Josef Newgarden Reacts to Disappointing Indianapolis 500 Qualifying Result
Qualifying could have gone better for Josef Newgarden. After laying down his laps, Newgarden was 11th of the 12 drivers who had gone at the time. He has since dropped to 19th after 25 drivers have qualified for the Indianapolis 500.
Good news for Josef Newgarden, there is no bumping this year. Everyone entered is making the field. Still, if he hopes to win his third Indy 500, Newgarden will have to make one heck of a run from the back of the pack.
Newgarden tried his best to remain positive, but the result has to be disappointing for the No. 2 Team Penske group. The car wouldn't turn the way he needed it to turn, and it hurt their overall speed.
"That's what she's got. That's what she'll turn," Newgarden said after his effort. "So, I mean, we're in the show, right? There's no bumping so we're in the show, which is great. We'll go work on our racecar. Shell's going to do a great job for us, I always love running this livery. Team Chevy's doing a great job. You know, excited to get back to race trim."
"Excited to get back to race trim."@Ghenneberry47 catches up with Josef Newgarden after a tough qualifying run. pic.twitter.com/hiMr4vuBTC
— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) May 17, 2026
Things are not off to a great start. Still, you can't win a race in qualifying, and you likely aren't going to lose the race in qualifying, either. It just makes Newgarden's job next Sunday that much more difficult. Then again, he's the master of the ovals in this era of IndyCar. So, we'll have to see how the No. 2 team bounces back and gets this car ready for race trim.
With more than a handful of drivers left to qualify for this first session, Felix Rosenqvist is the best of the day. David Malukas isn't far behind in P2 with Conor Daly finding himself P3. That could all change as the field is cut down and we finally get to the Fast 6 later this evening.
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This story was originally published May 17, 2026 at 1:03 PM.