IndyCar: History nearly repeats as Josef Newgarden limps across finish line at Gateway

MADISON, Ill. — Josef Newgarden has seen this movie before.

Nearly one month after a crash on the last lap at Mid-Ohio caused the IndyCar championship points leader to finish 14th instead of fourth, Newgarden's car was facing the wrong way on the final straightaway. 

There were differences, differences Newgarden made sure were known, but the result was still the same: a disappointing finish after starting on the pole and running a solid race only to be overtaken by a championship competitor on the final lap due to a crash.

Newgarden's problems arose as he attempted to overtake rookie Santino Ferrucci coming out of the final turn. As Newgarden's No. 2 car dove to the inside of Turn 4 — the site of four crashes on Saturday night — Ferrucci attempted to block him out, forcing Newgarden onto the infield grass before eventually spinning out back onto the track.

While Newgarden blamed himself on his debacle at Mid-Ohio, he took an entirely different tone following his near-disaster at Gateway.

More: Takuma Sato's IndyCar fortunes turn huge in one week

In his post-race interview on NBC Sports, Newgarden called Ferrucci's move "dangerous" and noted how it wasn't acceptable for Ferrucci to come back into the racing line after briefly losing control just to box out Newgarden. 

"I'll be disappointed if people think I'm a whiner after giving my assessment," Newgarden said. "I think Santino needed to learn a lesson. … I think what he did is very risky and he needs to learn from it."

Ferrucci, who was not available for immediate comment, was in the middle of running a solid race of his own. The rookie led 97 laps — the most of any racer — and tied his season-best finish for fourth place.

The finish also allowed Ferrucci to leapfrog Felix Rosenqvist in the Rookie of the Year race.

Josef Newgarden heads into Turn 1 during the IndyCar auto race at World Wide Technology Raceway on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019, in Madison, Ill.

Regardless, the move rubbed Newgarden the wrong way. However, Newgarden also realized his race could have ended much worse.

Despite skidding toward the outer wall backward, Newgarden was able to bring his car to a stop without hitting anything. He was then able to straighten back out on the track, while still avoiding oncoming cars, to finish seventh.

"I was happy I wasn't in the fence," Newgarden said. "I was surprised I wasn't in the fence. The engine was still going, I wasn't in the wall, like thank goodness I'm kind of straight."

He was one of the lucky ones. Gateway's fourth turn crashed four drivers on the night, each finding the outer wall after losing control on the slippery surface. Three of the drivers were unable to continue following their crashes.

Upon regaining control, Newgarden was able to cross the finish line with only one championship competitor finishing better. Penske teammate Simon Pagenaud finished fifth to jump to second in the championship points race, but Newgarden's overall lead grew by three points because of his save.

Nevertheless, the weekend's finish was disappointing for the driver who has led the points in all but one week this year. After capturing the pole, his second of the season, Newgarden appeared to be in prime position to raise the championship bar to unreachable heights for his competition.

His odds only seemed to increase when Scott Dixon was wheeled into the garage with radiator troubles one quarter of the way into the race. Alexander Rossi was never able to overtake Newgarden, who led for the first 50 laps but never returned to the front.

Instead of significantly cushioning his championship lead, Newgarden only gained a few points of breathing room. With two races remaining, one of which will be for double points, he knows his hopes to win his first title since 2017 are anything but clinched.

"I don't think we can feel too confident or secure with where we're at," Newgarden said. "I think we're in a good spot without a doubt. It would be silly to not recognize it's a good position but it's not something you can sit back and rest on."

Email  sports reporter Tyler Kraft at TKraft@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter or Facebook @bytylerkraft.

Indycar driver Josef Newgarden continues to stand atop the championship race after the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway. Three races remain.