Bryan Herta CRITICIZES IndyCar after Newgarden decision

Photo: © IMAGO

IndyCar

Herta CRITICIZES IndyCar after Newgarden decision

Herta spoke after the Bommarito 500 that took place at Gateway on Saturday

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson

Monday 19 August 2024 17:00

Motorsport team owner Bryan Herta, who is also the father of IndyCar star Colton, has criticized race officials after Saturday's Bommarito 500 race at Gateway.

After a grueling race, it was Team Penske's Josef Newgarden who came out victorious, but his win was not without controversy.

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With nine laps to go, the race was set to restart after some time under a yellow, with Newgarden leading and therefore the pace car.

What eventually transpired was a domino effect of crashes, with four cars caught up in the incident and Newgarden accused of being the one to blame, even by his own team-mate Will Power, who was forced to retire as a result of the crash.

Colton Herta was given a penalty by IndyCar officials

Herta criticizes IndyCar

Speaking to the media after the race, Colton Herta's father, Bryan, who is also involved with the Andretti Herta Autosport in conjunction with Marco Andretti and Curb-Agajanian project, criticized the decision to not award Newgarden a penalty, warning that a concerning feeling is growing within the paddock.

“I wasn’t saying that Colton didn’t deserve a penalty, what I’m saying is there is a growing feeling in the paddock there is not a level playing field,” Herta explained to NBCSports.com.

Josef Newgarden avoided a penalty and won the Bommarito 500

“One guy who clearly caused a three-car accident checking up the field and wins the race gets no penalty. Then somebody else, racing hard, has to block a guy and gets a penalty.

“What Josef [Newgarden] did was worse because he caused an accident taking three cars out of the race. Why does that not rise to the level of a penalty? His own teammates are flipping him off.

“He accelerated and slowed down. They tell them in every single driver’s meeting how to manage it.”

IndyCar Team Penske Will Power Colton Herta Josef Newgarden