Newgarden to start 19th at Mid-Ohio

Lexington, Ohio (Aug. 3, 2013) - The sun finally peaked through the clouds at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course just in time for the start of the IZOD IndyCar Series qualifications. Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing (SFHR) driver Josef Newgarden turned a lap of 1 minute, 6.5334 seconds at 122.176 mph, and will start from the 19th position in Sunday's race.

"We didn't quite get the additional speed that we wanted this afternoon, but we know what we want to do tomorrow and we should have a great race car," Newgarden said. "We are always good in the races, the guys are always good at stops, so we should be just fine. I'm looking forward to the race."

Josef Newgarden, Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda

Photo by: Art Fleischmann

"Mid-Ohio is a place you really have to get the strategy right," Newgarden said. "You have to figure out what you want to do with pit stops because that's an area where you can pass people and find an advantage. It's hard to pass people on pure pace here, but it's definitely doable."

The Ohio weather has been unpredictable this weekend, but the forecast looks to be dry for Sunday's 90-lap race -- and for Newgarden, the sunnier the better.

"I'm glad that it's hopefully not going to rain the rest of the weekend," Newgarden said. "I love the rain, but this track is super slippery so it gets tough around here when it's wet. Tomorrow should be a great sunny day, I'm sure we will have lots of fans, and it should be a good show."

The green flag will drop for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio at 3:40 pm ET on Sunday, Aug. 4.

Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing