A refueling glitch cost Josef Newgarden of Team Penske a potential victory at last weekend’s race in St. Petersburg. Falling behind Alex Palou’s No. 10 Honda and Scott Dixon’s No. 9 car in the final two minutes of the race, Newgarden’s misfortune was traced back to a refueling issue in his final two pit stops.
The disappointment of the race was palpable in Newgarden’s post-race press conferences. He spoke of an unexpected refueling problem that forced him to use the ’emergency mode’ gearbox button on the steering wheel. This caused his car to relent and fall back to a third-place finish, trailing his Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin, who finished fourth in the No. 3 Chevy.
Newgarden stated, “We had a shift that was unexpected with a lap to go, and we just had to hit the emergency button, which was unfortunate. We kind of started that last lap like, half-emergency mode, and then they said, you just have to pull the chute here. Like, just finish.”
These comments were clarified by Newgarden’s race engineer, Luke Mason, who explained to RACER that Newgarden was indeed referring to a shift in the fuel error, not an electronics or gearbox shifting issue. This error forced Newgarden to implement a panic fuel-save yellow fuel map, part-throttle lift, and coast for the final lap, barely making it to the finish line.
Mason admitted, “Unfortunately it cost us a spot to the No. 9, but we had a gap back to the No. 3 and third is a lot better than running out on track and ending up 21st!”
The root of Newgarden’s difficulties was analyzed post-race and traced back to his last two pit stops. Mason revealed that a refueling issue plagued both stops, preventing the car from being fully refueled and resulting in no fuel error shift.
“The new (spec) fuel flow sensors in the car do a good job of being able to see this now opposed to previous years,” he said. “Unfortunately, if not for this, we don’t get overcut by the No. 10 and the outcome could have been a little more favorable for us!”
This race serves as a reminder that in motorsport, the smallest technical hiccup can have a significant impact on the race result. Despite the setback, Team Penske will undoubtedly be back on the track, working to iron out these issues and pushing for victory in their next outing.
