MADISON, Ill. — Josef Newgarden of Team Penske continued his oval track mastery in Saturday night’s practice session for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500.
Newgarden’s No. 2 Chevrolet lapped the 1.25-mile World Wide Technology Raceway at 180.040 mph.
Newgarden is attempting to be the first driver to win six oval races in a row since A.J. Foyt won seven in 1964. That year, Foyt won 10 of the 13 races on the USAC Championship Trail and won the IndyCar National Championship.
Teammate Scott McLaughlin’s No. 3 Chevrolet was second at 179.353 mph before he was involved a crash that brought the session to a close.
The practice session included a massive three-car crash with five minutes left in practice involving Team Penske’s McLaughlin, who spun into the grass leaving pit road. Will Power went high in Turn 2 to avoid his teammate. Power’s No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet drifted into the front of Marcus Ericsson’s No. 8 Huski Honda and was T-boned.
“I saw some dumbass down on the apron, spinning and unfortunately I had to go up,” Power said. “I got in the wall and destroyed my car. I got hit. Just really pissed. Got no option to rebuild it and do my best. I’m just pissed off — screwed by other people’s screw ups. Just like Road America with Scott Dixon.
“I tried to stop, but just nothing you do when you get in those marbles.”
Power and McLaughlin both drive for Team Penske.
“It was my fault,” McLaughlin said. “Massive apologies to Marcus Ericsson and the 8 crew and to Will Power and the 12 crew. I was pushing the out lap on brand new set of Red tires, cut the inside a little off the apron and it must still be wet or something. That was very scary.
“I hear my spotter saying, ‘Car coming’ into one and I just tried to lock it down the best I can. I hate to see it, especially with a teammate. There is no excuse. Two others paid for it and I feel terrible. It puts a damper to our overall good session.”
Ericsson does not have a backup car and the Chip Ganassi Racing crew will have to work overtime to prepare the car in time for Sunday’s qualifications at 11 a.m. (ET).
“I’m fine,” Ericsson said. “I saw McLaughlin down on the apron. Will Power went high and I tried to go low, but he was spinning down. I think the car was feeling pretty good and was going through the program. It’s frustrating when something like this happens. I feel bad, but we will come back and be strong tomorrow.”
That incident ended the session.
Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato was third at 178.7803 mph in the No. 11 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Power’s Chevrolet was fourth at 178.703 mph and Arrow McLaren’s Felix Rosenqvist rounded out the top five at 178.518 mph in the No. 6 Chevrolet.
Alex Palou, who enters the race with a 101-point lead over Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon and a 105-point lead over Newgarden was 14th fastest at 177.030 mph.
Palou is attempting to clinch the championship before the final race of the season for the first time since Sebastien Bourdais won the Champ Car Series title in 2007 and Dan Wheldon won the IndyCar title in 2005.
Bourdais clinched the title in the Lexmark 300 at Surfer’s Paradise, Australia on October 21, 2007, with one race left in the season.
Wheldon cliched the 2005 IndyCar championship by completing a single practice lap at the next to last race of the season at Watkins Glen International. He would go on to finish fifth in the race, sixth in the season finale at California Speedway and won a series high six races that season.
The last driver to clinch at IndyCar championship before the final race of the season in a combined series was Al Unser, Jr. in the 1994 CART season. Unser won eight of the 16 races that season and Team Penske won 12 of the 16 races on the schedule. Unser clinched it with two to go at Road America.
In the practice session, Sato got into the marbles and nearly brushed the wall with 10 minutes left in the session.
IndyCar Race Control issued a caution period to slow the field and bring them into the pits.
After a brief stoppage, the green light was turned back on and the cars returned to the track. But not for long, as the McLaughlin spin sent Power high and into the wall before he drifted back in front of Ericsson’s path.