JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 67 HARTMAN OIL CFH RACING CHEVROLET, RACE WINNER – Scored first Verizon IndyCar Series win in INDY Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park:

WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND ON THOSE FINAL FEW LAPS?  “I was just so nervous and I can’t tell you how nervous I was.  In racing I am normally not but it’s just been such a long time coming in trying to do this.  I can’t believe now is when it happened.  I knew that one of these days it was going to happen with this team because they are so solid.  I just can’t think everybody enough that gave me an IndyCar job.    Wink Hartman, Sarah Fisher, Libba Hartman and Andy O’Gara.   It’s unbelievable what this has turned into and now I have Ed Carpenter in the group and Stewart and everyone who is involved.  I really wouldn’t be here without all those guys because they made me into an IndyCar driver.  It’s so hard to become a professional driver these days and they made me one.  So I just want to thank them and everyone on our car.  Chevrolet was incredible.  I was just getting crazy fuel mileage with fast pace.  So Chevys are just obviously really unbelievable cars and we are spanking the Hondas right now.   Very happy to be with those guys because they took us under their wing.  We have great partners with Direct Supply and Firestone tires which stayed underneath me and kept me just fine.  I really don’t know what to say but I am just so happy that we have great partners, great owners, incredible team and group.  Just happy we won this race finally.”

AS A KID YOU DREAM OF THIS, DOES THE REALITY MATCH THE DREAM?  “Oh yeah.  I thought I would get a little more choked up, and I am choked up but I think I am just so jacked up on adrenaline right now that I can’t be.   That whole race was just go, go, go and try to get to the front.  It was just easy.  These guys just gave me such an incredible car.   All weekend we were just pounding away, were incredible on the pit stops and just never gave up.  All my guys are so awesome they made it possible and I am so happy we were able to do that.   When you become a professional driver and win an IndyCar race, that is how you want to do it.”

YOU HAD TO OVERCOME A PIT STOP ISSUE AND THEN YOU GOT AROUND HELIO AT THE END  “I am just happy the way we were able to do that.   The car was great.  That is CFH Racing right there.  They gave me the fastest car in the field and able to save fuel.  Even when we got behind, it didn’t matter because we were able to get back by Helio.  It was just a great team effort and everybody behind this team just made it a solid effort and that is the way you want to win these races and hopefully we can do more this year.”

YOU SAW YOUR GIRLFRIEND ASHLEY ON TV, WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION“They just looked so happy and I think they were more happy than I am.  It’s just taken so long.  I don’t know what to say. I am just so happy for this group.   You don’t want to win just one .   I want to win more races and I hope this team can win more races.  Let’s go win the next one and see what we got.”

JOEY NEWGARDEN, JOSEF’S FATHER: DID YOU THINK THIS DAY WOULD COME?  “Yes I did and here it is.  We are just as happy as could be and we are proud of Josef.  I want to cry but I can’t.”