Newgarden, Ericsson, Ferrucci generate surprising stats at Indy

Josef Newgarden’s triumph in the Indianapolis 500, and the fight over second and third, created some fascinating statistics that are part of the fabric of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Scott Richards, a Speedway employee, has run the numbers and discovered some more stats beyond Newgarden scoring Team Penske’s 19th Indy 500 triumph and becoming the first Tennessee native to drink the milk.

In his 12th start, Newgarden has become the most experienced first-time 500 winner since Tony Kanaan in 2013, and the most experienced American-born first-time winner since Sam Hanks in 1957.

That long experience is reflected by his other IndyCar stats. With 186 previous IndyCar starts, Newgarden is the second most experienced driver to win his first 500 (Kanaan was in his 262nd start in 2013).

And with 26 previous IndyCar Series wins, no other driver has scored more IndyCar wins before achieving their first 500 victory.

After his strong and methodical climb through the field, on-track and in pitlane, it’s the farthest back that the 500 winner has started since Ryan Hunter-Reay qualified 19th in 2014.

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Today marked the ninth time that the defending winner (Marcus Ericsson) finished runner-up, but it’s been a rare occurrence in recent years. The last time it happened was when Helio Castroneves failed to complete three straight wins by finishing second to Penske teammate Gil de Ferran in 2003.

The excitement surrounding AJ Foyt Racing’s performances this year was not overplayed. Santino Ferrucci qualified fourth and finished third, scoring the first top-three finish for a Foyt car since Eliseo Salazar scored the same result 2000. Ferrucci’s extraordinary run at the 500 over the past half-decade – 7th-4th-6th-10th-3rd – means he joins Harry Hartz (1922-’27) and Helio Castroneves (2001-’05) as the only drivers to finish in the top 10 in all of their first five 500s.

Ferrucci is even the first driver since Alex Barron (2002-’07) to finish ahead of his starting position in each of his first five 500s.

A more obscure, but almost more unlikely, statistic was generated by polesitter Alex Palou: Sunday saw him become the first driver since Tony Stewart in 1996 and ’97 to lead the first lap in two consecutive 500s. Come the checkered flag, Ganassi also showed its class by joining Andretti Autosport’s stat from 2006 and ’14 in having four finishers inside the top seven.

Simon Pagenaud, the 2019 Indy winner, created a more doleful stat. He previously held the record for most 500s without a DNF, but with a DNF in his 12th — caused by Scott McLaughlin punting him into a spin — that record goes back to Howdy Holmes and Carlos Munoz, who each achieved six finishes and never retired.

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