Newgarden Focused for Firestone 600
Josef Newgarden is determined to turn the page from recent on-track misfortune, and he doesn’t need to wait long as the Verizon IndyCar Series schedule continues a busy summer stretch.
Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing (SFHR) driver Newgarden was eliminated early after being hit from behind at the Indianapolis 500 on May 25 and was also hit in Race 2 of the Indy Dual in Detroit, finishing the race one lap down. But he will look to rebound immediately at the Firestone 600 on Saturday, June 7 at Texas Motor Speedway.
The event on the high-speed, 1.5-mile Texas oval is the fourth Verizon IndyCar Series race in the last three weekends.
“When you get into a bad stretch of racing, you just have to keep doing what you’re doing because eventually things turn around,” Newgarden said. “Sometimes you get in situations that don’t go your way, but we are on the right path at SFHR, and all the guys and crew are staying focused and working hard. We are knocking on the door.”
SFHR will sport a fan-favorite red, white and blue chrome livery on the No. 67 Honda-powered entry at Texas with the support of Strike, LLC, a leading single-source North American energy services provider. Strike served as the primary sponsor on Newgarden’s car at the Grand Prix of Houston in October 2013 and was an associate sponsor for the team last month at the Indianapolis 500.
“Strike has been a wonderful partner for us to be involved with over the last two years,” Newgarden said. “There’s been expansion this year, and they will be primary for Dallas and Houston, and we also had them on board with us as an associate sponsor for the Indy 500. I’m really happy that we have two races in Texas to try and put some great results together for them.”
Newgarden secured a solid eighth-place finish in 2013 at Texas and is shooting for an even stronger result this weekend.
“We had a good car last year; we just didn’t quite get the strategy to fall our way,” Newgarden said. “I think with where we were last year we have a very competitive package. We just have to execute properly throughout the weekend, and we should be strong.”
Strike CEO Steve Pate is looking forward to partnering with SFHR at both Texas Motor Speedway and in Houston.
“Strike is excited to partner with Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing for the second year in a row,” Pate said. “With Josef’s high energy and strong talent, we are looking forward to an exciting race and hopefully a podium finish! We just wish Sarah could be here with us.”
Team co-owner Sarah Fisher will miss the Texas event as her second child is due to arrive in the coming weeks.
The Firestone 600 kicks off with practice at 11 a.m. (ET) Friday, June 6. The 600-mile race will air live on NBC Sports Network at 8 p.m. (ET) Saturday, June 7. To stay up to date on the latest news and photos of the No. 67 Strike car, follow @SFHRindy on Twitter and Instagram and like Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing on Facebook.
Strike, LLC
Strike is a leading single-source energy services provider, known for its high safety and quality standards. Strike’s integrated network of energy services ranges from upstream production, processing and gathering facilities to high-pressure transmission and distribution lines. Strike is committed to ensuring the safety and health of our employees, the general public, environment and our customers through our industry leading Safety program. Fulfilling a need in the Midstream Energy sector led to the creation of Strike, LLC in 2003, and Strike’s foundation is built on the pillars of Safety, Quality, Accountability, and Integrity through partnering. Over the past 10 years, Strike has created various business units with numerous locations throughout the Gulf Coast region. For more information about Strike, please visit www.strikeusa.com
Tags Firestone 600Josef NewgardenLLCSarah Fisher Hartman RacingStrikeTexas Motor SpeedwayVerizon IndyCar Series
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