Mystery Foto #38 Solved: Rookie Indy Driver Josef Newgarden at the 2012 Legendary Day
Thousands of men, women and children have sat in the driver's seat of the Alco Black Beast. Did you recognize this celebrity driver?
Mystery Foto questions:
- Identify the celebrity driver
Josef Newgarden is sitting in the driver's seat with Howard Kroplick.
In 2012, 22-year old Newgarden was a rookie driver for the Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda team. He is currently racing for Team Penske and won the 2017 IndyCar Series Championship last week.
- Where and when was this photo taken?
Wednesday, May 23, 2012. Legendary Day at the Indy 500 track prior to the 2012 Indy 500 Race.
Comments (13)
Congrats to Tim Ivers, Frank Femenias, Steve Lucas, Mike Carroll, Art Kleiner, Dick Gorman, Tim Bosanoz, Bob Lang and Greg O. for correctly identifying Josef Newgarden.
Kudos to Art Kleiner for his comment on the celebrity in the photo.
Enjoy,
Howard Kroplick
Submitted by Steve Lucas Source: PressSnoop.com
Lynne Huntting May 23, 2012
One of the free Wednesday Community Day activities at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was viewing thirty-four Indycar Legends, up close and personal. The fans could check out the cars, take unlimited photos, even under the car, talk with the owner, and in some cases pose for photos in the car as well as out.
One ‘fan’ was Rookie JOSEF NEWGARDEN/Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda, with two of his crew members. Newgarden admitted he wasn’t a buff. “I know very little about these cars, but I need to learn more.” He had a lengthy hands-on tutorial from car owner HOWARD KROPLICK regarding Kroplick’s 1909 Alco-6 Racer Black Beast, originally raced by HARRY GRANT.
Newgarden was invited to sit in the car, and was shown chapter and verse how it worked, including the pump by the driver’s left hand. Newgarden joked that the steering wheel was too small.
Newgarden may be a Rookie, but he is no slouch. He was the fastest Rookie of eight such categorized drivers, and the only Honda driver in the top ten starting lineup. His speed at IMS this month was such that he was fastest overall on two separate days. The youngest driver in the field, Newgarden is a product of the Road to Indy program, handily winning the 2011 Firestone Indy Lights Championship and the 2011 Lights race at IMS.
Newgarden was quite taken with the car and seemed like a kid in the proverbial candy store.
Kroplick turned on the engine and let her rip. What a deep, throaty sound it had.
Grant was the only driver of the car, which raced 1909-1911. In 1911 the car was gifted to Grant.
Since then, the car has had multiple owners – various collectors, the Harrah’s Automobile Collection, a private museum in England. The first restoration was 1968-1975, and then again 1994-2008.Kroplick purchased the car in 2008 from a Belgian vintage car dealer, and reconditioned the car.
One of the ‘fans’ hanging out with Kroplick was MARK DILL, Vice President of Marketing for the Speedway. He was quite knowledgable about not only the Black Beast, but most any other car. Seriously knowledgable. While Dill’s has only worked for IMSH for the past two years, his first Indy 500 was in 1966. Dill told me that Newgarden was the third Indy 500 driver to sit in the car. The first was Grant, the second was EMERSON FITTIPALDI for the IMS Centennial, and now Rookie Newgarden.
Among other tidbits from Dill were that ARIE LUYENDYK holds both the official and unofficial lap records at The Brickyard. In 1996 qualifying, Luyendyk qualified on pole with a four-lap average of 236.986 mph/381.392 km/h, but he ran one lap at 237.498 mph/382.216 km/h.
RYAN BRISCOE’S 2012 pole lap was 226.484 mph (four-lap average.)
Dill thought eventually the speeds would continue to increase into the thirties. He recounted memories of the days when teams were allowed to do things for a good qualifying run. Back in the day, one way was to add nitro to the fuel. It was good for a front row starting position, but the engine blew up after qualifying.
Kroplick is an author, specializing in Vanderbilt Cup Races as a subject.
Comments
Honda driver Joe Newgarden,
The “Brickyard”
2012
Race driver Josef Newgarden, Indy 500, 2012
That’s Josef Newgarden who was a rookie driver for the Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda team when the photo was taken on May 23, 2012. It was during the Wednesday Community Day events at Indianapolis, IN leading up to that year’s Indy 500 Race.
Joseph Newgarden
Howard Kroplick is the celebrity driver in my mind! But I believe the answer is Josef Newgarden who until 2017 drove for the Sarah Fisher Harman Racing Honda team. Now he is racing for Team Penske. Newgarden is an athlete (participated in the NFL Combine and the Indiana Pacers Slam Dunk contest), actor (episode of “American Made Ninja”) and model.
Picture taken at the 2012 Indy 500 Brickyard community event in May of that year, a few days prior to the actual race.
Lawson Aschenbach? (Spelling)
Mystery Foto #38… The celebrity driver is Indy car driver, Josef Newgarden.
Driving for Penske, I believe.
Photo taken at the Indianapolis 500 race in May 2012.
Josef Newgarden
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Ed Carpenter Indy this season.
All I can make out of it is that he might be a driver for the Dollar General Team by the shirt he’s wearing and it was at one of the race tracks that you were at,most likely Indianapolis,because of the long straightaway and bleachers you. Hope you liked that picture I sent you.
That’s Josef Newgarden. It was at the 2012 Indy 500. Newgarden was driving a Honda powered car entered by Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing. Newgarden’s shirt shows the Honda logo and was the same shirt he was wearing in another picture taken that same year that appeared in the June 7, 2012 newsletter. That photo also had Howard and the Black Beast.
Identify the celebrity driver
-Josef Newgarden
Where and when was this photo taken?
-2012 Indy 500
Could that be Fitipaldi at the Indy in 2011