Two-time champion Josef Newgarden had a tough start to the season. He won the St. Petersburg race, but was disqualified because his team accidentally used the push-to-pass system illegally during restarts. Newgarden thought it was okay because they used it in a practice race at Thermal after St. Pete.
However, his teammates Will Power and Scott McLaughlin, who also got disqualified, didn’t agree with him. This made some people doubt Newgarden’s explanation. His teammate said anonymously, “I don’t buy it, and I’ve lost respect for him.”
Team Penske looked into what happened and found no intentional wrongdoing. It was just mistakes in their processes and communication.
Because of this, some team members, including Tim Cindric and Newgarden’s race engineer Luke Mason, got suspended for a race. Cindric is also Newgarden’s strategist, so it was a big loss for him.
When asked about his feelings, Newgarden said he trusts Roger Penske’s decisions. He feels okay about it and wants to move forward.
But not everyone believes him. Some drivers still doubt him. Newgarden hasn’t talked to some of them, like Graham Rahal.
Newgarden used to be more social, but after this incident and other ups and downs, he’s changed. He’s been in some rough races since then, finishing 16th and 17th, and causing some crashes in practice.
Newgarden’s reputation took a hit, but he’s still a top driver. He’s not here to make friends; he’s here to win races. Just like other successful drivers in racing history, not everyone has to like him.
