Newgarden Wins First Verizon P1 Award at Milwaukee Mile
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WEST ALLIS, Wis. (July 12, 2015) – American Josef Newgarden earned his first Verizon P1 Award with a two-lap average speed of 170.223 mph in qualifications, taking the pole position for the ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 at Milwaukee IndyFest presented by the Metro Milwaukee Honda Dealers.
The 250-lap race at The Milwaukee Mile is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET today on NBCSN.
Newgarden is the sixth different pole winner in the 12 Verizon IndyCar Series races this season. He had topped the 24-car field in both practice sessions on the 1.015-mile oval preceding single-car qualifying.
“It’s nice to lead three out of four sessions, but the fourth one is the most important one and that’s the race,” said Newgarden, who is a two-time winner this season in the No. 67 CFH Racing Chevrolet. “We’ve had more success on road and street courses, so to get a pole on an oval is a feather in our cap and a great reward for our hard work.”
Will Power earned the pole last year with a two-lap average speed of 169.262 mph and went on to dominate the 250-lap race. Dario Franchitti holds the two-lap qualifying track record of 170.841 mph set in 2011.
Ryan Briscoe, driving the No. 5 Arrow/Lucas Oil Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda, qualified a season-high second with a two-lap average of 170.086 mph. Briscoe, filling in for the injured James Hinchcliffe, earned his first Indy car win at Milwaukee in 2008.
Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Sage Karam qualified a season-best third (169.639 mph) in the No. 8 Comfort Revolution/Big Machine Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. He’ll be joined on Row 2 by two-time Milwaukee winner and teammate Tony Kanaan (169.542 mph) in the No. 10 NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.
Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves, who was second fastest in the 45-minute practice session preceding qualifications, did not make a qualifying attempt and will start from the rear of the field because of a violation of Rule 8.2.3.1 of the Verizon IndyCar Series rulebook that states that cars in the second half of the qualifying order must be in the fueling line 15 minutes before the beginning of qualifications.
Castroneves, who earned his first podium finish and pole at Milwaukee, is fifth in the championship standings with five races remaining.
