| Josef Newgarden | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Newgarden in 2023 | |||||||
| Nationality | |||||||
| Born | Josef Nicolai Newgarden (1990-12-22)December 22, 1990 (age 34) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | ||||||
| IndyCar Series career | |||||||
| 232 races run over 14 years | |||||||
| Team | No. 2 (Team Penske) | ||||||
| Best finish | 1st (2017,2019) | ||||||
| First race | 2012Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg) | ||||||
| Last race | 2025Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix (Nashville Superspeedway) | ||||||
| First win | 2015Indy Grand Prix of Alabama (Barber) | ||||||
| Last win | 2025Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix (Nashville) | ||||||
| |||||||
Josef Nicolai Newgarden[1] (born December 22, 1990)[2][3] is an American racing driver who races the No. 2Team PenskeDallara/Chevrolet in theIndyCar Series.[4] He was the 2011Indy Lights champion, and 2017 and 2019IndyCar Series Champion. He won the2023 and2024 Indianapolis 500, and the2024 24 Hours of Daytona, becoming the 16th driver to win both an Indy 500 and a 24 Hours of Daytona, as well as the first driver sinceHelio Castroneves to win the Indianapolis 500 two-years in a row.[4]
Newgarden began racing at the age of thirteen inkarts,[4] capturing four championship titles in 2005–2006.[5] He switched to open-wheel racing in 2006, competing in the Skip Barber Racing School Series, finishing second in the regional championship in 2006, followed by sixth and second in the national series, in 2007 and 2008.[5] In 2008, he became the first U.S. driver to capture aFormula Ford Festival title, driving for Team USA in England.[6]
In 2009, Newgarden moved to England to begin his European career. He competed in theBritish Formula Ford Championship, finishing runner-up and leading the ultra-competitive series with nine race wins.[7] He competed in the opening round of the 2009Formula Palmer Audi Season, taking two wins. In 2010, he competed in theGP3 Series, capturing one pole position.[5] Newgarden returned to the States in 2011 and competed in theIndy Lights Series, capturing five wins and ten podiums out of fourteen races. He clinched the points championship with one race remaining.[8] In 2012, Newgarden joined theIndyCar Series, earning his first career win in 2015 atBarber Motorsports Park followed by a win atToronto.[9] In 2016, Newgarden captured his third win atIowa, where he led 282 of 300 laps and set a series record for most laps led in a race.[4]
Newgarden joinedTeam Penske in 2017, scoring his first win with the team in his third start. He earned four wins and nine podiums in 2017, capturing his first IndyCar Series Championship. 2018 saw a fifth-place finish with three wins. Newgarden earned his second Championship in 2019 with four wins and seven podium finishes. During the 2020, 2021, and 2022 seasons, he produced four, two, and five wins respectively, finishing second each year.[4] Newgarden won the inaugural PeopleReady Force for Good Challenge in 2022 by winning on an oval, road, and street course.[10]
In 2023, Newgarden swept the Iowa Speedway weekend and nearly became the first driver to win every oval race on the schedule with wins atTexas andIndianapolis. After a thrilling last-lap pass, Newgarden won the2023 Indianapolis 500 in his twelfth attempt at the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing". He finished fifth in the standings in 2023, his eighth consecutive season finishing in the top-five in the championship standings.[4] Newgarden won the2024 Indianapolis 500 becoming the first driver in over twenty years to win theIndianapolis 500 back-to-back.
According to an interview onThe Dale Jr. Download, Newgarden's first race vehicle was amotorized scooter purchased at a skate shop inHendersonville, Tennessee. In 2001, Newgarden competed in events across the country. After a year of this, his father purchased akart.[11]
When he was 13, he and his family ventured outside of Tennessee to find a competitivekart racing environment. This led Newgarden to a kart racing facility inNew Castle, Indiana, that had recently been launched by IndyCar driverMark Dismore. In order to stay efficient with funding, Newgarden focused on local and regional championships rather than competing nationally.
In his first year of karting (2005), Newgarden finished 2nd and 3rd in the Kart Racers of America (KRA) Junior Can Championship. He also competed in the TAG world championships that year in the junior division, securing the title.
2006 was his most successful year in karting; he secured two championships in the KRA Junior Can division and repeated as the TAG World Champion in the junior division.[12]
He went on to compete in junior car racing in 2007, but returned to karting several times, racing in the highly competitive Robo-Pong 200 at New Castle Motorsports Park multiple times over the next few years. He won the 200-mile endurance race twice, with both successes coming with members of the Dismore family as his teammates (Mark Dismore Sr in 2011 and Mark Dismore Jr in 2013).
Newgarden started hisopen-wheel car career in theSkip Barber Racing School series in 2006. He finished as runner-up in the Southern Regional Series with three wins and another seven podium places.[13] He next competed in the 2007 BFGoodrich / Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda championship, finishing sixth with two wins.[14] Newgarden remained in the series for 2008 and improved to second place, with three wins.[15]

After the 2008 season, Newgarden was selected for the Team USA scholarship to compete at the Formula Ford Festival and Walter Hayes Trophy. He secured the Formula Ford Festival title, becoming the only American to do so.
At the Walter Hayes Trophy event, Newgarden won all of the qualifying races leading to the main event. He started the event from the pole position, but mid-way through the race in wet conditions, Newgarden crashed from the lead, finishing sixth place.
In 2009, he moved to England to compete in theBritish Formula Ford Championship and start his European career. He finished runner-up in 2009, leading the series in total race wins and amassing 550 points.[16]
Newgarden competed in the opening round of the2009 Formula Palmer Audi season atBrands Hatch, taking two wins and a fourth in the third race.[17]

In 2010, Newgarden was signed to compete atBritish Formula Three, but his main investor withdrew before the official test session.[18] The driver competed instead in the newly formed2010GP3 Series withCarlin Motorsport.[19] He finished eighteenth overall with just eight points. The season was highlighted by a pole position atHockenheimring and a best finish of fifth at the season finale atMonza.

At the start of 2011, Newgarden would return home to the United States to compete in theIndy Lights Series withSam Schmidt Motorsports.[20] He won his first Indy Lights race in the season opener on theStreets of St. Petersburg.[21] He followed his opening win in St. Petersburg with four more wins and ten podium finishes out of thirteen races in 2011,[22] clinching him the points championship with one race to go.[23] In New Hampshire, the eleventh race of 2011, Newgarden lapped the entire field and went on to win. He was the first Indy Lights driver to do this sinceThiago Medeiros in March 2004.[24] Newgarden, as a rookie, would also lead the series with the most number of wins for the 2011 season.
On December 7, 2011, Newgarden was announced as the driver forSarah Fisher Hartman Racing. He competed in IndyCar from 2012 to 2014 with Fisher's team. He would earn his first podium at the 2013 race in Baltimore and in 2014, would stand on his second career podium atIowa Speedway.[25]
During his fourth full season in IndyCar, Newgarden raced under the merged team ofSarah Fisher and Ed Carpenter.[26] Under this new team banner Newgarden started 2015 finishing in twelfth position at St. Petersburg.
During the fourth race weekend in the 2015 season atBarber Motorsports Park, Newgarden earned his first IndyCar Series victory at the2015 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, moving from 5th to 2nd on the first lap of the race, and leading the most laps on the way to a 2.2-second win.[27]
He would win again later in the season at the2015 Honda Indy Toronto[28] and finished the 2015 season seventh in the standings with 431 points.
Sarah Fisher ended her participation in IndyCar after the 2015 season, with Newgarden remaining with the team again known asEd Carpenter Racing. Newgarden started the 2016 season with a podium at the2016 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama atBarber Motorsports Park. He missed pole position during qualifying for the2016 Indy 500 and started in the middle of the front row. He finished the 100th running of the Indy 500 in 3rd.[29]
At the2016 Firestone 600 atTexas Motor Speedway, Newgarden was injured in a crash, breaking his hand and clavicle.[30] He returned to the car two weeks later, finishing in a top 10 spot at the2016 Kohler Grand Prix atRoad America.[31]
28 days after his crash at Texas, Newgarden won the2016 Iowa Corn 300 in dominating fashion, leading 282 of 300 laps.[32]
At IndyCar's return toWatkins Glen International, the 2016 Grand Prix at the Glen, Newgarden claimed another podium, finishing second.[33] After a sixth-place finish at the 2016 GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma,[34] he finished the season in fourth place overall in the season standings, the highest non-Team Penske car in the series.

On September 29, 2016, ECR ownerEd Carpenter confirmed that Newgarden would not be back with the team in 2017.[35] Newgarden moved toTeam Penske for the 2017 season,[36] with the team making an official announcement on October 5.[37]
Newgarden won his first race with Team Penske during round 3 of the 2017 season at Barber Motorsports Park; clinching the victory after a duel withScott Dixon in the final laps.[38] Newgarden moved into the IndyCar points lead following back to back victories at Toronto and Mid Ohio.[39]
At Gateway, Newgarden held off his teammates and Dixon to clinch his fourth series victory of the season but not without controversy as late in the race, Newgarden went under teammateSimon Pagenaud very late going into turn one. After bumping tires, both continued but, as Pagenaud nearly hit the wall, he was not pleased with his teammate's move. The following week at Watkins Glen, Newgarden had a sizable cushion in the points over second-place Dixon. Coming back onto the track after a pit stop under green on cold tires, he lost control of the car asSébastien Bourdais made contact with him damaging the suspension. Newgarden ended up leaving the Glen with a three-point lead, later a four-point lead as he won the pole for Sonoma, setting a track record. Newgarden needed to finish fourth or higher regardless of Pagenaud's result and he finished second to clinch his first title.[40] Newgarden became the first American driver to win theAstor Cup sinceRyan Hunter-Reay in 2012.
Newgarden won the opening race of the 2019 season atSt. Petersburg and followed that up with wins atDetroit,Texas andIowa. He led the points standings after every race except theIndianapolis 500, whichTeam Penske teammateSimon Pagenaud won from the pole position. Newgarden won his second IndyCar title atLaguna Seca by only 25 points.[41]

Newgarden started his second title defense slowly in2020, a season shorted by theCOVID-19 pandemic. Although he finished third at the opener in Texas he found himself in an early-season slump that put him in a hole to rival Scott Dixon. By mid-season and toward the final stretch Newgarden produced a series of wins and podium finishes, setting him up for a title-deciding showdown with Dixon at the final round in St. Petersburg. Newgarden could only secure the championship by winning the race and if Dixon finished no better than ninth. During the race, Newgarden overtookPato O'Ward in the closing laps after a restart and held onto the lead for his second consecutive win in St. Petersburg, but ultimately failed to defend his title when Dixon finished third.
2021 would be an up-and-down year for Newgarden and Team Penske. Despite earning a season leading four pole positions, Newgarden would not pick up a win until the tenth round of the season at Mid Ohio.[42] The win was his nineteenth in IndyCar, making him the most successful American driver active at that time. Newgarden picked up a second win at Gateway. Heading into the final race of the season at Long Beach, Newgarden was one of only three drivers mathematically in contention for the title, alongsideAlex Palou and O'Ward.[43] Newgarden finished second in the race, giving him a second-place finish in the championship for the second consecutive year.[44]
Newgarden would be an at times dominant and at times inconsistent force in2022. He set a career high in wins in a season with five; winning at Texas,Long Beach, Road America, Iowa, and Gateway.[45][46][47][48][49][50] This would be the most wins by an IndyCar driver in one season since 2016, when former teammate Simon Pagenaud won five races. Newgarden's best finish on the season outside of his five wins was a fourth place at Detroit, putting him in a deficit for the championship heading into the season finale. At the second race in Iowa Newgarden suffered a heavy crash while leading - the result of a suspension failure. Although he was able to exit the car on his own power and walked away, he collapsed shortly afterwards in the driver's motor home lot, after which he was airlifted to a hospital in Des Moines for further evaluation.[51] Newgarden was later cleared to race in the following weekend's Gallagher Grand Prix. Heading into the season finale at Laguna Seca, Newgarden was one of five drivers in contention for the series title, alongside his Penske teammatesWill Power andScott McLaughlin, in addition to Scott Dixon andMarcus Ericsson. Although Newgarden mounted a furious charge from 25th to second during the race, he was ultimately unsuccessful at clinching his third championship, finishing second in the standings to Will Power.

Newgarden had a challenging2023 season. He recorded two victories during the first half of the season - including his first win in theIndianapolis 500, where he passedMarcus Ericsson on the final lap, after a controversial late-race red flag.[52] Although Newgarden managed to sweep the double header at Iowa for another season of three or more wins, he struggled throughout the season on road and street circuits, recording only one podium finish on a road or street course by the end of the season. A rare crash at Gateway while leading took Newgarden out of the championship hunt with two races to go, and after an early retirement at Laguna Seca, he finished fifth in the 2023 IndyCar Series.
Newgarden started2024 with a pole position at St. Petersburg, but had his victory stripped afterTeam Penske violated push-to-pass regulations.[53] Newgarden rebounded by winning the 108th Indy 500, achieving back to backIndy 500 victories. Newgarden became the first consecutive winner of the Indy 500 sinceHelio Castroneves 22 years ago, also driving for Team Penske.[54]
Newgarden started the2025 with a third-place finish at St. Petersburg. During qualifying for the2025 Indianapolis 500, both Newgarden and his teammate,Will Power, failed inspections because of modified attenuators on the cars. The drivers were ordered to start at the rear of the field for the race; the drivers' team strategists were initially suspended for the remainder of the Indy 500, but were later fired following the scandal.[55] Both entries also forfeited their qualification points and were fined $100,000.[56] During the race, Newgarden worked his way up to sixth place before retiring on lap 135 due to a fuel pressure problem, ending his chances of a three-peat. After an-up-and-down season, with very-few podiums and poles, Newgarden won at his home race atNashville.
Newgarden participated in the2018 Race of Champions inRiyadh, Saudi Arabia[57] and the2019 Race of Champions atAutodromo Hermanos Rodríguez inMexico City, Mexico,[58] both times for Team USA.
On February 23, 2022, it was announced that Newgarden would be a guest driver inTony Stewart'sSuperstar Racing Experience at theNashville Fairgrounds Speedway, in Newgarden's hometown ofNashville.[59]
On December 5, 2022, Newgarden announced that he would be teaming up with fellow Team Penske IndyCar driverScott McLaughlin and Indy NXT driver Kyffin Simpson would be entering the2023 24 Hours of Daytona with an LMP2 entry. Newgarden would return later in the year at thePetit Le Mans driving forPorschePenske Motorsport driving the No. 7 in the GTP Class alongsideMatt Campbell andFelipe Nasr they would finish fourth overall. In 2024, Newgarden would return to Porsche Penske Motorsport at the2024 24 Hours of Daytona again driving the No. 7 alongside Campbell and Nasr andDane Cameron after a long race the No. 7 team would win the 24 Hours of Daytona.
Since his second year in IndyCar Series, Newgarden has established himself as one of the series' most versatile drivers. Newgarden is considered a complete driver, with strong one lap pace in qualifying and high end racecraft allowing him to start at the front of many races and take dominant race wins. He is equally at comfort with all four of the types of tracks the IndyCar series covers, having taken wins at road courses, street courses, short ovals, and superspeedways. Newgarden's dominance on ovals since 2019, a period that has seen him win almost half of the oval races IndyCar has raced in that time, has earned him the nicknameThe Oval King.[60] On road and street courses, Newgarden is known for making successful outside line passes, leading to some pundits and fellow drivers to nickname this tactic theJosef Newgarden Move.
Newgarden has been known to race his teammates harder than other IndyCar drivers, and has been at the center of some of the most infamous finishes in IndyCar history. Most famously was the2023 Indianapolis 500, where after a series of red flag incidents Newgarden passed Marcus Ericsson with two corners to go on the final lap before weaving briefly into the pitlane to take away clean air from Ericsson and win the race. Although the move was considered legal at the time, IndyCar ended up banning weaving into the pit lane at the Indianapolis 500 for safety and sporting reasons.[61]

Newgarden was born at Vanderbilt Hospital inNashville,Tennessee. His parents named him "Josef" to honor his mother's Danish heritage.[62] His parents moved fromMiami, Florida in 1986 with the familyphotography business.[11] He is the youngest of three siblings, having two older sisters.[63] Newgarden has said in an interview that he is halfDanish via his mother,[11] and on his YouTube channel that he holds aDanish passport.[64] He credits watching racing on TV at an early age with his father, who was an avid fan of NASCAR, IndyCar and Formula 1, as what got him into the sport.
Newgarden grew up inHendersonville, Tennessee, and attendedPope John Paul II High School, where he was friends with and a former classmate ofNFLPro Bowl wide receiverGolden Tate.[65] Additionally, he was a former classmate of NASCAR driverJosh Berry in the 7th and 8th grades.[11]
Before starting racing, Newgarden playedbaseball,football andbasketball.
On October 7, 2018, Newgarden announced that he and his longtime girlfriend, Ashley Welch, had gotten engaged while on a trip toJapan.[66] They were married in the fall of 2019 in Nashville. In 2022, Newgarden's wife gave birth to their first child.[67]
Newgarden has aYouTube channel on which he posts vlogs and behind the scenes content of his IndyCar race weekends. The channel also features a now discontinued video series with his Penske teammateScott McLaughlin titledBus Bros.[68][69]
Along with fellow racersTony Kanaan andHelio Castroneves, he competed in the Indianapolis round of season 8 ofAmerican Ninja Warrior in 2016.[70]
Newgarden is the driver ambassador for theSeriousFun Children's Network, a charity started by actor and race team ownerPaul Newman.[71] Newgarden is also a ping-pong player. He hosts an annual celebrity tournament during May that raises funds for the Serious Fun Children's Network. In 2019, the tournament raised over $100,000 for the charity.[72]
Newgarden is a gamer and was a brand ambassador for theMicrosoft titleForza Motorsport 7. His voice is featured in the game and he is featured in Forza content.[73]
Newgarden was featured on several episodes ofCMT'sNashville Squares during the fall of 2019.
† Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP2 Championship.* Season still in progress.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | JTR | Mygale SJ09 | OUL 1 Ret | OUL 2 3 | OUL 3 1 | ROC 1 1 | ROC 2 5 | ROC 3 3 | KNO 1 14 | KNO 2 5 | KNO 3 5 | SNE 1 1 | SNE 2 1 | SNE 3 3 | DON 1 2 | DON 2 1 | DON 3 2 | SIL 1 Ret | SIL 2 1 | SIL 3 16 | BHI 1 1 | BHI 2 1 | BHI 3 5 | BHGP 1 DSQ | BHGP 2 1 | CAS 1 2 | CAS 2 2 | 2nd | 550 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Carlin | CAT FEA Ret | CAT SPR 16 | IST FEA 10 | IST SPR 23 | VAL FEA Ret | VAL SPR 26 | SIL FEA 16 | SIL SPR 11 | HOC FEA 18 | HOC SPR 19 | HUN FEA 7 | HUN SPR Ret | SPA FEA DNS | SPA SPR 21 | MNZ FEA 7 | MNZ SPR 5 | 18th | 8 |
(key)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Sam Schmidt Motorsports | STP 1 | ALA 6 | LBH 13 | INDY 1 | MIL 2 | IOW 1 | TOR 8 | EDM 2 | EDM 1 | TRO 3 | NHM 1 | BAL 2 | KTY 2 | LVS 9 | 1st | 553 |
| Years | Teams | Races | Poles | Wins | Top 5s | Top 10s | Indianapolis 500 wins | Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 4 | 232 | 19 | 32 | 88 | 138 | 2 | 2 |
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Dallara | Honda | 7 | 25 | Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing |
| 2013 | 25 | 28 | |||
| 2014 | 8 | 30 | |||
| 2015 | Chevrolet | 9 | 9 | CFH Racing | |
| 2016 | 2 | 3 | Ed Carpenter Racing | ||
| 2017 | 22 | 19 | Team Penske | ||
| 2018 | 4 | 8 | |||
| 2019 | 8 | 4 | |||
| 2020 | 13 | 5 | |||
| 2021 | 21 | 12 | |||
| 2022 | 14 | 13 | |||
| 2023 | 17 | 1 | |||
| 2024 | 3 | 1 | |||
| 2025 | 32 | 22 |
(key) * – Most laps led.1 – Heat 1 winner.2 – Heat 2 winner.
| Superstar Racing Experience results | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | No. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | SRXC | Pts |
| 2022 | 2 | FIF | SBO | STA | NSV 71 | I55 | SHA | 22nd | 01 |
| 2023 | STA | STA | MMI 11 | BER | ELD | LOS | 22nd | 01 | |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; results initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Class | Make | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Tower Motorsports | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 LV8 | DAY 5† | SEB | LGA | WGL | ELK | IMS | NC† | 0† | |||
| Porsche Penske Motorsport | GTP | Porsche 963 | Porsche 9RD 4.6 LV8 | LBH | MOS | PET 4 | 22nd | 304 | |||||||
| 2024 | Porsche Penske Motorsport | GTP | Porsche 963 | Porsche 9RD 4.6 LV8 | DAY 1 | SEB | LBH | LGA | DET | WGL | ELK | IMS | PET | 24th | 380 |
† Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP2 Championship.
| 24 Hours of Daytona results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Class | No. | Team | Car | Co-drivers | Laps | Position | Class Pos. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | LMP2 | 8 | Oreca 07-Gibson | 759 | 11th | 5th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | GTP | 7 | Porsche 963 | 791 | 1st | 1st | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Indy Lights Champion 2011 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | IndyCar Series Champion 2017 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | IndyCar Series Champion 2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Indianapolis 500 Winner 2023 2024 | Succeeded by |