One of the brightest stars in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Josef Newgarden continues to shine both on and off the track as he climbs higher among the sport’s all-time greats in America’s top open-wheel series.
A consistent championship contender since joining Team Penske prior to the 2017 season, Josef scored the biggest win of his career in 2023 as the two-time series champion (2017, 2019) captured the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500. Josef repeated the feat in 2024, becoming just the sixth driver to win the legendary race back-to-back and the first since Helio Castroneves in 2001-2002.
In 2024, Josef and the Porsche Penske Motorsport team scored the overall win in the 2024 24 Hours of Daytona, becoming just the 16th driver to win both an Indy 500 and a 24 Hours of Daytona.
Josef began his racing career when he was 13 years old winning 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 championship for Sam Schmidt Motorsports, as he posted five wins and 10 podium finishes in 14 starts. The performance earned him an opportunity at Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing for the 2012 INDYCAR SERIES season.
Josef is the driver ambassador for the SeriousFun Children’s Network, a charity started by actor and race team owner Paul Newman. Josef and his wife also support Wags and Walks Nashville where they adopted their dog Axel in 2020. To date, Newgarden has raised nearly a million dollars for the two organizations through his on-track successes and his annual Smash for Charity Ping Pong Challenge fundraiser.
Off the track, Josef is a travel enthusiast who enjoys exploring new cities and cultures with his family. Their favorite destination is Japan; they have visited four times and hope to live in Japan at some point in their lives. Other favorite destinations include Copenhagen, Chicago, New York City, London, Paris and Hawaii. A versatile athlete, Joesf maintains a rigid fitness regimen, including weight training, cross training and rowing. A winter sports enthusiast, Josef also enjoys traveling to Colorado with his family during the winter to ski and snowboard.
Josef and his wife collaborated with Red Racer Books to write the autobiographical children’s book, “Josef’s BIG Dream”. The book highlights Josef’s journey from his childhood to realizing his dream of winning the Indy 500 and aims to show children that with hard work and dedication, even the loftiest dreams can become reality.
Josef grew up in Hendersonville, Tennessee, just outside of Nashville. Today, he and his wife Ashley live in Nashville along with their young son Kota.
CAREER TIMELINE
May 26, 2024
BACK-TO-BACK INDY 500 WINNER
Josef became just the sixth driver to win the Indianapolis 500 race back-to-back and the first since Helio Castroneves in 2001-2002. Josef earned the win with a thrilling pass in turn 3/4 on the final lap, only the fourth time in history the legendary race was decided on a last-lap pass.
April 21, 2024
200TH CAREER START
Josef made his 200th career IndyCar Series start at the 2024 Grand Prix of Long Beach.
JANUARY 28, 2024
24 HOURS OF DAYTONA VICTORY
Josef and the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsports team earned the overall victory in the 24 Hours of Daytona, becoming the 16th driver to win both an Indy 500 and a 24 Hours of Daytona.
Watch: Video Recap
July 23, 2023
FIVE CONSECUTIVE OVAL WINS
Josef swept the Iowa Speedway weekend, winning both 250-lap races. Josef nearly became the first driver to win every oval race in one season following wins at Texas and Indianapolis. A rare crash at Gateway ended his streak of five consecutive oval victories. Josef joined four-time Indy 500 winners A.J. Foyt and Al Unser as the only drivers to win five consecutive oval races in IndyCar.
Watch: Admit 1 Video Highlights
July 12, 2023
ESPYS BEST DRIVER NOMINATION
Following his historic Indianapolis 500 win, Josef was again nominated for the 2023 ESPYS Best Driver award along with Brittany Force (NHRA), Kyle Larson (NASCAR) and Max Verstappen (F1) with Verstappen taking the honors.
June 18, 2023
50TH CAREER PODIUM
Josef earned his 50th career podium finish at Road America in 2023.
Watch: Admit 1 Video Highlights
May 28, 2023
INDIANAPOLIS 500 WINNER
In his 12th try, Josef won the 107th Indianapolis 500 with a thrilling last lap pass. It was only the third Indy 500 in history with a last lap pass for the win (the others being in 2006 and 2011).
August 26, 2022
WINNINGEST SEASON
Josef’s final win of the 2022 season came at Gateway, marking Josef’s winningest IndyCar Series season with five victories. His previous best of four wins came during his two championship seasons of 2017 and 2019 and again in 2020.
Watch: Admit 1 Video Highlights
June 12, 2022
FORCE FOR GOOD CHALLENGE
Josef won the inaugural PeopleReady Force for Good Challenge by winning a race on an oval, road course and street circuit in one season; this was Josef’s third time completing the feat (2017, 2020). Josef earned a $500,000 donation that was shared between SeriousFun Children’s Network and Wags & Walks Nashville.
July 4, 2021
WINNINGEST ACTIVE AMERICAN DRIVER
Josef captured his 19th IndyCar Series victory at Mid-Ohio, making him the winningest active American driver in the series.
September 22, 2019
INDYCAR CHAMPION
Josef earned his second series championship with four wins, seven podium finishes and two poles. He won the season opener at St. Petersburg and followed that up with wins at Detroit, Texas and Iowa. He led the points standings after every race except the Indy 500.
JULY 18, 2018
ESPYS BEST DRIVER NOMINATION
Josef was nominated for the 2018 ESPYS Driver of the Year award following his IndyCar Series Championship in 2017. Josef and Ashley attended the live ESPYS show in Los Angeles.
May 11, 2018
SERIOUSFUN AMBASSADOR
Josef became an official ambassador of SeriousFun Children’s Network. Founded by Paul Newman more than 30 years ago, the global network of camps provides a place where kids with serious illnesses get a chance to simply be kids, completely free of charge. As an ambassador, Josef encourages people to learn more about SeriousFun and the importance of being a positive influence in the children’s lives. Josef has visited camps and hosted children at the track.
September 17, 2017
INDYCAR CHAMPION
Josef led all drivers with four wins in 2017 – Barber, Toronto, Mid-Ohio and Gateway – on his way to his first series championship in his first year with Team Penske. Winning the title at age 26, Newgarden became the youngest series champion since Scott Dixon won at 23 in 2003, and he was the first American-born driver to claim the championship since 2012.
April 23, 2017
FIRST TEAM PENSKE WIN
In his third start with Team Penske, Josef scored his first team win at Barber Motorsports Park. He clinched the victory after a duel with Scott Dixon in the closing laps.
October 5, 2016
TEAM PENSKE ANNOUNCEMENT
Legendary Team Penske announced that 25-year-old Josef Newgarden would replace Juan Pablo Montoya in the No. 2 in 2017.
July 10, 2016
NEW SERIES RECORD
Just 28 days after his Texas crash, Josef established a new series record, leading 282 of 300 laps en route to victory at Iowa Speedway. This was Josef’s first and only win with Ed Carpenter Racing. Sarah Fisher left the sport following the 2105 season, and Josef remained with the team for the 2016 season.
June 12, 2016
TEXAS CRASH
On lap 42 of the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway, Josef was involved in the worst wreck of his career. Going nearly 200 mph, his car hit the outside wall twice while exiting turn four and twisted in the air. Josef suffered only a fractured right clavicle and a small fracture on his right hand. His injuries are a testament to the enormous research and investment in IndyCar safety, particularly the SAFER Barrier and head and neck restraints.
April 28, 2016
AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR
Josef competed in the Indianapolis round of American Ninja Warrior with fellow racers Tony Kanaan and Helio Castroneves. The course was a curved design around Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis.
April 26, 2015
FIRST CAREER WIN
Josef scored his first career IndyCar Series win at Barber Motorsports Park in 2015 after starting fifth and leading 46 of the 90 laps.
February 18, 2015
NFL COMBINE
Josef participated in a four-drill test at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis as part of the NFL Combine with fellow driver Sage Karam. True to their racing nature, the casual exercise quickly escalated to a friendly competition and ended in a tie, with Karam edging Newgarden on the dash and cones and Newgarden on top for both of the jumps.
August 27, 2014
CFH RACING MERGER
Sarah Fisher and Ed Carpenter announced a merger of their teams in August 2014 to form CFH Racing, and Josef was re-signed to a one-year contract. He piloted the No. 67 for CFH, scoring the team’s only two victories during the 2015 season.
October 20, 2013
RISING STAR AWARD
Josef was awarded the 2013 Tony Renna Rising Star Award, which is awarded to an up-and-coming IndyCar Series driver who embodies the qualities of the late Tony Renna.
December 7, 2011
SFH ANNOUNCEMENT
Josef moved up to the IndyCar Series with Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing. He drove for the one-car team from 2012 to 2014, scoring 14 top-10 and six top-5 finishes, including a second place at Iowa in 2015.
October 2, 2011
INDY LIGHTS CHAMPIONSHIP
As a rookie, Josef led the Indy Lights Series with the most wins (five) and ten podium finishes out of 13 races, clinching the points championship at Kentucky Speedway with one race remaining in the season.
August 14, 2011
LAPPED THE FIELD
In New Hampshire, the 11th race of 2011, Newgarden lapped the entire field and went on to win. He was the first Indy Lights driver to do so since Thiago Medeiros in March 2004.
March 27, 2011
FIRST INDY LIGHTS WIN
After racing in Europe from 2008-2010, Josef returned to the United States to compete in the Indy Lights Series with Sam Schmidt Motorsports. He won his first Indy Lights race in the season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg.
