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Josef Newgarden Wins Indianapolis 500

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Josef Newgarden Wins Indianapolis 500


INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis 500 is the one race Josef Newgarden desperately wanted to win.

It’s basically the only race that matters to his boss.

Coming up empty for 11 consecutive years had become personal for Newgarden, a two-time IndyCar series champion.

He finally broke through Sunday, though, winning the Indy 500 to extend the team owner Roger Penske’s record to 19 victories and give him his first win at the race since Penske agreed to buy Indianapolis Motor Speedway in late 2019. Newgarden did it with an audacious pass of last year’s race winner, Marcus Ericsson, during a frantic 2.5-mile sprint to the finish.

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“We’ve had a tough go here the last three, four years, and we’ve had a lot of questions to answer every day, after every qualifying weekend,” Newgarden said. “We’ve had to come out and put on a brave face. It’s just not an easy place to succeed at. I don’t necessarily subscribe to the fact that if you don’t win the 500, your career is a failure.”

He continued: “But I think a lot of people view this race and this championship with that lens. The 500 stands alone and if you are not able to capture one, the career really is a failure.”

After the race was red-flagged for the third time in the final 16 laps, race control moved Newgarden from fourth to second following a review of the running order at the time the yellow flag waved.

He took advantage of his improved position to slingshot around Ericsson on the restart.

After the race, Newgarden brought his Chevrolet-powered car to a stop on the front stretch, jumped out and found a hole in the fence, diving into part of the crowd, estimated at more than 300,000, to celebrate. Then, Newgarden climbed the fence to mimic Helio Castroneves, the longtime Team Penske driver and four-time Indy 500 winner.

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Newgarden, a 32-year-old from Nashville, is the first American to win the Indy 500 since Alexander Rossi in 2016. He led five of the 200 laps and beat Ericsson in the fourth-closest finish in 107 years with a margin of victory of 0.0974 seconds.

Ericsson immediately criticized IndyCar’s decision to hold a one-lap shootout to the checkered flag. He believed the race should have ended under caution, with him the winner, rather than having the green flag fly on the first lap out of pit lane.

“I think it wasn’t enough laps to go to do what we did,” Ericsson said. “I don’t think it’s safe to go out of the pits on cold tires for a restart when half the field is sort of still trying to get out on track when we go green. I can’t agree with that.”

Newgarden and Ericsson were followed by Santino Ferrucci, who gave the 88-year-old A.J. Foyt, nicknamed Super Tex, his team’s best finish since Kenny Brack reached victory lane in 1999.

Alex Palou, the pole sitter and race favorite for Chip Ganassi Racing, finished fourth after recovering from a crash on pit road, and Rossi was fifth on what was an otherwise disappointing day for the Arrow McLaren team.

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What was on pace to be the fastest Indy 500 in history ended with three red flags in the final 16 laps.

The first came for a crash involving Felix Rosenqvist and Kyle Kirkwood, who were near the front of the lead pack. Kirkwood’s car went upside down into the catch fence, beginning a terrifying, spark-filled ride through the short chute.

One of Kirkwood’s wheels sailed over the fencing and narrowly cleared the packed grandstand. The wheel did not injure anyone but damaged a parked car, a spokesman for Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Alex Damron, wrote in an email. One person was treated at the infield care center and released because of other debris from the crash, the spokesman added.

On the restart, Pato O’Ward — who already had a restart called off for setting too slow of a pace — was shuffled from first to third as Newgarden shot to the lead. O’Ward and Ericsson were then side by side entering Turn 3 and touched wheels, and O’Ward slid into the wall and out of the race in another disappointment for Arrow McLaren.

Agustín Canapino did a 360-spin behind him, snapping a brake line. He was unable to stop and collided with O’Ward’s car.

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Suddenly, the race had its second red flag with six laps to go.

Last year’s race was red-flagged with five to go, when Ericsson was leading O’Ward to the finish. Ericsson held him off the rest of the way, and many criticized O’Ward for not making a more aggressive move for the win.

Newgarden didn’t make the same mistake with Ericsson out in front of him.

As Newgarden crossed the yard of bricks, Penske and his entire executive committee jumped up and down in celebration on an elevated platform near the start-finish line. And for a moment, Penske, the 86-year-old team owner, looked like a child filled with joy.

“The last two laps, I forgot about being the track owner and said ‘Let’s go for it,’” said Penske, who joined Newgarden in an open-top Chevy Camaro for a victory lap around the speedway.

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Penske’s parking spot inside the speedway has been marked simply 18 for the last four years. Newgarden was still completing his postrace media obligations when the spot was changed to 19.

Livia Albeck-Ripka contributed reporting.



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Indianapolis, IN

A Yard Of One’s Own – Indianapolis Monthly

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A Yard Of One’s Own – Indianapolis Monthly


Credit: Angela Jackson/Indianapolis Monthly

REALTOR Summer Hudson was always waiting for the perfect midcentury modern home to hit the market and lure her away from her beloved Irvington. On Hudson’s popular TikTok channel, Find a Lot to Love, she cooed over original 1960s woodwork and intact bathrooms for the 207,000 followers who enjoyed watching her walk through houses for sale in Central Indiana. But the eXp Realty agent’s own family needed a yard for their 5-year-old daughter more than she needed a pristine Avriel Shull A-frame, so she gave her husband, Ryan Sloan, one criterion: Find a house with the exact same layout as their 3,000-square-foot Irvington ranch, plus a yard, and she’d move.

Lo and behold, he did, in Crows Nest. The three-bed, two-bath house has a circular layout with semi–open concept living, dining, and kitchen spaces and, as a bonus, a pool on the half-acre lot. “I always said I’d never turn down a pool,” Hudson says. The home had been sitting on the market for a while because, in Hudson’s opinion, the listing for 1,800 square feet was misleading; the homeowners couldn’t include the 1,200-square-foot finished attic because the ceiling was too low. Additionally, the photos didn’t do the home justice. “From the outside, it looks tiny and bungalow-ish, but you don’t realize how deep it goes,” she says, adding that the images didn’t showcase the layout’s attractive flow, either. The couple got it under list price for $410,000, and Hudson, who uses the attic as her office, has no regrets—her dream midcentury home can wait. Downsizing forced the couple to purge, and they discovered the joys of a simplified lifestyle. “I’m actually spending more time with my kid out- side. That has been the most amazing part of all of this,” Hudson says.

FAVORITE FEATURE
The nature-filled backyard

PURCHASE DATE
March 2024

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NEIGHBORHOOD
Crows Nest

SQUARE FOOTAGE
1,800





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Indianapolis man sentenced to 110 years for 2021 double homicide

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Indianapolis man sentenced to 110 years for 2021 double homicide


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indianapolis man has been sentenced to 110 years in prison for his role in a north side shooting that resulted in the death of two men during a $20 marijuana deal in 2021.

The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office announced the sentencing of 21-year-old Camran Perry on Thursday, following a jury’s verdict after a two-day trial. In July, Perry was found guilty of two counts of murder and carrying a handgun without a license, a release said.

Andrew Jones, 21, and Blake Coffman, 20, died in a shooting about 6:45 p.m. Dec. 1, 2021, in the 8800 block of Westfield Way at the 9000 Westfield apartments. That’s just southeast of the intersection of East 91st Street and Westfield Boulevard.

Investigators interviewed a witness who reported hearing “three loud thumps” and seeing a man in a gray sweatsuit standing behind the victims’ vehicle before fleeing the scene. The witness, along with others, then approached the vehicle and called the police.

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Two cellphones were recovered at the scene. Investigators obtained warrants for the phones, one of which belonged to Coffman.

According to a release, on Coffman’s phone, which was logged into his personal Instagram account, investigators found video chats and private messages indicating his intention to meet someone at the location of the shooting. The other user of this account deleted their account just hours after the incident. Digital forensics teams traced this account back to Perry.

Perry was taken into custody on Jan. 10. Initially, he denied knowing either of the victims, but later confessed to meeting up with them to make a purchase. Perry later admitted to engaging in a verbal altercation with Coffman and Jones, before shooting both men, police say.

Prosecutor Ryan Mears issued the following statement after the conviction:

“Young people having easy access to firearms leads to them making poor, split-second decisions that result in senseless deaths and tragedy,” stated Prosecutor Mears. “It is incumbent upon us to continue to empower young people with the tools to be mindful of the long-term consequences of gun violence in order to avoid tragedies like this.”

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Indy promoter hopes education leads to a safer Indianapolis

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Indy promoter hopes education leads to a safer Indianapolis


INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis event promoter Teddrick Hardy is disappointed that violence has become prevalent in the Circle City.

“It’s very frustrating because I’m going to like my eleventh year in promoting and myself, alongside other promoters, put a lot of work in having successful, safe and joyful events,” Hardy said.

WRTV

Over the past couple of months, WRTV has reported on numerous parties and gatherings that have been held illegally or without proper permits.

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In some cases, these events have ended in violence.

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“Our goal is to gather groups of people to come and see these establishments to spend money, to bring their friends out to celebrate,” Hardy explained.

Now, promoters like Hardy are learning from various Indianapolis government agencies to ensure events can continue in a safe manner.

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WRTV

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On Wednesday, these agencies hosted an ask the officials event aimed at answering promoters questions on how to properly organize and operate events.

“We all want safe events,” IMPD Deputy Chief Kendale Adams said. “We all want people to come and have a good time. It’s a part of what I did when I was young, and it’s important that we educate promoters on what that looks like.”

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WRTV

Hardy is hopeful the event will lead to safer events being held in Indianapolis.

“I want to see Indianapolis become a better place,” he said.

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The full Ask the Officials meeting can be viewed here.





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