INDIANAPOLIS – Team Penske won its record-extending 19th One Stop to Start Pit Stop Challenge, as driver Josef Newgarden earned his second win in the prestigious annual contest between the best Indianapolis 500 pit crews.
It was the first win for Team Penske and Newgarden since 2022.
Newgarden and Team Penske earned the victory by beating Arrow McLaren and driver Pato O’Ward in a best-of-three final round, sweeping the first two rounds.
Reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Newgarden entered the pit box in the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet and Team Penske’s crew changed four tires and simulated fueling in 11.333 seconds in the first round, edging O’Ward and the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet crew’s time of 12.121.
In the second round, Team Penske and Newgarden completed their stop in 10.792, the quickest of the entire contest. Arrow McLaren and O’Ward trailed at 12.647.
Newgarden’s crew earned a $50,000 prize for the victory while O’Ward’s Arrow McLaren crew earned $25,000 for its runner-up finish.
Members of the winning team: Chad Gordon (chief mechanic/outside front tire changer), Caitlyn Brown (inside front tire changer), Kyle Lapier (inside rear tire changer), Keenan Watson (outside rear tire changer), Derrick Ruppert (fueler) and Tom Jones (air jack).
The last time a driver swept the Pit Stop Challenge and Indianapolis 500 in the same year came back in 2009 when Helio Castroneves of Team Penske achieved the feat.
“This is the A-Team,” Gordon said. “We train with the 12-car (Will Power) guys all the time. We get the same coaching, the same facilities — all the same stuff. We expect to be here.
“I think we’d all be lying if we didn’t say we’d feel good about it. There’s still also 500 miles to race on Sunday.
“Everybody sitting here, when we got told we were doing this again this year, we were pumped for it. This is, I don’t know, we like showing up for this, showcasing everybody on pit lane. There’s a lot of talent out there.”
It is believed that Brown, a 25-year-old from Wilmington, Illinois, is the first female to be a member of the winning Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge team.
“For me it’s just show up and do what everyone else does, try to be my best,” Brown said. “It’s so cool to win something for Roger [Penske], especially at IMS. I think they said this was the 19th pit-stop win for him. To get him his 19th 500 and now his 19th pit stop win, it’s pretty cool.
“I got involved with Team Penske from connections and knowing people. I moved down to North Carolina to pursue racing. Got involved with late model dirt stuff. They knew somebody from Penske. From there I got my foot in the door.
“Originally, I had my eyes set on NASCAR. Once I got to Team Penske, I knew they’re involved in a lot of different series. They’re successful in all of them. I knew that was always an opportunity if I wanted it. In ’21 I had that opportunity. Once I came over to this side, I knew this is where I wanted to be.”