Josef Newgarden
Josef Nicolai Newgarden[2] (born 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 is the 2011 Indy Lights champion, and the 2017 and 2019 IndyCar Series Champion. He won the 2023 Indianapolis 500 and the 2024 24 Hours of Daytona with Team Penske, becoming the 16th driver to win both an Indy 500 and a 24 Hours of Daytona.[5]
Josef Newgarden
American
Josef Nicolai Newgarden
December 22, 1990[1]
Hendersonville, Tennessee,
United States
No. 2 (Team Penske)
5th
Newgarden began racing at the age of 13 in karts,[5] capturing four championship titles in 2005-2006.[6] He transitioned to open-wheel racing in 2006, competing in the Skip Barber Racing School Series, finishing second in the regional championship standings in 2006 followed by a sixth and second place finish in the national series in 2007 and 2008.[6] In 2008, Newgarden became the first American driver to capture the Formula Ford Festival title, driving for Team USA in England.[7]
In 2009, Newgarden moved to England to begin his European career. In 2009, he competed in the British Formula Ford Championship, finishing runner-up and leading the ultra-competitive series with nine race wins.[8] He also competed in the opening round of the 2009 Formula Palmer Audi Season, taking two wins. In 2010, Newgarden competed in the GP3 Series, capturing just a single pole position.[6] Newgarden returned to the United States in 2011 and competed in the Indy Lights Series, capturing five wins and ten podium finishes out of 14 races. He clinched the points championship with one race remaining in the 2011 season.[9]
In 2012, Newgarden joined the IndyCar Series,[8] earning his first career win in 2015 at Barber Motorsports Park followed by a win at Toronto the same season.[10] In 2016, Newgarden captured his third win at Iowa, where he led 282 of 300 laps and set a new series record for most laps led in a race.[5]
Newgarden joined Team Penske in 2017, scoring his first win with the team in just his third start. He went on to earn four wins and nine podiums in 2017, capturing his first IndyCar Series Championship. 2018 saw a 5th place finish with three wins. Newgarden earned his second IndyCar Series Championship in 2019 with four wins and seven podium finishes. During the 2020-2022 seasons, he produced four, two and five wins respectively, finishing second in the standings each year. [5] Newgarden also 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 ever 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 went on to finish fifth in the standings, his eighth consecutive season finishing in the top-five in championship standings. [5]
Career[edit]
Karting[edit]
According to an interview on The Dale Jr. Download, Newgarden's first race vehicle was a motorized scooter purchased at a skate shop in Hendersonville, Tennessee. In 2001, Newgarden competed in events across the country. After a year of this, his father purchased a kart.[12]
When he was 13, he and his family ventured outside of Tennessee to find a competitive kart racing environment. This led Newgarden to a kart racing facility in New Castle, Indiana, that had recently been launched by IndyCar driver Mark 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.[13]
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).
Media appearances[edit]
Along with fellow racers Tony Kanaan and Helio Castroneves, he competed in the Indianapolis round of season 8 of American Ninja Warrior in 2016.[63]
Newgarden is the driver ambassador for the SeriousFun Children's Network, a charity started by actor and race team owner Paul Newman.[64] 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.[65]
Newgarden is a gamer and was a Brand Ambassador for the Microsoft title Forza Motorsport. His voice is featured in the game and he is featured in Forza content.[66]
He was featured on several episodes of CMT's Nashville Squares during the fall of 2019.