CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
BITNILE.COM GRAND PRIX OF PORTLAND
PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
PORTLAND, OREGON
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE RECAP
WITH QUOTES AND TRANSCRIPTS
AUGUST 25, 2024
WILL POWER TAKES CHEVY BACK TO VICTORY LANE AT PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
JOSEF NEWGARDEN FINISHED THIRD TO GIVE CHEVROLET TWO ON PODIUM FOR BITNILE.COM GRAND PRIX OF PORTLAND
- Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet, scored his third win of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR Series season with today’s win at Portland International Raceway (PIR)-his second on the 1.964-mile/12-turn road course
- Power led 101 of the 110 laps; it is his sixth podium of the season and the 104th of his career
- This victory is the 44th of Power’s career and the first time since 2018 the two-time Series’ champion and Indianapolis 500 winner has scored three-plus victories in a season
- Two of his 2024 victories have been since INDYCAR introduced hybrid technology to the Series schedule at the Mid-Ohio race (Iowa Race 2 and today)
- Power leaves Portland second in the point standings, 54 points down to leader Alex Palou
- Josef Newgarden, No. 2 TireRack.com Team Penske Chevrolet, finished third to give Chevrolet two spots on podium
- Pole winner Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Phoenix Investors AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet, kept his string of top-10 finishes alive with an eighth place finish today
- Team Chevy drivers scored four of the top-eight finishers today with Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Freightliner Team Penske Chevrolet, racing his way from the 20th starting position that was the result of six-place grid penalty
- Today’s win is the third for Chevrolet at PIR, the ninth win of the 14 races run to-date in 2024-four including the Indianapolis 500 with the tried and true 2.2 liter V6 configuration and five since the INDYCAR hybrid technology integration, and 120 victories since the Bowtie Brand returned to INDYCAR competition in 2012
- With three races remaining in the season, Chevrolet leads the Series’ Manufacturers Championship standings 1,236 to 1,110 points
- The Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile Doubleheader weekend August 30,31-September 1 is next on the calendar for Team Chevy in the NTT INDYCAR Series
TEAM CHEVY TOP-8 RACE RESULTS:
Pos. Driver
1st Will Power
3rd Josef Newgarden
7th Scott McLaughlin
8th Santino Ferrucci
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES)
ROBERT BUCKNER, CHEVROLET ENGINEERING PROGRAM MANAGER FOR THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES:
“Congratulations to Will Power and the No. 12 Chevrolet team on their dominate win at Portland International Raceway. With just three races to go in the season, Will made a strong statement today that he is going to fight for this championship. I am very proud of the effort that has been put forth by our Chevrolet engineering group working with our teams to stay in this fight. After facing some unknowns with the mid-season introduction of the hybrid technology scoring our ninth victory today is a perfect example of the effort put forth to finish strong. “
WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON BUSINESS TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, WINNER:
On today’s race…“Just working hard. I’m enjoying the craft. Feel very lucky to be in this series and with this team. Days like this are hard to do. So many good drivers, so many good teams. To execute like that feels very good.”
Talk about that dominance and your crew doing such a fantastic job…
“They picked the strategy really well. I just did my job and got them fuel numbers. Kept my eye on (Alex) Palou behind me. I could see the gap opening on Palou’s but I knew we had a better car. It was just a matter of getting through that traffic. That last stint, we were on new tires. We were very strong.”
Heading back to the Milwaukee Mile next week, you’ve won there and did very good in the test as well. This could be a strong finish for you in the remaining three events…
“It could be very strong. I’ve been very strong on all the ovals this year. Won at Iowa, could’ve won last week. It was close but looking forward to it.”
JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 TIRERACK.COM TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 3RD:
“Good day for us, Team Penske. Obviously, a great team win for Will (Power). We could use that after the last weekend we had. It’s really great. He’s our highest car, so we need to make sure we finish this thing off right. I think the No. 2 car was great today. Finishing third is a great result. You always want more. I want to win every race we’re in. It’s stinks to not win it, but it was a good result for our team. Having TireRack.com on this weekend was great. They’ve been a great partner of ours especially with acquisition from Discount Tire. So, it’s fun to have them on the INDYCAR program. Team Chevy doing a great job today with two on the podium.
“It was pretty good. I think second was probably our potential. I think Will (Power) had everybody covered today. Hard to say that we were going to challenge him. Maybe if we started first and we could make something happen there, but I think top-three, second place, that’s where we were at today, so it was a really good result for the No. 2 car. TireRack.com, it was their first race sponsoring the No. 2 car. You always want a victory when someone new is on board. It was a good day. I’m happy Will got the win. He has been fast all weekend, and obviously, he’s still gunning for this championship. Definitely a car we want to finish up front, so this is a great day for us. I always want more, and I don’t like finishing third, but a good day for Team Penske.”
There’s a lot of question marks and a lot of unknowns on what would be the preferred tire for today. Did it change throughout the race as what you thought may be the preferred tire?
“Not for us. I was kind of waffling on it after the first stint thinking okay, is it going to be the red? Is it going to be the primary? But I wasn’t sure at that point. But going into it, I felt like the red was a little stronger for us and that ended up being the case. So, I think that was probably the preferred tire for our car and we managed with what we could. Lap traffic was hard today. We just couldn’t make much happen in that middle stint and that’s probably what slowed our progress in getting to the No. 10. Good, clean day. It could’ve went about as we expected. Just a touch short.”
Championship aside, we head to two ovals to finish out the year. As the oval king, are you looking forward to getting to go to a couple of ovals?
“I’ll be honest, I was more excited about here. I really was. I wanted us to get a win here on the road course and we had a good showing. I think we had the potential, but I like everywhere. It’s not just ovals that get me excited. It’s places like this. The biggest thing is we’re coming to the final stretch, right? Three races to go for us and I think we need to have a solid finish. We’re still in the championship fight with our team. We’ve got two good things to cheer for coming to the end of the season, and to wrap things up on a good note.”
SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 FREIGHTLINER TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 7TH:
On today’s race-a charge from 20th to 7th
“I’m buggered. I’m tired. It was a hard charge but our Freightliner Chevy was good and the Thirsty Three’s were rapid on the pit stops. Really proud of the crew. I said to my wife who’s watching at home, hello Karly. I said top-seven today would be like a podium. I’m proud of that one and can’t wait to get home and then head to the final three races where on ovals we’ve proven we’ve been pretty good this year. We’ll see how we go.”
You were really confident earlier in the weekend, and when you have a car like that you know you can get to the front. How does that impact how aggressive you are throughout the race?
“You just have to trust once you get clearer, you can hit the lap time. You can’t make mistakes either, so it’s a credit to my crew that they kept me level headed throughout the whole race. There were a couple of times you get heated as you do, but overall, just disappointed with yesterday. That one is on me. Can’t do that on a championship run, but hey, we’re still in it until we’re mathematically out of it. I don’t care, I’m still in it. So, press on.”
SANTINO FERRUCCI, NO. 14 PHOENIX INVESTMENTS AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 8TH:
“The weekend was incredible, to start on pole with Will (Power). Obviously, he got me on the inside of turn one. I braked a little early. First time for everything, but we’ll learn. The team did a phenomenal job, we just didn’t quite have the pace we that we thought we would today. Obviously, with the heat coming up, we were just all over the track and it was super greasy. It’s unfortunate but I mean, I had fun. It’s a long race to go green for as long as it was. We had great stops. Our pit crew did phenomenal. I can’t thank Sexton Properties, Phoenix investors, Chevrolet, everybody enough. To get the pole this weekend for us is a huge milestone. We get to sit in the front box for the dual at Milwaukee which will be a lot of fun. A big advantage for us. On to the ovals.”
Back to turn one at the start, how did you approach that? Was there a conversation with Will Power about how you guys would handle the start into the first turn?
“I kind of told Will (Power) where I was going to go and I try and if I got the jump, I could get in front of him, I would and I would kind of string him along, pull him down into turn one. He was going to the inside and just block, and give me into two, I just didn’t expect him to brake as early as I did. I definitely didn’t mean to either. It was really cool to talk with him, too, and get some advice on what to do. He’s such a good dude and I’m really happy for him and for the No. 12 team to win. It’s great for them and the championship. He was very helpful. A lot for me to learn there and I can’t wait to race him again a little bit more in the next few.”
Silly Season seems like it’s been going on for two and a half years in INDYCAR. It never stops. How does a weekend like this bode for your future, and talks with AJ Foyt Racing or perhaps other teams?
“Obviously, it’s huge. To qualifying on pole, it’s a drivers’ thing and we obviously got the car right, working with the engineers, it’s a team effort at the end of the day to do that. To put that lap in and everything, and to race as well as we have been all year, I think it’s our eighth top-ten. We’ve just been so consistent. I obviously want to stay here at AJ Foyt (Racing) and we’re going to work on that with Larry (Foyt) over the next couple of weeks to see it’s a possibility. To build what we have, to be coming back to the tracks again next year with the continuity of the same engineers and team, mechanics. It’s getting better all around. We’ll be starting more up front and hopefully, we can get some more poles and can translate those into wins.”
RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 ASKROI ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 11TH:
“I had a good start and pretty good pace. The No. 21 askROI.com Chevrolet felt really good, actually a lot better than in warm up yesterday so we made some really good changes. We maximized what we had with everything we had going on. I am pretty proud of the team and of myself. Almost got another Top 10, but still pretty happy. Great job by everybody and on to the next one!”
ALEXANDER ROSSI, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET, FINISHED 12TH:
“It was a long day, and that was a lot of effort to finish 12th. But at least we finished, as it had been a few races since we did that. The team did a great job in the race with what we had, maximizing strategy and stops, so it is positive to finally get some points on the board before heading to some tracks where we should be pretty strong at next week.”
PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET, FINISHED 15TH:
“Obviously, a very hard weekend for the whole team, including ourselves in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. There are a lot of things to look over to see where the issue is. The reality is, this is unacceptable. We’ll see where we can can improve for the coming races to close out the year better than just fighting for 15th.”
STING RAY ROBB, NO. 41 PRAY.COM AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 18TH:
“Long day here in Portland. We went forward quite a bit. A small mistake on the last stop cost us a few spots, but overall, I think it was a fairly maximized day for the pace that we had. For the conditions, I think that we had a fairly decent car. We made a call at the beginning of the race to trim compared to the cars around us. I’m not sure how I ended up. I think we gained a little, lost a little. Overall, pretty happy with the result. Got some good points out of it and we’re moving forward to two tracks that I think we’re going to do well at.”
NOLAN SIEGEL, NO. 6 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET, FINISHED 21ST:
“It was a very, very long race and it felt like we didn’t really have a whole lot to get by anyone. Then, I made a few mistakes where things just compounded for a pretty disappointing race for us. We will look into it and move on, but we are definitely not satisfied with the weekend. We need to do better, and luckily, we have two more coming up.”
CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN, NO. 20 GUY CARE ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 26TH”
“A day that could have been. The pace in the No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet was pretty good and I think we could have had a Top 12 today. Unfortunately, sometimes people don’t look where they are going and I got hit. We had to come in and change the front wing and that put us a lap or two down. It was kind of over from there. Looking beyond that, it was a pretty good weekend. Super close qualifying, we were right there with everybody, then good pace in the race and making moves.”
POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
Will Power
Josef Newgarden
Press Conference
THE MODERATOR: Joined now by the 2024 champion here at Portland, Will Power. His third win of the season, second here in Portland. Jumps back into second place in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES points championship. 44th career win. Sixth podium of the season. The 104th of his career.
I know it’s much more than this, but to simplify it, it kind of all began and ended in turn one, the opportunity to pass Santino there. How huge was that?
WILL POWER: Turn one, Santino and I talked about the start, he was not going to block or anything. He braked earlier than expected, because I braked earlier. I was going to let him lead. Yeah, he’s a good teammate. Very fair. I have to thank him for helping me out there.
But yes, from there it was a pretty I guess straightforward race of playing the game with in and out laps against Palou. I think we definitely had a better car on reds. We could pull a good gap. I think black tires at the beginning, that got a bit tough.
Yeah, man, a good day. Went green for a long time. Kind of mentally drained. I don’t have that many words. But yeah, it’s good stuff.
THE MODERATOR: We’ll begin with questions.
Q. Would you be willing to go on the Masked Singer?
WILL POWER: Masked Singer? No, definitely not good enough for that. I’ll do some karaoke.
Q. This win brings you 54 points within Alex. Him finishing second, you trimming 12 points off of your gap to him, how winnable does this still feel going into the final three oval races?
WILL POWER: I would say if he had finished ahead of us, it would almost be over. It just kept it alive. Ultimately, one DNF for him, one win for me, you’re right there. Certainly within 20 points. That makes it very possible it could happen.
Yeah, I said going into this race we simply have to win. We simply have to at least finish ahead of him, but ultimately win to keep this thing alive. That’s what we did.
It’s going to be the same every week. It’s going to be the same every race from here out. Just got no choice but to be ahead of him or it’s over.
Q. Would you envision over these final three races the team putting all of its eggs in your basket to try to get you a championship or will you still be racing your teammates for race wins at Milwaukee and Nashville?
WILL POWER: I think if we have the cars to win, and we want to win the championship, yes, that’s probably what we should do with three to go. We should probably, yeah, be looking at how can we get the 12 car in the best possible position. Really that’s our only chance. We got three really good drivers – four really if you include Santino – that are capable of running at the front.
Yeah, that can take up a lot of positions. I’m the head of that group, we win the race, that starts to make things look possible.
Yeah, we’ll talk about that when we get to Milwaukee, see if that’s a possibility.
Q. A doubleheader at Milwaukee that we haven’t raced on in nearly a decade, a track at Nashville that you may only raced on once in your career, how unknown is what we’re getting into over these final three races?
WILL POWER: Yeah, quite unknown. You don’t even know, like, can you pass at Milwaukee? Will qualifying be a big deal? How will this play out? I don’t even think we’ve run on the tire we’re going to run. Yeah, a very, very interesting three races that you really don’t know where everyone’s going to stack up.
All the ovals we went to this year, we’ve had history on, very good setups and data for. Milwaukee, we tested there a couple times now. But it’s really difficult to tell till you get in the race situation to know how good your car really is.
Q. About the 75th lap or so, it looked like Alex wanted to get racy with you. Were we seeing that correctly?
WILL POWER: Yeah, I had traffic. I was at the mercy of the pace of the car in front. I saw that gap just shrink really quickly. I think he pulled into the pits or I passed. However that played out. As soon as I got clear track, I knew I could put quite a bit of time into him. Especially at the end of the stint, it seemed like his car used the tire more than ours. On reds we were simply better. Our car was really good on red tires.
Yeah, kind of equal I’d say on blacks. He even looked like he dropped off on blacks. It was really a lot to do with traffic management. If it was a clear track for me, I always felt I could pull a gap on him.
Q. Last weekend was not what you wanted. Your blood pressure was considerably higher. How do you deal with those ups and downs?
WILL POWER: I get mad very quickly, but I get over it very quickly. I mean, I’ve grabbed Scott Dixon at Road America, then got into the car and said, Sorry, man. It’s all good. Like, got into the medical car a few seconds later.
I just am like that. When I’m mad, it looks worse. My bark is worse than my bite. I’m like not that (smiling). I forgive very quickly and easily and move on. I know everyone in this series is trying to do the same thing. We’re all lucky to be here.
Last week I saw a lot of points just… A great race really. I would have to say the most fun I’ve had in years on an oval finished in a bad way. I enjoyed the race, I had so much fun, then it finished like that. Kind of disappointed. Late restart. I think if we went earlier, it wouldn’t have happened.
Yeah, one day later I’m wake surfing with Josef, laughing. Talking to Malukas and joking. Yeah, it’s just how I am.
Q. You said at the beginning of the race that Portland had a special place in your heart because it was the first place you ever tested. How does this win and being able to continue that championship fight rate for you?
WILL POWER: Man, anytime I win in this series, I feel so lucky. Like it feels like it’s so impossible and hard to win. I was thinking through the race, No way I’m going to win this. He’s going to get me. But you do your absolute best.
When you get a win, it’s a very good feeling. It’s very, very satisfying. It takes so much, it really does. To get through all those rounds in qualifying, to qualify right at the front, that is so difficult in this series. Then to execute completely on a race day with so many good guys and teams around you, it really is a big deal just to get on a podium in INDYCAR.
Every win I get now, it’s so special. It really means a lot. It’s adding to my win list. It’s not like I’m racing for another decade, put it that way. Yeah, I work really hard at my craft, so it’s very satisfying. I know all the guys on the car really deserve it. Best pit crew in pit lane. They have been the quickest the last couple years. They are again this year. That’s a hard situation to come upon. To be in that situation, to be a good driver in a great team, having the opportunities to win. Bloody winning a race is a big deal.
Q. Anything specific about Portland itself?
WILL POWER: Yeah, I mean, it’s the first track I ever drove at in the U.S. First time I ever drove an INDYCAR. I still remember it driving down the back straight, I had the thought, Man, I could be paid to do this. That was with big horsepower days, too. Yeah, I still remember that thought, driving down that back straight. I remember that day, I do. I remember driving that car. It had understeer. Stalled it a couple times trying to leave the pits. It was good memories. A long time ago. Almost 20 years ago. I think it’s 20 years ago. Crazy, cool.
I do love it. Yeah, I mean, I have that memory for this place. I’m glad we came back here, we started racing here again. It was a cool place when I got to race here in Champ Car.
But I love all the tracks. When I walk in the paddock, it’s like it would be really tough for me to walk away from this sport. It really would. The feeling of being a part of something, trying to accomplish something with a group of people, yeah, I think you’d be pretty lost. If I stopped, I’d be very lost with what to do.
I love racing. I love the paddock. I love the people. Feel lucky to do it.
Q. When you were going down that back straightaway, did you have any thought you’d be doing this for this long?
WILL POWER: No. Yeah, no way that I thought I would have driven for the best team in the U.S., won on ovals, won the Indy 500. All those things. Won a championship. Yeah, not a chance.
I worked very hard always, was very determined. It’s something that unfolds very slowly. It’s not a big shock that it happened now. When you reflect on it when you came here all those years ago, it was a dream. What I’ve done, I’ve lived out my dream, absolutely. I’ve just lived it out.
You need to reflect sometimes and appreciate that when you get mad or disappointed about something that happens. You’re really lucky to be here.
I enjoy doing appearances now. I enjoy media, all that stuff. It’s all great stuff. I give the young guys a hard time if they complain about it. Man, you could be working in an office, you could be working construction, you’re lucky you’re in this very small group of people that get to do this for a living, so enjoy it.
Q. How similar or different does this title fight feel compared to 2022?
WILL POWER: Yeah, it’s very different. Like, it’s a must-win situation almost right now. Can take a little bit more risk. You probably have a little less pressure ’cause you’re not the one sort of defending this points lead.
Believe me, it’s nice to have the points lead. It’s much better to be in his position by a longshot. Yeah, different year. I kind of learnt from his championship last year, the style of ’22 wouldn’t have worked that year. You had to win. That’s what this year is.
This year was a year of a lot of mistakes from a lot of drivers. Last two races. Toronto, think about it, if I didn’t try that move on Scott. If Malukas and I didn’t have that issue, cause that yellow, suddenly you’re looking pretty good. Everyone has let some big points go. Palou at Iowa. It’s been one of those years where a ’22 sort of year would win it, yeah.
Q. If you’ve let yourself think about this at all, what would a third championship mean to you?
WILL POWER: Oh, yeah, tremendous, tremendous in many different ways. To win in this series, at this time, it’s so difficult. You get a third championship from a deficit of 54 points at this point, come back from a deficit like that, yeah, that would be amazing. It would be absolutely amazing. To finish on all ovals, as well, kind of going back to my early days, sort of unfinished business there.
Yeah, it’s a tough climb from here, but not impossible.
Q. Consistency is a thing that wins the championship, but also there’s the consistency from the guys that deliver that car to you. How hard is this run to the final group of races for them?
WILL POWER: Yeah, it is very much about the consistency of pit stops, car preparations, the guys that build the engines. All those things are going to play a part. Yeah, kind of a grueling season in that they have to pack up now, rebuild a car, rebuild three cars before we go to Milwaukee. It’s the same for every team, yeah.
I mean, it’s absolutely a team sport, I can tell you that. Just having been in this for so long, like I said, to get the ingredients of the fastest pit crew, the best team, the best engine, and being one of the best drivers, to get that combination is so difficult. You look through the whole field, all those guys are capable of winning.
So yeah, got to feel fortunate to be a part of a team like Penske where you’re given those ingredients.
Q. Do you feel maybe the Dixon factor, considering he’s won at Nashville before, can that have an effect on the championship if they let him loose to cover for Palou?
WILL POWER: Yes. Having tested there with Dixon, Dixon is very good at Nashville. I said that before. I could see him winning that race, see him being very competitive. He could play a part, absolutely, in a scenario where we must win, you’re probably going to be fighting Dixon.
Q. The key message still is what you’ve been saying, stay ahead of Alex at all times?
WILL POWER: Yeah, that’s our only shot. That is our only shot. We must be continually finishing ahead of him and see where it falls.
Q. This is your first three-win season since 2018. What’s made the difference to regain the winning form?
WILL POWER: It’s never just one thing, to be honest. I think Chevy made a gain last year. Just with that, you’ve got more chance to qualify in the top six. Qualify in the top six, you certainly have more chance of a win.
If I look at 2022, there were a lot of, like, races where I went from 16th to third, got a lot of podiums, a lot of second places. Had I qualified slightly better, those potentially could have been wins. It’s just putting yourself in that position, having the car.
Yeah, you are constantly working on that stuff. One year you’re a little conservative. Next year you see Palou win with a bit more aggression, so you become a bit more aggressive. I never stop digging and looking.
I actually came into this season with the mindset I must win multiple races. It’s been a long time since I have. Yeah, that’s basically a lot of factors go into it.
Q. Is there anything with your specific race craft that you’ve changed or maximized on now better than previously?
WILL POWER: No, not really. No, I race pretty similar. A couple mistakes this year that I really reflect on that is uncharacteristic of sort of the 2022 year.
No, I have the same mentality. I’m very calm in the car always. Rarely do I get flustered or say something on the radio. I’m less calm out of the car if something happens, but…
Yeah, you just change small things. Built this big toolbox of skills over the years, worked on the mental aspect a lot, which just comes with age, to be honest. No particular thing.
You have your goals coming into a season, but you are just walking that tightrope of aggression versus consistency. If you look at Dixon, 99% of the time he will not go for a move that’s sort of in a 50/50. He will weigh on the cautious side. That’s won him championships. Palou is further to the aggressive. But he walks that tightrope really well of aggression versus reward.
Yeah, I’m always playing on that one side or the other. ’22 I was too conservative. ’23 I had a bad year. This year maybe I’m a little bit over-aggressive at times. But that’s the game you play. You got to hit that sweet spot. It’s tough.
Q. You have this interesting ability to have a really bad race, get mad, cool down, but come back and funnel what was bad into something positive. What is it? Is it a thing?
WILL POWER: Ultimately I came here, like, I have to qualify really well because of the first corner. But ultimately I have to win to keep this thing alive. Yeah, that’s what I did.
Yeah, no, it may look like that, but that’s not really get mad and do anything. You just focus in. I try to do that every weekend.
Yeah, those couple of 18th places were just from bad restarts actually. I mean, yeah, both of them were in restarts on a short oval.
Q. Recently we had news confirming David Malukas heading to Foyt. Some believe he could be moving into your car at some point in time in the future. Won more races than any of your teammates this year. Share some thoughts about wanting to continue.
WILL POWER: I want to continue. I’m not retiring. I’m not. I’m just simply not retiring. Yeah, I know people probably like to spread that around, rumors or whatever, in the hope that they can take my seat. Yeah, I’m staying here for a while. I’ll get better every year, man. I get better every year. I feel like that.
Q. We haven’t had a lot of kids from Down Under doing big things on the Road to Indy for a while. Lochie Hughes heading to INDY NXT. Any thoughts about that?
WILL POWER: I really want to help him get to INDYCAR. I think he’s very good. He’s very focused, determined. Yeah, we spoke I think at Iowa. He didn’t have many races after that. He asked me how to approach a championship. The long or short of it is, man, all you can focus is on what you can control, nothing else. Forget about the rest. Focus in. It’s your ticket to ultimately INDYCAR, but definitely Indy Lights.
I want to help him get to the INDYCAR. I want to see another Australian get a good seat and succeed here in America. He’s good. He deserves it.
THE MODERATOR: Busy between Miles and Lochie.
WILL POWER: Yeah, tough one. I want to see them both succeed. I think Miles will be fine. I think ultimately he’s got Penske’s help. He’s pretty good. Lochie needs more help. It’s very tough from where he is.
You’ve seen Indy Lights champions move on. It’s been good, yeah.
THE MODERATOR: Joined now by the third-place finishing driver, Josef Newgarden. His best-ever finish here at Portland, fifth podium of the season, 57th of his career. Now tied with Sebastien Bourdais for 18th on the all-time INDYCAR SERIES list.
Josef, your general thoughts about this afternoon?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it was a good day for us. I think in a lot of ways close to our potential. Looking at it from, like, a far distance, it looked like we were a second-place car today. I think third is really close to what we could have achieved.
I think we probably had something for Alex, but not for Will. I think Will was probably lights out the best today. A great result for our team. Obviously Will is still going for this championship. It’s a great result for him to be up front.
For us, you always want more. I want to win every race I’m in, so I don’t like finishing third. It’s a good weekend, good, solid weekend. Proud of the team. Proud of having Tire Rack on our car.
True story. Fun story. I’ve been a customer of tirerack.com since I was a kid. It was always my preferred site to go to when I was trying to figure out specifications for tires. It’s funny to come full circle now that I am 33 to and have them on the car. Pleased we can take this to the last few races of the year and finish strong.
THE MODERATOR: We’ll start with questions.
Q. Josef, much calmer post race today than last week. Was it that pedestrian on the track or still a pretty busy race today?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it wasn’t super action packed today. Not quite like Gateway, right? Gateway was probably a little more intense in a good way. Today was a little bit more calm. It wasn’t enough to mix it up. We didn’t have a yellow get thrown in there to kind of mix things up.
I think the top guys were pretty strong in their own right so they stayed stationary once we settled in after that first stint.
You can’t have the greatest show every weekend. This is probably a little less than what we experienced last week at Gateway. Still a fun fight. I always enjoy trying to get these races right. The fuel saving, the way you choose when you’re pitting, all that sort of stuff, it all matters and still fun to get it right on a day like today.
Q. Was it hard to keep the right pace and hit your numbers?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Definitely. It’s always tough. The car is not easy to drive on the edge, do it consistently every lap without making mistakes or a wrong decision. It’s a tough day. It’s not like we were all just cruising around.
Yeah, maybe a little more settled and processional than we would have liked. A little more action probably would have been good for the fans. Still a tough day to get this right.
Q. Josef, you started on red tires today. What do you think about your tire strategy? Do you think it worked very well?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it was a good day. Like I said, I think it’s about what our potential was. The only way we finish higher is if we start higher. Need to start on pole or second place, lead from the beginning if we want to be higher up.
It’s going to be tough to match Will today. He had a 10th or two on us. I think Alex was really tough to beat, too. If we had track position on them, maybe we make something happen. I think it was going to be hard overall.
From where we started, pleased with the progress we made. I don’t want to finish third, but I think we maximized what we could today.
Q. Josef, you were strong at the test. How much are you looking forward to returning to Milwaukee and Nashville? How do you expect the two tracks to race?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I’m excited, for sure. I like Milwaukee. I’ve been there a couple times in the past before we left for a little hiatus. I always thought it was fun. I hope we can produce a good race.
Nashville is completely unknown to me. I’ve never been on the track. Out there to watch some testing. Really don’t know what that one’s like.
I have high hopes we can find a good package for both places. I think Gateway was really pretty phenomenal as far as the combination. It’s not easy. It’s not an exact science. I think if we could bottle a good racing package where there’s usability on multiple lanes, we would take it everywhere.
Sometimes it’s a little bit of guesswork, trial and error. You have to kind of go places a time or two to figure it out in this new package. We’re trying to figure it out, with the extra weight, hybrid, aero, tire configuration.
I have high hopes we can have a good race package for Milwaukee and Nashville. Overall I love oval racing, too, so excited to finish the season strong.
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