Josef Newgarden was left to wonder what could have been after his attempt to score three wins in a row in the Indianapolis 500 ended withꦉ mechanical issues.

Having bee♏n sent to the back of the grid aﷺfter Penske was caught illegally modifying the accentuator on the #2 Dallara-Chevrolet, Newgarden made a brilliant recovery to climb inside the top 10 by lap 120.

He should have firmly been in the hunt for victory in the final quarter of the race, but drama struck on lap 135 whe𒁏n we called into the pits for a second time with a fuel pressure problem.

The☂ Pꦬenske crew frantically tried to fix the issue on his car, leaving him several laps down.

Ultimately, no solutꦇion could be found and Newgarden had to climb out of the car and retire from the 109th running of the🦹 race.

Given the spe🍷ed he had shown from the back of the grid, the🦄 34-year-old admitted that the DNF was tough to take.

"It looks like some fuel pressure issues, I'm not sure," he said. "It’s some kind of anomaly or something we've𝔍 never seen before.

"It’s just unfortunate for the whole group. It's a team sport, which that very much shows it. You guys were definitely right on pace for what you h🦂ad to do today to have a shot🍌 to make history."

"It’s tough to not have a sh🔯ot here at the end," he said. "It’s a team sport. It takes everything to win here.

"I’m still immensely grateful to run at Indianapolis. As tough as it is to take, I still feel grateful to be out here today. I just wish we had a chance to fight f🃏ꦗor it."

Writing🌊 on social media, Newgarden added: “Started 32nd. Made it up to fifth on our strategy before having a problem with the fuel pressure. The car wa🌃s unbelievable. The team was unbeatable. Feels so frustrating to not even have the opportunity to know “what if”…

“That’s the way Indy works. One year you’re on top of the world an😼d the next y🌌ou’re heartbroken.

“It’s been an honour of a lifetime to have the opportunity to be ܫa 500 champion. Onto the next ye♏ar.”

Newgarden’s retirement capped off a day to forget for Pens🅠ke.

Teammate Scott McLaughlin, the only driver from the team not to be penalised in qualifying, 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:crashed on the parade lap while warming up his tyres.

Will Power made some pr🔯ogress early on from 33rd and last on the grid, running on the fringes of the top 10 in the middle portion of the race, but eventually finished down in 19th place - a lap🧜 down on race winner Alex Palou (Chip Ganassi Racing).