, the team did a great job today,” said Newgarden, a two-time IndyCar Series champion and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner.
“It’s a shame we just couldn’t start up front. I knew we had a good race car and would have loved to have been in the mix from the beginning. I think we could have made something happen. It was just a boring day for us. Everyone did a great job and they did it in a simplistically boring way, which is what you need on a day like today.”
In all, it was a straightforward strategy that saw Newgarden’s No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet start on a set of the harder Firestone primary (black sidewall) tires. He broke into the top 10 by Lap 30, pitting five laps later and switching to a fresh set of softer alternate rubber (red sidewall), and stayed on the tire when he made his final stop on Lap 70.
“Pit stops were incredible,” Newgarden said. “I mean, just about the best I’ve seen them in years. The strategy was pretty standard, but it was a good day for our strategy.
“You know, just what we needed to do. Nothing went against us and we just tried to use our speed when we could to climb. I think you got to be somewhat happy with a day like that. It’s just a shame how tough the weekend was. I wish we could have made more of it by starting up front.”
One element that Newgarden was pleased with was the alternate tire compound, courtesy of Firestone’s ENLITEN Technology that made its race debut.
“Look, the reds definitely, they had a drop off point that you had to manage,” said Newgarden, 35. “For some people it was worse than others. If you managed it, it seemed to be okay. I thought our car was pretty nice and friendly on them. We were able to utilize them as best as possible, and others struggled.
“I think that’s what Firestone wanted. We wanted people to be able to utilize them or not utilize them, depending on how well you took care of the tire. And hopefully, it mixed up the show a little bit. It certainly helped us in some spots.”
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