All four Team Penske drivers (Helio Castroneves, Josef Newgarden, Simon Pagenaud and Will Power) managed to complete an important one-day test at Sonoma Raceway yesterday in preparation for the season ending GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma on the 17th September which will decide the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Champion.
With all four Penske drivers in the mix for the title, this test was crucial and despite wet weather in the morning, the drivers were able to get out on track at noon and complete approximately five hours of testing throughout the afternoon.
Newgarden, on 560 points, leads the standings by just three points ahead of Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon (557) with Newgarden’s three teammates next up – Castroneves (538), defending series champion Pagenaud (526) and 2014 series champion Power (492). All are contenders for the Championship with 100 points on the table for the winner!
“We’re in a good position with the points lead, but it’s not anything secure,” said Newgarden. “We’ve got to have a good weekend here and I think having a test day like today is always helpful. What we learned today we want to apply to the race weekend. Team Penske has always been strong here, so we’ve got to execute on that.”
His teammate Helio Castroneves, an acknowledged Sonoma specialist, was confident as well.
“It was a little bit misty this morning and a little bit cooler, so we didn’t start right away, but at the end of the day the entire Team Penske got a little taste of what it’s going to be like next week and were able to try some interesting things. So, right now, we feel more prepared than ever, but things can always change.”
With double points on the table for the season finale the only single result definite projection for any of the four drivers would be a win for the 26-year-old Tennessean Newgarden, who would celebrate a first championship in his inaugural year driving for Penske. But that will be no small feat, as the four drivers chasing him each boast at least one win on the classic 2.5 mile Sears Point road course, now know as Sonoma Raceway.
“You can only control so much within the championship,” said Newgarden, who’s best finish at Sonoma is sixth. “The only thing we can really do is try to focus on winning the race and do the best job we can with that. If we win the race, we win the championship and for us that’s the best thing, that we control our own destiny.”
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