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A16 sports
Wednesday 27 July 2022

NASCAR and IndyCar speed into shared Indy weekend

By JENNA FRYER shot at a third IndyCar title.
AP Auto Racing Writer And that's where Roger
Denny Hamlin ate dinner Penske and his committee
next to the winning Pocono missed taking a big swing
Raceway trophy, opened at drumming up major in-
the celebratory cham- terest in this weekend's
pagne awarded to the IMS doubleheader. Penske
victor and enjoyed a glass owns the track and the
with his meal. doubleheader weekend is
It was an advertisement: his to promote, except now
"Live on EBay. 1 tainted tro- his star driver is question-
phy and 1 used bottle of able. If Newgarden can't
champagne," he posted race, then its a throwaway
on social media. for the No. 2 and it doesn't
The first Cup winner to be really matter where the
disqualified since April 17, driver finishes.
1960, hasn't shied away Ferrucci has been a super-
from poking fun at the pre- sub of late, was 10th in
dicament Joe Gibbs Rac- the Indy 500 and is a fine
ing found itself in when choice for a standby driv-
the Toyotas of Hamlin and er. But with NASCAR also
runner-up Kyle Busch failed scheduled to be in town,
postrace inspection Sun- Taylor James Hamlin, left, carries the checkered flag with her dad, Denny Hamlin, after he won a there seems to be a deep
day at Pocono. Hamlin NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Pocono Raceway, Sunday, July 24, 2022, in Long Pond, Pa. pool of candidates that
even shoved a clear piece Associated Press Penske could have chosen
of tape into the mouth of from. Among them? Reign-
the eagle on the Pocono weekend with IndyCar on IndyCar is coming off an way, can learn from this ing NASCAR champion
trophy to represent the il- the road course at India- action-packed weekend weekend because every Kyle Larson raised his hand
legal tape NASCAR says it napolis Motor Speedway. at Iowa Speedway, where single IndyCar weekend as interested in standing by
found on the two JGR cars Kurt Busch missed Sun- new sponsor Hy-Vee spent has to be like this," said Pato for Newgarden and fans
after the race. day's race at Pocono with $10 million to throw an ex- O'Ward, who finished sec- went wild over the idea of
He estimated the clear concussion-like symptoms travaganza that included ond on Saturday and won Larson in an Indy car. Sage
tape — because it stripped from a Saturday crash, and a pair of races and con- Sunday following Newgar- Karam is scheduled to drive
him of the victory and all on the IndyCar side, two- certs by Tim McGraw, Flori- den's crash. the Xfinity Series race but
the spoils that come with time series champion Josef da Georgia Line and Gwen "They've shown that if you also said he's interested in
a win — was "worth about Newgarden won't know if Stefani, whose 50-minute put the effort in to a great double duty. IndyCar vet-
300k. (Not to be included in he can race until a Thurs- prerace set on Sunday event, people will show up. eran Tony Kanaan was go-
sale)." day evaluation following drew drivers and teams to This place was packed." ing to be at the track any-
Chase Elliott is unlikely to bid his own health scare. the stage and upstaged The reward was a cham- way, and the list goes on
on any of the items. He was Newgarden collapsed her headliner husband, pionship chase that has and on. Juan Pablo Mon-
eventually declared the and hit his head roughly Blake Shelton. tightened to six drivers sep- toya just raced the road
winner of Sunday's race at 90 minutes after he'd been It was an electric Indy- arated by 44 points with course in May in an Indy
Pocono, where he finished cleared by IndyCar's medi- Car weekend that rivaled five races remaining. New- car and is a former Penske
third and never led a lap cal staff following a hard its marquee events at In- garden was scored as the driver, and then there's Cup
but inherited the win when crash while leading at dianapolis, St. Petersburg, points leader when he was rookie Austin Cindric, who
JGR failed inspection. Iowa Speedway. Although Long Beach and Toronto, dominating Sunday's race, once thought he'd be an
NASCAR's most popular there's been no mention and raised the bar for what but he dropped to a tie for IndyCar driver but instead
driver has no interest in of a possible concussion promoters could be doing third with Scott Dixon fol- found his way to NASCAR.
earning trophies that way. by either IndyCar or Team to promote a series that lowing his crash. His father, Tim Cindric, is
"I don't think any driver Penske for Newgarden, the trails NASCAR in popularity. Now his title chances hinge president of Team Penske
wants to win that way – I team has put Santino Fer- "Everybody that isn't Hy- on being cleared to race and the strategist on New-
certainly don't," Elliott said. rucci on standby in case Vee and Penske Entertain- Saturday: Should Newgar- garden's car. What a week-
And that's how NASCAR Newgarden isn't cleared to ment, the people who den be benched, it would end it could have been for
heads into this shared race Saturday. brought Iowa together this most certainly cost him his the Cindrics.q