CHEVROLET RACING IN THE VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
KOHLER GRAND PRIX
ROAD AMERICA
ELKHART LAKE, WISCONSIN
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE WINNER QUOTES
JUNE 24, 2018
JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 1 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, RACE WINNER:
HOW BAD DID YOU WANT THIS ONE JOSEF?
“Really bad. I have wanted to win here since last year. I felt like we had a car that could win then, and it just didn’t happen. This Chevrolet has been a rocket all weekend, but it was not easy. Ryan (Hunter-Reay) was quick and I knew (Scott) Dixon was right behind him, so we were working for it the entire race. These Team Penske guys were the best. They gave me incredible pit stops and I think we nailed the strategy. Tim (Cindric) was coaching me through the whole thing so I kind of knew what I had to do, but it was a lot of work I will be honest with you. Ryan was really pushing me. So just hats off to the whole Team Penske team, I wish we could have all those other guys up here with us, but it’s good to get a win. Doesn’t matter which car gets one, it’s just good to get a win for Team Penske.”
YOU TOLD ME YOU HAVE HAD THE SPEED, YOU JUST HAVEN’T HAD THE RACE EXECUTION. CAN YOU IMAGINE A BETTER EXECUTED RACE FOR YOU OR THE TEAM THAN THIS?
“It was pretty flawless. It was difficult at the beginning and I was struggling a bit to do what I needed to do and gap Ryan correctly. But I tell you what, Team Chevy did a great job this weekend and gave me the horsepower and had great fuel economy. So I am really proud of those guys. Good reliability and everything you would expect from a Team Chevy engine. I think that made the difference at the end of the day.”
HOW MUCH OF YOUR DAY WAS SPENT LOOKING IN THE MIRROR AT THAT 28 CAR TRYING TO KEEP THAT GAP EXACTLY WHERE IT NEEDED TO BE? AND YOU WERE RIGHT, TIM WAS ON YOU A FEW TIMES SAYING YOU HAD TO DO A BETTER JOB ON FUEL (MANAGEMENT)
“I was working my butt off and looking at him every lap. Then I started thinking that I was looking at him too much and I started looking forward because I knew if he was getting too close they would let me know. I focused forward and it was a lot better toward the end.”
DO YOU FEEL LIKE THIS TEAM IS BACK IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP HUNT NOW WITH ONLY 50 POINTS OUT OF THE LEAD?
“It’s really far till we get to the end of the season, so for me, I am not too worried about it. We just need to focus on it one weekend at a time. That is what Roger (Penske) told me. He said, ‘take it one race at a time, we have got a long way to go’. We are going to be just fine. We are focused on just being fast each and every race day, and we will be there at the end.”