BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Getting back in the race car was “the best medicine in the world” for Josef Newgarden. That's also Scott McLaughlin's “favorite place in the world.”
Team Penske, Newgarden, McLaughlin and Will Power get to end a controversy-filled week tucked into their high-speed sanctuaries for a couple of hours during Sunday's race at Barber, a picturesque road course where they've combined for seven wins over the years.
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FILE - Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden, center, celebrates his first place finish along with second place finisher Arrow McLaren driver Pato O'Ward of Mexico, left, and third place finisher Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin of New Zealand in the IndyCar Grand Prix of St. Petersburg auto race, Sunday, March 10, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Team Penske suffered a humiliating disqualification Wednesday, April 24, when reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden was stripped of his victory in the season-opening race for manipulating his push-to-pass system. Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin, who finished third in the opener on the downtown streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, was also disqualified. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson, File)
FILE - Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden, center, celebrates his first place finish along with second place finisher Arrow McLaren driver Pato O'Ward of Mexico, left, and third place finisher Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin of New Zealand in the IndyCar Grand Prix of St. Petersburg auto race, Sunday, March 10, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Team Penske suffered a humiliating disqualification Wednesday, April 24, when reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden was stripped of his victory in the season-opening race for manipulating his push-to-pass system. Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin, who finished third in the opener on the downtown streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, was also disqualified. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
FILE _ Will Power, of Australia, talks with a crew member following practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Monday, May 22, 2023, in Indianapolis. Power said Thursday, April 25, 2024, he was unaware of any manipulations to Team Penske’s push-to-power system until after last weekend’s IndyCar race at Long Beach and never illegally used the mechanism.. Power finished fourth and while his result was not thrown out, he was docked 10 points and all three Penske drivers were fined $25,000. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
FILE - Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden, right, celebrates his victory with team owner Roger Penske after the IndyCar Grand Prix of St. Petersburg auto race, Sunday, March 10, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Team Penske suffered a humiliating disqualification Wednesday, April 24, when reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden was stripped of his victory in the season-opening race for manipulating his push-to-pass system. Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin, who finished third in the opener on the downtown streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, was also disqualified. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson, File)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Getting back in the race car was “the best medicine in the world” for Josef Newgarden. That's also Scott McLaughlin's “favorite place in the world.”
FILE - Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden, center, celebrates his first place finish along with second place finisher Arrow McLaren driver Pato O'Ward of Mexico, left, and third place finisher Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin of New Zealand in the IndyCar Grand Prix of St. Petersburg auto race, Sunday, March 10, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Team Penske suffered a humiliating disqualification Wednesday, April 24, when reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden was stripped of his victory in the season-opening race for manipulating his push-to-pass system. Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin, who finished third in the opener on the downtown streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, was also disqualified. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson, File)
FILE - Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden, center, celebrates his first place finish along with second place finisher Arrow McLaren driver Pato O'Ward of Mexico, left, and third place finisher Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin of New Zealand in the IndyCar Grand Prix of St. Petersburg auto race, Sunday, March 10, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Team Penske suffered a humiliating disqualification Wednesday, April 24, when reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden was stripped of his victory in the season-opening race for manipulating his push-to-pass system. Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin, who finished third in the opener on the downtown streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, was also disqualified. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
FILE _ Will Power, of Australia, talks with a crew member following practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Monday, May 22, 2023, in Indianapolis. Power said Thursday, April 25, 2024, he was unaware of any manipulations to Team Penske’s push-to-power system until after last weekend’s IndyCar race at Long Beach and never illegally used the mechanism.. Power finished fourth and while his result was not thrown out, he was docked 10 points and all three Penske drivers were fined $25,000. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
Team Penske's Power, McLaughlin lock up front row at IndyCar after controversial week
Team Penske's Power, McLaughlin lock up front row at IndyCar after controversial week
FILE - Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden, right, celebrates his victory with team owner Roger Penske after the IndyCar Grand Prix of St. Petersburg auto race, Sunday, March 10, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Team Penske suffered a humiliating disqualification Wednesday, April 24, when reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden was stripped of his victory in the season-opening race for manipulating his push-to-pass system. Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin, who finished third in the opener on the downtown streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, was also disqualified. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson, File)
On Wednesday, Newgarden was stripped of his season-opening win at St. Petersburg, Florida, and defending Barber winner McLaughlin lost his third-place finish for manipulating their push-to-pass system. Power was docked series points and also fined, though he didn't make improper use of the push-to-pass.
Back on the track, Team Penske got much better news in Saturday's qualifying, when McLaughlin won the pole and Power was second-fastest to set up an all-Penske front row. That successful qualifying came shortly after series and team owner Roger Penske summoned his fellow owners for a meeting.
Three team owners told The Associated Press that the 87-year-old Penske apologized to the group. The owners spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of sharing details of a private meeting.
“Ultimately very proud of Team Penske," McLaughlin said after winning the pole. “One-two is tough to come by in any series, let alone IndyCar. Obviously after the week we’ve all had, it’s a nice little reward.”
Fastest in Friday's practice session, Newgarden didn't fare as well. The two-time series champion and reigning Indianapolis 500 winner qualified eighth at a track where he won three times from 2015-18.
“I’m here. I’m here with my team,” he said afterward. “I’m ready to rock.”
The race has been nearly an afterthought coming into the weekend, overshadowed by the cloud hovering over Newgarden and Team Penske.
A week of negative headlines turned into celebration with Team Penske crew members high-fiving and cheering the qualifying results.
McLaughlin won his sixth IndyCar pole with a final lap of 1 minute, 5.9490 seconds. Power turned a fast lap of 1:06.0460 to lock up the other front row spot, ahead of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward, Meyer Shank Racing's Felix Rosenqvist and Marcus Armstrong of Chip Ganassi Racing.
"Good bounce-back for the team,” said Power, who won at Barber in 2011 and 2012.
O’Ward and his Arrow McLaren team didn’t get to celebrate on victory lane. He had to settle for a playful moment, telling Newgarden on X (formerly Twitter), “Let me know if you need my address to send over the hardware.”
O’Ward’s second-place finish at St. Petersburg turned to a win some six weeks later. He’d love a more exuberant celebration soon, perhaps on Sunday. “A win’s a win, right? Take it,” O’Ward said. “But I’d love to give the team a proper celebration, not for St. Pete, but for a future race coming up.
“This weekend would be fantastic. I’m glad that we got the recognition for it and we got awarded I believe what we deserved. But a big part of the celebration is done there and then you move forward.”
Team Principal Gavin Ward did his best to give the team a treat, settling for five dozen donuts at the shop instead of champagne at the track. It was the team’s first win since 2022, when O’Ward won at Barber and Iowa.
“We’re very happy with the points,” Ward said. “Very happy to get it. Would have loved to celebrate in Victory Lane. But this team’s just been working so friggin’ hard."
Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon won't start near the front at a track where he has routinely made the podium. He just missed making it out of the first round of qualifying, finishing seventh in his session and qualifying 13th.
The current points leader hasn’t won at Barber despite being a regular on the podium. Dixon has six runner-up finishes there and has been third twice.
Dixon picked up career win No. 57 with a victory at Long Beach, 10 shy of A.J. Foyt's IndyCar record 67.
“It's frustrating to just miss but as a group we've been a little off this weekend,” he said.
AP Auto Racing Writer Jenna Fryer contributed to this report.
AP IndyCar: https://apnews.com/hub/indycar
Chip Ganassi Racing driver Scott Dixon speaks during a press conference after winning the IndyCar Grand Prix of Long Beach auto race Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Long Beach, Calif. The win was the 57th of his career, moving him 10 away from A.J. Foyts all-time record. (AP Photo/Jenna Fryer)
FILE - Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden, center, celebrates his first place finish along with second place finisher Arrow McLaren driver Pato O'Ward of Mexico, left, and third place finisher Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin of New Zealand in the IndyCar Grand Prix of St. Petersburg auto race, Sunday, March 10, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Team Penske suffered a humiliating disqualification Wednesday, April 24, when reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden was stripped of his victory in the season-opening race for manipulating his push-to-pass system. Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin, who finished third in the opener on the downtown streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, was also disqualified. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson, File)
FILE - Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden, center, celebrates his first place finish along with second place finisher Arrow McLaren driver Pato O'Ward of Mexico, left, and third place finisher Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin of New Zealand in the IndyCar Grand Prix of St. Petersburg auto race, Sunday, March 10, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Team Penske suffered a humiliating disqualification Wednesday, April 24, when reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden was stripped of his victory in the season-opening race for manipulating his push-to-pass system. Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin, who finished third in the opener on the downtown streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, was also disqualified. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
FILE _ Will Power, of Australia, talks with a crew member following practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Monday, May 22, 2023, in Indianapolis. Power said Thursday, April 25, 2024, he was unaware of any manipulations to Team Penske’s push-to-power system until after last weekend’s IndyCar race at Long Beach and never illegally used the mechanism.. Power finished fourth and while his result was not thrown out, he was docked 10 points and all three Penske drivers were fined $25,000. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
Team Penske's Power, McLaughlin lock up front row at IndyCar after controversial week
Team Penske's Power, McLaughlin lock up front row at IndyCar after controversial week
FILE - Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden, right, celebrates his victory with team owner Roger Penske after the IndyCar Grand Prix of St. Petersburg auto race, Sunday, March 10, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Team Penske suffered a humiliating disqualification Wednesday, April 24, when reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden was stripped of his victory in the season-opening race for manipulating his push-to-pass system. Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin, who finished third in the opener on the downtown streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, was also disqualified. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson, File)
VOVCHANSK, Ukraine (AP) — Moscow's forces captured five villages in a renewed ground assault in northeastern Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday, and Associated Press journalists in the city of Vovchansk described multiple buildings destroyed after Russian airstrikes and barrages of Grad rockets.
Ukrainian officials didn't confirm whether Russian had taken the villages, which lie in a contested “gray zone” on the border of Ukraine's Kharkiv region and Russia.
Ukrainian journalists reported that the villages of Borysivka, Ohirtseve, Pylna and Strilecha were taken by Russian troops on Friday. Russia said the village of Pletenivka was also taken.
In an evening statement Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said fighting was still ongoing in the settlements of Strilecha and Pletenivka, as well as Krasne, Morokhovets, Oliinykove, Lukyantsi and Hatyshche.
“Our troops are carrying out counterattacks there for a second day, protecting Ukrainian territory,” he said.
The Institute for the Study of War said Friday that geolocated footage confirms at least one of the villages was seized. The Washington-based think tank described recent Russian gains as “tactically significant.”
The renewed assault on the region has forced more than 1,700 civilians residing in settlements near the fighting to flee, according to Ukrainian authorities. It comes after Russia stepped up attacks in March targeting energy infrastructure and settlements, which analysts predicted were a concerted effort by Moscow to shape conditions for an offensive.
On Saturday, Russia continued to pummel Vovchansk with airstrikes and Grad rockets as police and volunteers raced to evacuate residents. At least 20 people were evacuated to safety in a nearby village. Police said that 900 people had been evacuated the previous day.
AP journalists who accompanied an evacuation team described empty streets with multiple buildings destroyed and others on fire. The road was littered with newly made craters and the city was covered in dust and shrapnel with the smell of gunpowder heavy in the air. Mushroom clouds of smoke rose across the skyline as Russian jets conducted multiple airstrikes.
The AP journalists witnessed nine air attacks during the three hours they were there.
“The situation in Vovchansk and the settlements along the border (with Russia) is incredibly difficult. Constant aviation strikes are carried out, multiple rocket missile systems strikes, artillery strikes,” said Tamaz Hambarashvili, the head of the Vovchansk military administration.
“For the second day in a row, we evacuated all the inhabitants of our community who are willing to evacuate,” he said. “I think that they are destroying the city to make (local) people leave, to make sure there are no militaries, nobody. To create a ‘gray zone.'"
Evacuees bade tearful goodbyes to their neighbors as they were taken away from their homes.
“You lie down and think — whether they will kill you now, or in an hour, or in three,” said resident Valentyna Hrevnova, 75. “I hope that they (Russians) will not come, but ours (Ukrainians) will be here.”
Vera Rudko, 72, was among those who left.
“We drove through Vovchansk in the city center,” Rudko said. “I can’t look at this without tears. Everything is trembling. We didn’t sleep these two nights at all.”
Russia's recent push in Kharkiv seeks to exploit ammunition shortages before promised Western supplies can reach the front line, and pin down Ukrainian forces in the northeast and keep them away from heavy battles underway in the Donetsk region where Moscow's troops are gaining ground, analysts said.
Russian military bloggers said the assault could mark the start of a Russian attempt to carve out a “buffer zone” that President Vladimir Putin vowed to create earlier this year to halt frequent Ukrainian attacks on Belgorod and other Russian border regions. Fears also mount that without adequate supplies, Russia might even be able to cut supply routes and besiege the city of Kharkiv, where 1.1 million people reside.
Ukrainian officials have downplayed Russian statements about captured territory, with reinforcements being rushed to the Kharkiv region to hold off Russian forces.
On Telegram, Kharkiv region Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said that heavy fighting continued in the areas around Borysivka, Ohirtseve, Pylna and Oliinykove, but that the situation was under control and there was no threat of a ground assault on the city of Kharkiv.
In the meantime, artillery, mortar and aerial bombardments hit more than 30 different towns and villages in the region on Saturday, killing at least three people and injuring five others, Syniehubov said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed Friday evening that Russian forces were expanding their operations. He also called on the country’s Western allies to ensure that promised deliveries of military aid would swiftly reach the front lines.
“It is critical that partners support our warriors and Ukrainian resilience with timely deliveries. Truly timely ones,” he said in a video statement on X. “A package that truly helps is the actual delivery of weapons to Ukraine, rather than just the announcement of a package.”
The attack was launched from two areas in the Kharkiv region early Friday, Ukrainian officials and analysts said. Russian assault groups attempted to break through Ukrainian defensive lines in the city of Vovchansk and in the region north of the village of Lyptsi.
Separately, Ukrainian forces also launched a barrage of drones and missiles on Friday night, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said, with air defense systems downing 21 rockets and 16 drones over Russia’s Belgorod, Kursk and Volgograd regions. One person died in a drone strike in the Belgorod region, and another in the Kursk region, local officials said.
Another strike set ablaze an oil depot in Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Luhansk region, killing four people and wounding eight more, Leonid Pasechnik, the region’s Moscow-installed leader, said on the messaging app Telegram on Saturday.
There was also shelling in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region Saturday, where three people died when an explosion hit a local restaurant, said Denis Pushilin, the area's Kremlin-appointed leader. Eight more people were wounded, including a child.
In the war's early days, Russia made a botched attempt to quickly storm Kharkiv but retreated from its outskirts after about a month. In the fall of 2022, seven months later, Ukraine’s army pushed them out of Kharkiv. The bold counterattack helped persuade Western countries that Ukraine could defeat Russia on the battlefield and merited military support.
Katie Marie Davies contributed to this report from Manchester, England.
A man gives his neighbour pills as his house is seen on fire after a Russian airstrike in Vovchansk, Ukraine, on Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Valentyna reacts before leaving her home during evacuation to Kharkiv, in Vovchansk, Ukraine, on Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Smoke rises over the houses after a Russian airstrike on a residential neighbourhood in Vovchansk, Ukraine, on Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Valentyna reacts before leaving her home during evacuation to Kharkiv, in Vovchansk, Ukraine, on Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Volunteer Vitaliy Kylchik helps Valentyna to walk to a car during evacuation to Kharkiv, in Vovchansk, Ukraine, on Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A woman gets on a volunteers car as residents are evacuated to Kharkiv, in Vovchansk, Ukraine, on Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A police officer speaks to a local man as his house is seen on fire after a Russian airstrike in Vovchansk, Ukraine, on Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A man lies on the ground as he watches his burning house destroyed by a Russian airstrike in Vovchansk, Ukraine, on Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Residential houses on fire after Russian airstrikes in Vovchansk, Ukraine, on Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A police officer speaks to en elderly woman after a Russian airstrike during evacuation in Vovchansk, Ukraine, on Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A damaged residential house after a Russian airstrike in Vovchansk, Ukraine, on Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A police officer runs in front on burning house destroyed by a Russian airstrike in Vovchansk, Ukraine, on Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Local residents save their belongings after their house was hit by a Russian airstrike in Vovchansk, Ukraine, on Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A woman sits in the car of her son during evacuation after a Russian airstrike in Vovchansk, Ukraine, on Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Tetiana, 82, cries with her daughter as she is evacuated from Vovchansk, Ukraine, Saturday, May 11, 2024. Her husband was killed in their house after a Russian airstrike on the city. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Police, police evacuate elderly people following the Russian attack around the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Friday, May 10, 2024. (Ukrainian Police via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Police, police evacuate elderly people following the Russian attack around the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Friday, May 10, 2024. (Ukrainian Police via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Police, police evacuate elderly people following the Russian attack around the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Friday, May 10, 2024. (Ukrainian Police via AP)
