Josef Newgarden hopes to build on a remarkable start to his career with Team Penske in 2019. Over his first two seasons with the team, the talented 28-year-old American driver has recorded more wins (seven) than any driver in the NTT IndyCar Series (NICS) over that time and he produced back-to-back top-five finishes in the championship standings. Newgarden captured the series title in his first year with Team Penske behind four wins and nine podium finishes in 2017. Last season, Newgarden produced three victories in the Hitachi Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet to bring his career total to 10 victories in the series. He also scored a single-season career high four pole positions in 2018, which raised his career total to six poles won.
After his sensational debut season with the team, Newgarden looked to be on his way to back-to-back titles in 2018 after he won two of the first four NICS races – on the Phoenix oval and at the Barber Motorsports Park road course. After a tough early-season stretch, Newgarden returned to Victory Lane when he won from the pole and led 53 of 55 laps at Road America in July. He closed the year with eight consecutive top-10 finishes and wound up fifth in the championship standings to complete a strong sophomore season with Team Penske.
After joining Team Penske in October 2016, it didn’t take long for Newgarden to make his mark in the record books of the winningest team in the history of North American open-wheel racing. Newgarden completed his seventh season racing in the NTT IndyCar Series with the Team Penske’s 15th series title and its 30th championship overall in 2017. The Henderson, Tennessee native got off to a quick start with a victory at Barber Motorsports Park in just his third start for Team Penske. He drove the No. 2 Chevrolet to Victory Lane three more times – at Toronto, Mid-Ohio and Gateway – over the course of the season to lead all series drivers in wins with four. Newgarden also captured his lone Verizon P1 Pole Award at the right time in the season finale at Sonoma, which proved instrumental in securing his first series title. In his championship campaign, Newgarden posted 10 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes while leading at least one lap in a series-best 12 races.
Biography
Josef Newgarden hopes to build on a remarkable start to his career with Team Penske in 2019. Over his first two seasons with the team, the talented 28-year-old American driver has recorded more wins (seven) than any driver in the NTT IndyCar Series (NICS) over that time and he produced back-to-back top-five finishes in the championship standings. Newgarden captured the series title in his first year with Team Penske behind four wins and nine podium finishes in 2017. Last season, Newgarden produced three victories in the Hitachi Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet to bring his career total to 10 victories in the series. He also scored a single-season career high four pole positions in 2018, which raised his career total to six poles won.
After his sensational debut season with the team, Newgarden looked to be on his way to back-to-back titles in 2018 after he won two of the first four NICS races – on the Phoenix oval and at the Barber Motorsports Park road course. After a tough early-season stretch, Newgarden returned to Victory Lane when he won from the pole and led 53 of 55 laps at Road America in July. He closed the year with eight consecutive top-10 finishes and wound up fifth in the championship standings to complete a strong sophomore season with Team Penske.
After joining Team Penske in October 2016, it didn’t take long for Newgarden to make his mark in the record books of the winningest team in the history of North American open-wheel racing. Newgarden completed his seventh season racing in the NTT IndyCar Series with the Team Penske’s 15th series title and its 30th championship overall in 2017. The Henderson, Tennessee native got off to a quick start with a victory at Barber Motorsports Park in just his third start for Team Penske. He drove the No. 2 Chevrolet to Victory Lane three more times – at Toronto, Mid-Ohio and Gateway – over the course of the season to lead all series drivers in wins with four. Newgarden also captured his lone Verizon P1 Pole Award at the right time in the season finale at Sonoma, which proved instrumental in securing his first series title. In his championship campaign, Newgarden posted 10 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes while leading at least one lap in a series-best 12 races.
By claiming the NICS championship in his first season with Team Penske, Newgarden joined some elite company. Rick Mears, Al Unser Sr., Al Unser Jr., and Gil de Ferran are the only other drivers to accomplish that feat in the team’s storied history. Winning the title at 26, Newgarden also became the youngest series champion since Scott Dixon won it all in 2003 at 23 and he was the first American-born driver to claim the crown since Ryan Hunter Reay in 2012.
Newgarden began his racing career when he was 13 years-old at New Castle (Ind.) Motorsports Park where he won numerous karting titles between 2006-2008. 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 Newgarden an opportunity at Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing for the 2012 NTT IndyCar Series season.
After scoring his first two career NICS wins in 2015, Newgarden produced one of the most dominating victories in series history while driving for Ed Carpenter Racing during the 2016 season. He led a series-record 282 of 300 laps after starting second on his way to victory at Iowa Speedway. Adding to the impressive performance was the fact that the race came just four weeks after Newgarden suffered a fractured clavicle and right hand in a dramatic accident at Texas Motor Speedway. Overall in 2016, Newgarden recorded six top-five and 11 top-10 results as he finished fourth in the championship standings, just behind the three Team Penske drivers that would become his teammates later that year – Simon Pagenaud, Will Power and Helio Castroneves.
As he begins his eighth series season in 2019, Newgarden looks to guide the No. 2 Team Penske Chevy to another series championship and his first Indianapolis 500 victory.
A former high school baseball player who loves to play ping pong when he’s away from the track, Newgarden resides in the Charlotte, North Carolina area.
Newgarden Key Accomplishments
Crowned 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series Champion
Earned 10 NTT IndyCar Series wins entering 2019
Produced Team Penske’s 15th NTT IndyCar Series championship in 2017
Won six career NTT IndyCar Series pole positions
Established a new series record for laps led in a single race by leading 282 laps en route to victory at Iowa in 2016
Was nominated for the 2018 ESPY Best Driver Award after winning the 2017 NTT IndyCar Series championship
2018 - Follows up championship 2017 season with an impressive second year with Team Penske. Produces three wins - at Phoenix, Barber and Road America - to go along with a single-season career-best four poles. Posts six top-five and 14 top-10 results on the season. Finishes fifth in the final NTT IndyCar Series championship standings.
2017 - Completes dream first season with Team Penske, winning the 16th IndyCar championship in team history. Starts season strong, finishing third at Long Beach for his first podium with Team Penske and follows it with his first Team Penske win in the next race at Barber. Other wins on the season at Toronto, Mid-Ohio and Gateway. Battles all season with teammate, and defending champion, Simon Pagenaud before being able to take control of the championship with three wins and a runner up in four consecutive races. Wins his first Verizon P1 Award of the season in the finale at Sonoma Raceway, coming in second in the race to clinch the championship. For the season, he has four wins, nine podium finishes and one pole victory.
2016 - Most constant season to date leads to a career best finish of fourth in the championship. Driving for Ed Carpenter Racing, Newgarden ties a career high with four podium finishes, including a win at Iowa after breaking his hand in a scary crash at Texas. Was the highest finishing driver outside of Team Penske. After the season, Newgarden announced he was signing with the legendary Team Penske to race in the #2 Chevrolet.
2015 - A breakthrough season as he drives for the combined Carpenter Fisher Hartman (CFH) Racing team, winning his first career NTT IndyCar Series races, at Barber and Toronto, and getting his first career Verizon P1 Award at Milwaukee. Ends the season in the top-ten in the championship for the first time in his career, finishing seventh. New career high with 345 laps led and with four podium finishes on the season, his wins at Barber and Toronto along with runner up at Iowa and Pocono.
Career Highlights
2018 - Follows up championship 2017 season with an impressive second year with Team Penske. Produces three wins - at Phoenix, Barber and Road America - to go along with a single-season career-best four poles. Posts six top-five and 14 top-10 results on the season. Finishes fifth in the final NTT IndyCar Series championship standings.
2017 - Completes dream first season with Team Penske, winning the 16th IndyCar championship in team history. Starts season strong, finishing third at Long Beach for his first podium with Team Penske and follows it with his first Team Penske win in the next race at Barber. Other wins on the season at Toronto, Mid-Ohio and Gateway. Battles all season with teammate, and defending champion, Simon Pagenaud before being able to take control of the championship with three wins and a runner up in four consecutive races. Wins his first Verizon P1 Award of the season in the finale at Sonoma Raceway, coming in second in the race to clinch the championship. For the season, he has four wins, nine podium finishes and one pole victory.
2016 - Most constant season to date leads to a career best finish of fourth in the championship. Driving for Ed Carpenter Racing, Newgarden ties a career high with four podium finishes, including a win at Iowa after breaking his hand in a scary crash at Texas. Was the highest finishing driver outside of Team Penske. After the season, Newgarden announced he was signing with the legendary Team Penske to race in the #2 Chevrolet.
2015 - A breakthrough season as he drives for the combined Carpenter Fisher Hartman (CFH) Racing team, winning his first career NTT IndyCar Series races, at Barber and Toronto, and getting his first career Verizon P1 Award at Milwaukee. Ends the season in the top-ten in the championship for the first time in his career, finishing seventh. New career high with 345 laps led and with four podium finishes on the season, his wins at Barber and Toronto along with runner up at Iowa and Pocono.
2014 - Enters his third NTT IndyCar Series season has his best season finishing a career high 13th in the championship. Has the most led laps of his career with 20 and tied his career best finish of second at Iowa. Ties his career best starting position of second at Texas, Mid-Ohio and Sonoma.
2013 - Picks up his first career NTT IndyCar Series podium, finishing second in Baltimore for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing. Has four top-five finishes on the season at Sao Paulo, Pocono, Baltimore and Houston Race I. The best finish in the championship standings of his young career, finishing in 14th.
2012 - Joins the NTT IndyCar Series and Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing after winning the 2011 Indy Lights championship. Has a season best finish at his first career INDYCAR race of 11th at St. Petersburg. Leads his first career lap and the season ending race in Fontana. Suffers a big crash at Sonoma with Sebastian Bourdais, causing him to miss the race in Baltimore. Finishes 23rd overall in the championship.
2011 - Rookie season in the Indy Lights series driving for Sam Schmidt. Wins his first race in the season opener at St. Petersburg. Takes over the points lead after his win at Indianapolis and never looked back. His five wins, ten podiums and 395 laps led were top in the series. With his Indy Lights championship, Newgarden earns a ride in the NTT IndyCar Series for 2012.
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