Going into Sunday, the final race for the NTT IndyCar Series on the contract with Texas Motor Speedway, there wasn’t a lot that someone could say to me to convince me that it will appear on the 2023 schedule.
Then Sunday happened, and it was everything about IndyCar that I grew to love in my younger years.
Texas found somewhat of a second groove on Sunday, taking to track issues that produced a parade-style race a year ago where passing was as improbable as it is at Monaco (maybe that’s a stretch).
It wasn’t anything that drivers were going to go to unless necessary, although Pato O’Ward ran the upper line for a period of the race, but it did its job to the best of its ability.
Considering the challenges of laying down rubber there and working it in, the racing surface produced a line where a faster car could pass that of the driver’s in front of him.
And, to be honest, it’s an oval. It’s not supposed to be miraculously easy to pass in open-wheel cars going well over 200 miles per hour.
We also watched Jimmie Johnson in what was by far his best performance of his IndyCar career.
His previous best finish with the series was P17, and Johnson nearly held off six-time champion Scott Dixon to secure a top five in his oval debut.
“That was it,” Johnson said during his postrace press conference. “I passed Scott Dixon. Probably to his disappointment, to my excitement. He did get a better hand when it was all said and done. When I caught that group and caught the 9 car, I had to look two or three times to make sure really it was the 9 car, not another car with a blue back half. Yeah, I have caught Scott Dixon, this is good.”
The driver of the No. 48 crossed disciplines and raced with confidence in a breakout performance – something that is so rare in a series as tough as IndyCar, yet so exhilarating to see happen in front of your eyes.
Obviously, the highlight of the day came in Josef Newgarden’s pass for the win that happened coming out of the final corner.
It was simply an epic finish that didn’t come with an assist of a late-race restart or a car running out of fuel.
It happened as organically as it could, and to top it off, Newgarden celebrated with his teammate that he passed for the win while live on national television.
Class from @smclaughlin93 and @josefnewgarden.
The @Team_Penske teammates talk it out in victory lane after Newgarden made the winning move on the last lap. #INDYCAR pic.twitter.com/ShXkxAwuu1
— IndyCar on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) March 20, 2022
There’s another decently-sized series out there with similar cars where nothing of the sorts could ever happen on a normal day, but I’ll save my words for the podcast on that.
What I wanted to hit on came in the character development of the XPEL 375.
This was the worst race on the schedule a season ago. Sunday’s finish might be the best one IndyCar fans see all year.
When Roger Penske – who has said that IndyCar needs more ovals on the schedule – goes to put together next season’s deal, what will be made of Texas?
I can tell you that wasn’t a question that wasn’t on anyone’s mind coming into the race, but Newgarden made sure to share his opinion on NBC.
“Never,” Newgarden said of his dramatic win. “Last lap. Last corner. That’s what it’s all about at Texas. I hope we come back. Let’s come back.”
I’ll speculate on the schedule at another time – and there’s no doubt that the grandstands at the race justified a certain return – but that’s about all Texas can give you and its aplenty.
That race had everything from top-to-bottom that I fell in love with when growing up and learning what an IndyCar was.
At a normal oval race, there were three passes up front in the initial five laps, storylines throughout the grid which is filled to the brim with talent and a finish that makes you audibly say, ‘woah,’ even though you’re watching it on a laptop in an empty apartment.
That race was everything that IndyCar is and I can’t believe I’m saying that an hour after a race at Texas.
