A foot injury was not the only burden Josef Newgarden carried into Detroit. His frustration extended to the award he was about to receive for gaining the most positions during the race. Clearly, the two-time IndyCar champion was not entirely satisfied with his performance and, in a moment of blunt honesty, admitted that another driver might have done a better job.

“It’s Team Penske, and if they didn’t want me to drive, I would have accepted it. I think if they wanted to win, they should have put Felipe (Nasr) in the car,” Newgarden said after the race.

Following his head-on crash into the wall at the Indy 500, Newgarden hasn’t been in perfect shape because of a left foot injury. In fact, the team had Felipe Nasr as a final-minute reserve, just in case Newgarden wasn’t able to run. However, the management made its decision, and it put Newgarden in the car. But right from the beginning of the weekend, it seemed apparent that he would not make it to the front as he qualified in 21 place, right behind Romain Grosjean.

Even as Alex Palou battled at the front of the field, Josef Newgarden failed to make an early impression. However, he still managed to keep himself stable in an event-filled race and finished 10. This, in fact, resulted in a finish that not even Newgarden expected, considering the nature of his injury. At the same time, however, he was disappointed.

“A top-15 finish on merit would have been a miracle this Sunday. So we clearly have to take a result like this. I feel bad; I feel like the opportunity the team created with this car, maybe even to get on the podium, has been somewhat wasted. I was in defensive mode throughout the race to protect the car, because it seemed like everyone had agreed they could be a bit more aggressive with me,” he said.

Considering the winning mentality that Roger Penske and his team carry, it was a bit odd for them to hand the steering back to Josef Newgarden just days after the Indy 500 crash. However, this isn’t the first time the 35-year-old has driven with an injury, and it appears to be more serious than the incident he dealt with a decade ago.

Josef Newgarden’s foot injury ‘worse’ than 2016 injury

The Team Penske driver has certainly been in worse situations in his IndyCar career. In fact, about a decade ago, in Texas, he was involved in a wreck after Conor Daly got loose and sent both himself and Newgarden into the wall. The impact was heavy enough to spin Newgarden’s car around, after which he hit the wall again.

The dire nature of the crash resulted in a broken clavicle for Newgarden and an injury to his wrist. In fact, he required assistance to get out of the car after the crash. Yet, just 12 days later, he was back in the car for Ed Carpenter Racing.

Although the nature of his injuries a decade ago sounded much worse, he claimed that it was actually his current left foot injury that has put him in a worse shape, considering his performance in the car.

“This was worse,” Newgarden said in reference to his 2016 injury. “This is definitely a less advantageous situation, I’d say, than last time.”

The case becomes certainly interesting considering neither he nor Penske revealed the exact nature of his current injury. However, he has been using a crutch to walk, which does seem a bit worrying. Despite this, his finish during the race at Detroit was rather impressive, and that just might be enough for the driver.