Motorsport
Josef Newgarden edges past Scott McLaughlin to win Texas Motor Speedway IndyCar in Fort Worth
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It came down to the wire at the Texas Motor Speedway, with Josef Newgarden claiming his first win of the 2022 season after a thrilling end to the XPEL 375 in Fort Worth on Sunday.
Newgarden beat Scott McLaughlin to the checkered flag by a half-car length after a frenzied finish on the final lap, with the 31-year-old getting to the line just 0.0669 seconds ahead of his Team Penske teammate.
McLaughlin seemed destined to claim his second straight victory after winning the season opener in St. Petersburg, Fla., last month, with the New Zealander leading the most laps on Sunday and having taken the lead into the final lap. However, a bold charge by Newgarden on the back straight thrusted the Nashville native past the Kiwi just before the finish line.
The heart-pumping finish to the race came in stark contrast to the start, with four caution flags for 52 laps prior to the halfway mark. Fortunately, the haphazard first half of the race had little bearing on the ending, which ultimately saw the Penske teammates both gunning for the finish line at the 1.5 mile oval.
"I was fuming in the car because we had all this traffic and it wasn't helping me, and then right when I needed it to helped me — literally last corner, last lap, the traffic helped me out," Newgarden said. "How about Scott? I think he led like 95 percent of the laps. I hate doing that to a teammate but I was going for it, just like he was."
McLaughlin maintains his lead atop the driver's standings with the second-place finish on Sunday, although he admitted to being "gutted" by way he lost.
"Unfortunately we had a little lapse and at the end of the day we lost," McLaughlin said. "But if you're going to lose it to anyone, your teammate's the guy the you want to lose it to."
