Josef Newgarden passed Marcus Ericsson on the final lap of the Indianapolis 500 to win the race on Sunday, and after crossing the start-finish line, he parked his car and sprinted to the grandstand.
Newgarden started to climb over the security fence, but slipped under it and headed straight into the crowd. The fans went wild and several people took out their phones to record the moment.
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Josef Newgarden, driver of the #2 PPG Team Chevrolet Penske, celebrates after winning the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 28, 2023. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
After celebrating at Victory Lane, he explained what he was thinking to the crowd.
«I always wanted to get closer to the crowd here in Indianapolis,» Newgarden told NBC Sports. «I’ve seen people climb the fence. I wanted to get over the fence. I wanted to celebrate with the people. I thought it would be cool to be in that energy because I know what that energy is like on race day.
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«It was a dream of mine. If this was ever going to happen, I wanted to do it.»
Josef Newgarden, driver of the #2 PPG Team Chevrolet Penske, climbs the fence after winning the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 28, 2023. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
It was Newgarden’s first Indy 500 win. He needed to make a smart move and pass Ericsson on the last lap to take the win.
Ericsson was trying to become the first consecutive winner since Helio Castroneves in 2001 and 2002.
Josef Newgarden, driver of the #2 PPG Team Chevrolet Penske, celebrates with fans after winning the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 28, 2023. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
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Newgarden has two wins on the year. He won at Texas earlier in the season.