Team Penske has scored two victories in the opening two races of the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series championship after Josef Newgarden in the No.2 PPG Chevrolet took a last lap lead of the XPEL 375 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday.

The Tennessee-native started the race from seventh place and came through the field to score his first win of the season after his team-mate Scott McLaughlin took victory in St Pete.

Unbelievable. “I think Scott led 95 percent of the laps. I hate doing that to a teammate, but I was going for it, just like he was.

“Man, I was loose; I was driving the thing sideways off (Turns) 3 and 4. I was trying to get a win. I’m just so pleased for everybody. Last lap, last corner – that’s what it’s all about at Texas.”

I was livid in the car because we had all this traffic and it wasn’t helping me, and then right when I needed it to help me, it helped me. “Literally last corner, last lap, the traffic helped me out.”

Scott McLaughlin in the No.3 XPEL Chevrolet started the race from second place and ran upfront all race long and came home in second place and speaking following the action he said:

“Second is a great day, but unfortunately, we made a little lapse and at the end of the day lost. If you’re going to lose to anyone, your teammate is the guy you want to lose it to. Gutted I couldn’t get it done for XPEL and Chevy. But at the end of the day, we’re there, and I learned a lot in the race that going to help us going in May to the Speedway.

“But I’m gutted. It still hurt. It’s how it is. But I’m pretty proud of how we’re running. My car wasn’t probably as good as it had been in traffic as it had been the whole race. I knew I was building push, I was building tightness. Once he (Newgarden) got on the outside there, I couldn’t come up above the line. I was stuck. I thought about going outside on Malukas there, but I was worried I would push up into the gray and into the fence. You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

Will Power started the race from fourth place in the No.12 Verizon 5G Chevrolet came home in fourth place.

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