The first round of the 2024 IndyCar season is in the books, and Josef Newgarden is the first winner of the new season.
The two-time champion started the weekend off strong by taking pole by the slimmest of margins, then was able to hold that advantage through most of the race.
Newgarden had a couple close followers for the first portion of the race, but the final stint saw him all but drive away from the field with an impressive showing of form.
READ MORE: IndyCar St. Pete – Full Race Results
He finished nearly eight seconds up the road, and claimed his third win on the streets of St. Petersburg.
Crossing the line second was Pato O’Ward, whose Arrow McLaren Chevy was stuck the middle of a Team Penske sandwich.
Both Scott McLaughlin and Will Power were immediately behind the Mexican driver in third and fourth, giving Team Penske an incredible 1-3-4 finish to start the season.
McLaughlin and Power in particular moved up from ninth and eighth qualifying slots respectively, and attributed that starting spot to the main reason they couldn’t challenge their team-mate at the head of the field.
Colton Herta rounded out the top five, his #26 Andretti Global entry the first Honda to cross the line on Sunday afternoon.
By and large, the race was a straightforward one. There were a few incidents, but most were single-car affairs and were not consequential to the front-runners.
The humidity was not as bad as is typical along the coast, meaning drivers emerged from their cars after 100 laps looking relatively fresh.
Not everyone completed that many laps, however, and Marcus Armstrong was the first driver to find trouble. He had trouble controlling his car under braking into Turn 10, and had no chance to recover.
He failed to make the turn, hit the tire barriers with is rear wheel then slapped the concrete wall with the side of his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Just a few laps after the race went back green, Sting Ray Robb retired by pulling into the runoff area at Turn 1. The issue was terminal, and the AMR safety crew had to help move his car from the track.
Marcus Ericsson also retired with mechanical issues, pulling into the pits and losing his chance at a good results to start off his career with Andretti Global. He finished in 25th.
Linus Lundqvist was the cause of the next caution, as he also backed his CGR Honda into the tires in Turn 10. Romain Grosjean was given a penalty for diving inside of Lundqvist, and the Swede was able to return to the track after a rear wing change.
With the first race complete, the field of 27 drivers will now look forward to a special all-star exhibition event with $1 million on the line in two weeks’ time.
