| Josef Newgarden | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.png) Newgarden at the Iowa Speedway, 2022 | |||||||
| Nationality |  American | ||||||
| Born | Joseph Edgar Newgarden December 22, 1990[1] Hendersonville, Tennessee, U.S. | ||||||
| IndyCar Series career | |||||||
| 215 races run over 13 years | |||||||
| Team(s) | No. 2 (Team Penske) | ||||||
| Best finish | 1st (2017, 2019) | ||||||
| First race | 2012 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg) | ||||||
| Last race | 2024 Music City Grand Prix (Nashville Superspeedway) | ||||||
| First win | 2015 Indy Grand Prix of Alabama (Barber) | ||||||
| Last win | 2024 Bommarito Automotive Group 500 (Gateway) | ||||||
| |||||||
Josef Nicolai Newgarden[2] (born Joseph Edgar Newgarden, December 22, 1990)[3][4] is an American racing driver who races the No. 2 Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet in the IndyCar Series.[5] He was the 2011 Indy Lights champion, and 2017 and 2019 IndyCar Series Champion. He won the 2023 and 2024 Indianapolis 500, and the 2024 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 since Helio Castroneves to win the Indianapolis 500 two years in a row.[5]
Newgarden began racing at 13 in karts,[5] capturing four championship titles in 2005–2006.[6] 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.[6] In 2008, he became the first U.S. driver to capture a Formula Ford Festival title, driving for Team USA in England.[7]
In 2009, Newgarden moved to England to begin his European career. He competed in the British Formula Ford Championship, finishing runner-up and leading the ultra-competitive series with nine race wins.[8] He competed in the opening round of the 2009 Formula Palmer Audi Season, taking two wins. In 2010, he competed in the GP3 Series, capturing one pole position.[6] Newgarden returned to the States in 2011 and competed in the Indy Lights Series, capturing five wins and 10 podiums out of 14 races. He clinched the points championship with one race remaining.[9] In 2012, Newgarden joined the IndyCar Series, earning his first career win in 2015 at Barber Motorsports Park followed by a win at Toronto.[10] In 2016, Newgarden captured his third win at Iowa, where he led 282 of 300 laps and set a series record for most laps led in a race.[5]
Newgarden joined Team 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. [5] Newgarden won the inaugural PeopleReady Force for Good Challenge in 2022 by winning on an oval, road course, and street circle.[11]
In 2023, Newgarden swept the Iowa Speedway weekend and nearly became the first driver to win every oval race on the schedule with wins at Texas and Indianapolis. After a thrilling last-lap pass, Newgarden won the 2023 Indianapolis 500 in his 12th 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. [5] Newgarden won the 2024 Indianapolis 500 becoming the first driver in over twenty years to win the Indianapolis 500 back-to-back.
- ^ "Josef Newgarden". racing-reference.info. NASCAR Digital Media Network. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
- ^ Olson, Jeff (September 19, 2017). "Family sacrifice pays off in Newgarden's rise to championship". Indycar.com. IndyCar. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ Josef Newgarden. Indycar.com.
- ^ Josef Newgarden scores and statistics – USA Today / SportsDirect
- ^ a b c d e f "Team Penske | Drivers | Josef Newgarden". teampenske.com. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Driver: Josef Newgarden | Driver Database". driverdb.com. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
- ^ "History Made: SBN's Newgarden First American to Win FF Festival". Skip Barber. October 21, 2008. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
- ^ Lerner, Preston (September 17, 2017). "Josef Newgarden: Star Power".
- ^ Surber, Tom. "Firestone Indy Lights Champ Newgarden Jumps To IndyCar With Fisher's Team". indianapolismotorspeedway.com. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
- ^ "Postseason profile: Newgarden makes move to top". IndyCar.com. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
- ^ bboldt (June 14, 2022). "PeopleReady Donates $500k Grand Prize to Charity in Force for Good Challenge". PeopleReady. Retrieved February 26, 2024.