Controversial win: Team Penske drivers rub fenders in race for the win at Gateway Motorsports Park
There’s no team orders at Team Penske.
Simon certainly left room on the inside, barely. Josef Newgarden did want any racing driver would, he filled that gap and took the win.
Related: Gateway Motorsports Part results
Simon Pagenaud is upset. After the race, Simon stated if Josef pulled that move with anybody else, “He would be in the fence right now.”
If Simon didn’t want a driver to get to his inside, he needed to block the inside. If you look at the video, you’ll see he was looking to the right mirror as Newgarden appeared and pulled by on his left hand. It was a fake, it worked.
Newgarden did move Pagenaud up the track a bit as they ran out of room at the entry of turn 1. But, that was after the fact that Pagenaud pulled down a bit further when he realized Newgarden was already there.
Watch the video below.
Josef Newgarden tells his side
(1st): Newgarden, “You know, with Simon there, I wanted to get to the inside of him. He gave me the lane. So, I took it!
The winner continued, “It’s one thing if he was going to close it off. But, he gave me a lane to work with. I just tried to thread the gap at that point. He gave me racing room.”
“I didn’t mean to touch him and push him out a little bit but I’m happy he obviously didn’t get into the wall. That’s racing! You know, we gotta go racing at the end of the day.
Simon Pagenaud tells his side
(3rd): Pagenaud, “Great question. It was a fantastic race for Team Penske.”
“The move, you know, I don’t know what to say. I don’t have anything nice to say. So, I’m not going to say it.”
Josef felt there was room there to make the move. What’s Simon’s opinion on that?
Pagenaud responds, “There wasn’t room with me. If it was anybody else [non teammate], he would be in the fence right now.”
“Josef was not anywhere near, to make a clean pass. That was quite ballsy.”
Drivers talk about the move for the win
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