[h=2]Passing of the torch[/h] Tuesday, 19 September 2017


By Robin Miller / Images by IMS Photo & LAT archive


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Late Sunday afternoon they were separated by about 50 yards in the pits at Sonoma Raceway as one was celebrating a championship and the other seemed to be reflecting on the reality that his amazing career as a full-time IndyCar driver for Roger Penske was over after 18 years.
Josef Newgarden, the new face of IndyCar racing, alternated between the euphoria of the moment and emotional recounting of the people who helped him reach the top step of his profession in only 26 years.
Helio Castroneves, the most recognizable face of IndyCar for the past two decades, sat on the pit wall and looked back on all of his good fortune and accomplishments, while more or less looking forward to a new chapter in his remarkable story.
It was the passing of the IndyCar torch inside the most successful team in American open-wheel history.
"I can't compare Newgarden to anyone else really, but he's an American, which is special in this sport because many of the other drivers have come from all over the world," said Roger Penske, who now owns 15 IndyCar titles to go with his 16 Indy 500 triumphs and 197 victories since 1969. "I've had so many great drivers and you know I don't have a favorite. But to see Josef get to the top this fast is pretty exciting. He's quite a talent."
Castroneves was walking to meet Morris Nunn in the early evening of Oct. 31, 1999 to sign with Nunn's team when his life changed. Greg Moore, already set to join Team Penske in 2000, had lost his life earlier that day at Fontana and The Captain beckoned the 24-year-old Brazilian to his motor coach.
"I don't want to sound cocky but I had always dreamed of driving the Marlboro car, which of course was Roger's, and when I got the opportunity it obviously changed my life," he reflected after finishing fifth at Sonoma and fourth in the Verizon point standings. "I was so excited and humbled and thankful all at the same time and it took me about 10 seconds to say yes. Obviously, I worked hard to try and get to that point but it's hard to describe how fortunate I felt."
Had it not been for Sarah Fisher, Wink Hartman and Ed Carpenter, there's a damn good chance Newgarden would have been one of the many talented Mazda ladder kids to get one test or one year in an IndyCar before being banished to sports cars.
Those three gave Josef a chance to drive through his mistakes and grow up – something kids seldom get the chance to do anymore – and show the paddock he possessed all the right stuff. Along with engineer Jeremy Milles, he went from potential to the real deal. And Tim Cindric, who hadn't been a big fan a couple years earlier, saw the progress along with R.P.
"After he broke his hand last year [at Texas] and then didn't miss a race and dominated at Iowa, I was really impressed," said the 80-year-old dynamo, who still seldom takes a day off. "You could see he was talented, but that kind of grit and determination is what told me we had to have this kid."
The fact Castroneves never won a championship is hard to believe when you look at his body of work, but he's always been adamant he'd never trade one of his Borg-Warner Trophies for No. 1. Maybe the most amazing thing is that as good as he's always been at Indianapolis, he's never driven better or smarter everywhere than the past two seasons as he passed into his 42nd year last May.
"I can't drive any harder or any better than I did this year and I finished fourth in the championship, which just tells me how tough the competition has become in this series during the past few years," said the veteran who captured three poles, the Iowa race, and only missed one Fast Six all season.
Newgarden, the first American champ since Ryan-Hunter Reay in 2012, was overwhelmed at the team in Team Penske.
"They all made me feel welcome, immediately, and it makes you want to work even harder when you see Helio still so competitive and in such great shape. He's an inspiration."
Following his 2015 Indy win for R.P., Juan Pablo Montoya certainly didn't want to become a full-time sports car driver and Indy 500 only participant in 2017 but understood the timing was perfect for R.P. to snatch Newgarden. So now he'll have a teammate in the Acura program who also has zero desire to leave IndyCar but understands his loyalty to Penske is foremost.
"I love everything about IndyCar," said Castroneves, who was scheduled to test the Acura on Monday at Sebring. "I love the speed, the competition, my team and this has been my life and my family.
"Like I've been telling you for several months, I know I have a job with Roger next year and I'll do whatever is best for him and this team. But I can still win the Indy 500 one or two more times."
Tony Kanaan (pictured above with Castroneves at driver introductions before the Sonoma race) said it was a shame there was no going-away tour for his longtime pal and rival and there was an atmosphere of hoping he could go out with the championship last weekend. Fans and even other drivers seemed somewhat nostalgic when his name was mentioned.
"Behind all the sparkly teeth and hair gel is a hell of a competitor and hell of a driver and he's still up front all the time," said Dario Franchitti, another three-time Indy king.
"Helio is an inspiration and it's been an honor racing with him," said Hunter-Reay, the 2014 Indy winner whose duel for the win with Castroneves was one of the best ever. "His hunger has always stayed there."
After Sunday's finale, teammate Will Power got out of his car and gave Castroneves a hug, as if to say, 'Helluva run mate,' and that pretty much sums it up. He's been a great ambassador for IndyCar and one of its most popular and successful drivers.
Newgarden is the future of IndyCar and Castroneves is slowly being phased out. But we'll still see a lot of him in May and that just seems kind of fitting.