Newgarden upholds Penske hegemony in Long Beach

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Josef Newgarden made it two wins in a row for himself on Sunday in Long Beach and three out of three for Penske in this year's NTT IndyCar Series.

Penske conceded pole position to Andretti's Colton Herta in qualifying and the young American led 28 laps before crashing, but a late caution period set up a three-way shootout between race leader Newgarden, Romain Grosjean and reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou.

Grosjean got close, but not close enough to the Penske driver whose victorious fate was sealed by a race-ending final caution period.

"This was a fight today," Newgarden said. "This was not an easy race to win.

"I was working my butt off with Grosjean at the end there on the used reds. This Hitachi car was on it. I’ve been trying to win a race here for 11 years, so I’m so happy to get it done."

And get it done, Josef did!

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.