Smart strategy helped Simon Pagenaud to back-to-back wins at Sonoma on Sunday, but even his victory was not enough to stop Penske teammate Josef Newgarden from securing the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series drivers' championship. Pagenaud, who started from third, lost a place to Helio Castroneves on the opening lap, and then showed his hand when he pitted on lap 12 – half a dozen laps earlier than expected – for his first scheduled stop. Stickered blacks made way for scuffed reds, and he set off into the pack to see whether he could make a four-stopper work. Meanwhile, Josef Newgarden had led the field away from pole and was looking completely comfortable up front, quickly opening up a gap...
Full Story »