Josef Newgarden

Josef Newgarden enters the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season as one of the most accomplished and recognizable stars of American motorsports. The driver of the No. 2 Astemo/PPG/Shell Powering Progress/Snap-on Chevrolet has produced both on and off the track in his 13 seasons competing in North America's top open-wheel series, and he is poised to make history in his ninth year as a member of the Team Penske driver lineup.

Newgarden was already well on his way to being one of INDYCAR's most productive drivers after winning the INDYCAR SERIES championship in both 2017 and 2019, and entering the top 10 on the all-time series wins list. Yet, it is his back-to-back victories in the Indianapolis 500 in 2023 and 2024 - the 19th and 20th Indy 500 triumphs for Team Penske - that have him on the cusp of becoming the first driver in the history of the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" to win the event in three consecutive years in 2025.

The 2024 season was one of mixed emotions for Newgarden. It began on the highest of notes as he helped lead Porsche Penske Motorsport to the overall win in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January - the first overall win in North America's premier endurance race for Team Penske since 1969. The INDYCAR SERIES season began in what also appeared to be grand fashion with a season-opening win from the pole position on the streets of St. Petersburg. Unfortunately, the win was vacated due to an engineering oversight with the onboard "push to pass" system that was discovered during the second-round weekend at Long Beach. As a result, Newgarden and the No. 2 team were credited with a 26th-place finish at St. Petersburg, which put them in tough position in the championship point standings.

Under intense scrutiny, Newgarden and the No. 2 Chevrolet team rebounded to earn a spot alongside their teammates on the front row for the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500. Newgarden then delivered with a thrilling victory on a last-lap pass, despite missing key team members as a result of the St. Petersburg infraction. Newgarden also continued his mastery of World Wide Technology Raceway in August, scoring his fifth career win at the St. Louis-area oval and his 31st series victory to place him in a tie for 10th on the all-time list. The Hendersonville, Tennessee native picked up a second NTT P1 Award in the second race of the doubleheader return to the Milwaukee Mile before being taken out as the field was coming to green flag. He closed the season out on his home track of Nashville Superspeedway with a runner-up result to finish eighth in the final series standings.

Since joining Team Penske in 2017, Newgarden has been one of the most consistent and productive drivers in INDYCAR. Entering the 2025 season, he has earned 28 wins, 17 poles and two series championships over the last eight seasons racing for the team. Along the way, Newgarden has emerged as the best oval racer in the series winning 17 times on those circuits with at least one victory at each oval, except the Milwaukee Mile that returned to the series schedule in 2024. He nearly became the first driver to sweep every oval race in a single season in 2023 before an incident at World Wide Technology Raceway ended his opportunity. Each of his Indianapolis 500 wins came on thrilling, last-lap passes that have forever etched his name into the fabric of the legendary event.

Newgarden began his racing career when he was 13 years old as he won numerous karting titles between 2006-2008 at New Castle (Ind.) Motorsports Park. After racing in Europe for a few years, he returned to the United States in 2011 and captured the Indy Lights series championship as he posted five wins and 10 podium finishes in 14 starts. The performance opened the door for Newgarden as he began competing in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in 2012.

A winter sports and fitness enthusiast who loves to travel abroad, Newgarden and his wife Ashley reside in Nashville, Tenn. with their young son, Kota. He is a proud supporter of the Serious Fun Children's Network started by actor and racer, Paul Newman, and Wags and Walks animal adoption where the family adopted their dog, Axel.

Newgarden Key Accomplishments
• Captured wins in the 2023 and 2024 Indianapolis 500
• Crowned NTT INDYCAR SERIES Champion in both 2017 and 2019
• Earned 31 INDYCAR SERIES wins entering 2025
• The winningest active American driver in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES
• Won 18 career pole positions entering the 2025 season
• Ranked 10th on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES all-time wins list entering the 2025 season, tied with former Team Penske drivers Helio Castroneves and Paul Tracy, as well as Dario Franchitti
• Won the inaugural $1 million PeopleReady Force for Good Challenge in 2022
• Established a new series record for laps led in a single race by leading 282 laps en route to victory at Iowa in 2016
• Nominated for the 2018 and 2023 ESPY Best Driver Award after winning the 2017 INDYCAR SERIES championship and the 2023 Indianapolis 500
• Captured the 2011 Indy Lights Series championship