Newgarden beats O'Ward in thrilling Texas duel

©IndyCar

Brave racing was once again the norm at the Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday and Penske's Josef Newgarden delivered the goods as he beat McLaren's Pato O'Ward on the very last lap of a thrilling IndyCar finale.

The two drivers were front-runners all afternoon in the PPG 375, with the event marked by five caution periods and which ended under the yellow flag.

O'Ward appeared to have the speed to beat his rival to the flag when Newgarden edged ahead on lap 249 of the 250-lap speed fest, just seconds before Romain Grosjean's triggered the final caution when he crashed into the wall in Turn 2, which sealed the leaders' fate.

©IndyCar

Coincidentally, it was Newgarden's second consecutive last-lap win in Texas.

"Pato gave me all the respect in the world when he was racing next to me," commented the two-time IndyCar champion. "

"It was really hard to fight those guys. I think (Alex) Palou was super strong, too. There are just no gimmes. It was packed up today, very difficult to get away.

"There were parts when we were good, parts when we were weaker. But when we needed to be good, the car was there at the end."

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.