Skip Barber Racing’s own Josef Newgarden won the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 28th at the Indianapolis Motor Speeedway. Newgarden “unleashed the dragon” with less than half a lap to go and sprinted past defending Indy 500 race-winner Marcus Ericsson to claim his first Indy 500 victory and give Team Penske its 19th win.

“I just felt like everyone kept asking me why I haven’t won this race, and you know they look at you like you’re a failure if you don’t win it, and I wanted to win it so bad,” Newgarden said. “I knew we could. I knew we were capable.”

Newgarden said that it was advantageous to be in second with one lap to go.

“I got a run on the back straight. I knew if I could just get him and clear him into 3, maybe we can hold on the line, but he was so quick on the straights that it wasn’t guaranteed. I was just trying to do everything I could to keep him back,” Newgarden said. “It was a fight. It was just a big fight. It is not easy to win this race. It is the most difficult race in the world to win.”

After completing his slowdown lap, Newgarden stopped his car on the yard of bricks, got out of his car, ran over to the wall, and slipped under the fence to join the wildly cheering fans.

Finishing in third place, just 0.5273 seconds behind Newgarden, was AJ Foyt Racings Santino Ferrucci. It was a fantastic effort, but to come so close to winning the biggest race in the world, the kid from Connecticut was heartbroken. “We were so good this month,” Ferrucci said. “When you are that fast all month long, you just want it that much more. ” In five starts at The Brickyard, Ferrucci has never finished outside the top 10.

Rounding out the top five was the driver of the No. 7 Arrow Mclaren, Alexander Rossi. Rossi finished 3rd in the 2006 Skip Barber National Championship and became the youngest winner in Skip Barber National Championship history at age 14. Ten years later, in 2016, he won the 500 in his rookie season.

“It’s the biggest race on earth. It’s the biggest sporting event on earth,” said Alexander Rossi, 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner. “We did everything we could there, but too many things stacked against us at the end. The team did a phenomenal job all month, and she was a joy to drive.”

Conor Daly and Colton Herta rounded out the top ten.

The 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 brought out some of the best drivers in the world, and among the standout performances were Skip Barber Racing Schools graduates.

1. Josef Newgarden #2
3. Santino Ferrucci #14
5. Alexander Rossi #7
8. Conor Daly #20
9. Colton Herta #26
11. Ryan Hunter-Reay #23
17. Marco Andretti #98
20. Ed Carpenter #33
28. Kyle Kirkwood #27
31. Sting Ray Robb #51
32. RC Enerson #50
33. Katherine Legge #44

There is no feel, like open wheel.

The Skip Barber Racing School Mygale Formula 4 delivers the best race car driving school experience imaginable. The car is a racer’s dream. Beautifully designed and engineered, it’s a visceral experience that is simply amazing. These cars are incredible.

Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the F4 for yourself. Sign up today for a One, Three, or Two-Day Advanced Skip Barber Formula Racing School by calling 866-932-1949 or visit us at skipbarber.com.

ONE DAY FORMULA RACING SCHOOLS
Road Atlanta – June 12
VIR  – July 11
VIR – July 27

THREE-DAY FORMULA RACING SCHOOLS
Road Atlanta – June 12
Laguna Seca – November 8

TWO-DAY ADVANCED FORMULA RACING SCHOOLS
Road Atlanta  – June 15
VIR  – September 13

Photography Michael Levitt/Lumen