During the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway on June 15, Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden experienced a terrifying crash involving Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Louis Foster. Newgarden recently shared why he was unable to anticipate Foster’s crash, which led to Newgarden’s car flipping and going airborne.
On lap 126 of the 260-lap event, Foster lost control of his car and spun into the barrier, stopping on the track. Newgarden, racing nearby, couldn’t avoid the halted vehicle and collided with Foster’s car. This caused his #2 Team Penske car to flip violently before coming to rest.
How Newgarden Described the Moments Leading Up to the Crash
In a pre-race media interview ahead of the Road America race, Newgarden was asked by Bob Pockrass about his feelings following the incident. Newgarden explained that the crash was pure misfortune and blamed the timing of events during the race.
“I didn’t, but you know it’s just bad timing. This is wrong place wrong time so it happens. Yeah, I didn’t see him. I didn’t see him come across the track. You know, I saw Louis up against the wall, as I was exciting for accidentally 4 and didn’t think you know in the quick like you know this is happening in like a couple seconds. Right? Wasn’t really focused on him. As I went through 3 and then kinda as we’re getting out of 4 I was trying to make a move on Palou. I was actually going to try and go underneath him.”
—Josef Newgarden, Team Penske driver
“And so then right when I was making that move off before, I could see that Louis was sort of there and but it was still green and then I didn’t see Louis until in until Palou went right and as soon as he went right then I saw him coming across the track and I thought. No, this is it was just there wasn’t much else to do if I go, right. I was gonna go into Palou I don’t have enough time to recognize a big jump of speed on him. And then he had the advantage of seeing and before, I did so yeah, it’s just bad timing, really bad time,” he added.
—Josef Newgarden, Team Penske driver
Newgarden acknowledged that the crash was a result of poor timing and that the sequence of rapid events left him little chance to react. His focus was on making a strategic move against Palou, which contributed to missing Foster’s sudden reappearance on the track after his spin.
Newgarden’s Performance Before the Incident
Before the crash disrupted his race, Newgarden had been performing strongly. He started the race from fifth position, ahead of both of his teammates. Mid-race, he successfully took the lead from teammate Scott McLaughlin, marking a promising run before the collision occurred.
Insights into Team Penske’s Oval Success Revealed
Separately, Newgarden has previously discussed the key factors behind Team Penske’s consistent success on oval tracks. After his win at the same 2024 Bommarito Automotive Group 500, he attributed the team‘s performance largely to the quality of their cars.
“The secret to our success on the ovals has been our cars.”
—Josef Newgarden, Team Penske driver
“You have to drive the car, get the most out of it. When you have the best cars in the field, it makes your job a lot easier. I think that’s been the case for us. We’ve had incredible oval cars consistently over the last five, six years. We’ve just had great, great oval cars,”
—Josef Newgarden, Team Penske driver
This victory represented Newgarden’s 10th career win on oval tracks, achieved after overtaking teammate Scott McLaughlin, further emphasizing the strength of Team Penske’s engineering and strategy on these types of circuits.
The Implication of the Crash and What Lies Ahead
The crash with Louis Foster is a stark reminder of the unpredictability and danger inherent in motorsport, especially on oval tracks where split-second decisions are crucial. Newgarden’s account highlights how quickly circumstances can change during a race, making avoidance impossible even for skilled drivers.
Moving forward, both drivers and teams will likely analyze this incident to improve safety measures and communication during races. For Newgarden, recovering from this crash will be vital for maintaining his competitiveness in the season, while Team Penske remains focused on capitalizing on their proven oval car performance in upcoming events.
