Indianapolis, IN
What could prevent Josef Newgarden from racing Indianapolis 500, Coca-Cola 600 double
LEBANON – Two-time Indianapolis 500 champion and Nashville resident Josef Newgarden would be interested in one day running the double — the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte.
However, Newgarden acknowledged there is a lot more behind the scenes to making that happen than simply saying he’d like to compete in the two races, which would account to 1,100 miles racing in one day.
“If we win enough Indy 500s, maybe they’d just have to say yes,” Newgarden said Sunday during a media availability at Nashville Superspeedway prior to the Ally 400. “That’s the strategy. We’ve got two now. How many do we need to get an automatic yes. Is it two more? I don’t know what the answer is. We’ll keep going until they say yes.”
Newgarden, The Tennessean’s 2023 Sportsperson of the Year, has won the past two Indianapolis 500 races.
“I’d love to drive a Cup car at some point,” said Newgarden, a Pope Saint John Paul II Preparatory School graduate.
“I used to go to Bristol races when I was a kid. Bristol has always been very high on my list. This track and Bristol are probably the tracks I went to the most to see Cup races. To do the double, would be a great opportunity.
LIVE UPDATES: NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville: Live updates, highlights, live leaderboard of Ally 400
RACING ROOTS: How growing up around Nashville shaped Indy 500 champion Josef Newgarden’s IndyCar career
“I don’t know if that will ever take shape. It’s really tough nowadays to get that all lined up. There is a lot of people that have to be involved and come together on that. First and foremost, it was great to see Kyle (Larson) do that. We’d love to see more do that.”
Newgarden drives for Roger Penske, owner of Team Penske. Team Penske’s NASCAR Cup program includes 2023 NASCAR Cup champion Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano and Austin Cindric. Roger Penske also owns Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or tkreager@tennessean.com and on the X platform @Kreager.
Indianapolis police shoot homicide suspect on South Harding Street
Indianapolis police shot a homicide suspect after a pursuit ended near I-70 on May 28, 2026. The suspect is in stable condition.
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Indianapolis police shot a homicide suspect after a vehicle pursuit that ended west of downtown near Interstate 70.
Just before 8:30 p.m. May 28, 2026 Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers were dispatched to a shooting in the first block of North Rural Street. Arriving officers found Patricia Wieber, 65, with gunshot wounds. Wieber was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital.
Witnesses were able to give police information about the shooter and officers tracked the suspect to the 7500 block of Bullock Court on the city’s south side. The suspect, identified by police as Ronald Cross, 75, got into a different vehicle with another man. While tracking that vehicle officers attempted a traffic stop near West Southport and Bluff roads. The driver, who is not implicated in the homicide, got out of the vehicle without incident and was taken into custody.
Police said Cross then slid into the vehicle’s driver seat and fled. Officers used stop sticks and then in the 1000 block of South Harding Street near I-70 a SWAT officer used a vehicle to perform a PIT maneuver to stop the SUV, said Kendale Adams, IMPD deputy chief of criminal investigations.
After the vehicle was stopped officers shot the suspect, Adams said. Cross was taken to the hospital in stable condition. No officers were injured.
Adams said two firearms were located at the scene.
During a news conference at the scene, Indianapolis police chief Tanya Terry extended her thoughts to the family of Wieber who was killed in what police believe was a domestic violence situation. She also praised her officers’ handling of the situation.
“[Our officers] did exactly what our community expects them do to in situations like this,” Terry said. “Our officers worked with bravery, coordination and precision in their attempts to safely bring the suspect into custody. I’m extremely proud of them for the work that they’ve done.”
The chief added that Cross would be facing charges in the case and police confirmed hours later that Cross was arrested on a murder charge.
The shooting involving police was among a string of shootings across the city, including one downtown roughly two hours before that left a man in critical condition.
“It’s been a difficult night for our city,” Terry said.
The officers involved in shooting Cross have been placed on administrative leave, per department policy. The Civilian Use of Force Review Board will have a hearing on the shooting and body and dash cameras were activated during the shooting, Adams said.
It is unclear whether Cross fired at officers and what makes and models of firearms were found by police.
Asked those questions by IndyStar, an unnamed IMPD spokesperson did not provide additional information and instead referred to a press release that did not contain the answers.
This is the fourth shooting involving Indianapolis police since the start of the year.
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Get more information of shootings involving Indianapolis police here.
After an IMPD officer-involved shooting, what comes next?
From investigations and reviews to public updates and department procedures, this is what happens after an IMPD officer-involved shooting.
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José Plasencia brings Cuban cuisine to Fountain Square’s Inferno Room
Cuban food never got the opportunity to evolve. Now at the Inferno Room, José Plasencia is giving his homeland cuisine a second chance.
A standout burger can come from unexpected places, as evidenced by one Indianapolis restaurant whose unconventional take on the American classic has earned it a spot on a national USA Today list.
There’s only one burger on the menu at the recently reimagined Inferno Room in Fountain Square, but it’s a good one.
Chef José Plasencia’s rendition of the Cuban frita, a beef-chorizo burger defined by a topping of fried shoestring potatoes, joined heavy hitters from across the country on USA TODAY’s pantheon of patties.
The USA Today list included places like Mr. Bartley’s Burgers, a veritable institution in Cambridge, Massachusetts as well as Jay’s Burgers in Louisville and Sacred Beast in Cincinnati.
Indianapolis’ best-known burger spot, the more than century-old Workingman’s Friend, did not make the national list but appeared alongside the Inferno Room on USA TODAY’s roundup of exemplary Midwest burgers. Both were featured on IndyStar’s list of 10 burgers to try around town.
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