Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden surged past defending champion Marcus Ericsson on the final lap – then jumped out of his car and ran into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway grandstands to celebrate with fans – as he won the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 for the first time in his career.
“I started out as a fan in the crowd and this place is amazing, regardless of where you’re sitting,” Newgarden said after the race. I have always wanted to go up into the crowd here. I’ve seen people go up the fence – I wanted to go through the fence. I wanted to celebrate with the people…it was a dream of mine.”
Newgarden gets his first Indy 500 win in his 12th try, tying Sam Hanks (1958) for the most starts for a first-time champion. It’s team owner Roger Penske’s record-extending 19th race win.
Roger Penske is the father of Penske Media CEO Jay Penske.