Josef Newgarden, the Nashville kid
Nashville’s Josef Newgarden has twice (2017 and 2019) been an IndyCar champion. He’s won on short tracks, big ovals and road courses. A complete racing driver indeed. In May 2023, he fulfilled his lifetime dream of winning, for Team Penske, the Indy 500.
As a 20-year old in the Indy Light series, Newgarden dominated, winning five of 14 races and finishing on the podium 10 times in the 2011 season. He took the title by 94 points. Newgarden then joined the elite of the IndyCar series with the Sarah Fischer Hartman Racing, but the team was underfunded and they struggled to stay competitive consistently, though Josef finished second at the 2013 Grand Prix of Baltimore.
It was enough for the young American to catch the attention of Roger Penske, who offered him a contract, that he duly signed. That was the right move and since then he won no less than 29 times in the NTT IndyCar Series, took 16 pole positions and 76 top 5’s, including, as mentioned above, the 2023 Indianapolis 500.
He declared: “It’s a crazy journey. This started a long time ago with just my parents, and they are the biggest reason that I’ve been able to do this. They’ve put everything on the line for me to make sure I had the opportunity to race. Am so grateful to them.”
