Josef Newgarden has been incredibly successful throughout his IndyCar career, winning multiple championships and victories at the Indy 500, so here’s everything you need to know about the American.
Newgarden made his debut in IndyCar in 2012 with Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing after winning the Indy Lights Championship in the previous season.
His professional career in North America came after a brief stint in Europe, racing in the British Formula Ford Championship.
The American also drove in the GP3 Series for Carlin in 2010, scoring points on just three occasions in a forgettable year.
Josef Newgarden won his first IndyCar title in 2017
Newgarden endured some relatively unsuccessful years during the opening stages of his IndyCar career, including failing to register a top-10 finish in his debut season.
The following seasons in 2013 and 2014 marked slight improvements as he scored a single podium finish in each year after finishing second at Baltimore and Iowa respectively.
After steady improvement at Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, Newgarden moved to CFH Racing, which turned out to be memorable as it delivered his first IndyCar victory.
The momentous day arrived at Barber Motorsports Park just before the month of May and the Indy 500, finishing the 90-lap event first in 2015.
Newgarden took his first IndyCar race victory ahead of Graham Rahal and Scott Dixon in Alabama after a difficult start to his 2015 season, failing to score a top-five finish in the opening three rounds.
The next five races were a different experience, scoring a best finish of eighth place, while the Indy 500 yielded a P9 finish at The Brickyard.
Between two lacklustre rounds in Texas and Fontana, Newgarden took his second victory of the season on the unforgiving streets of Toronto.
The American also outlined his credentials on ovals with a couple of second places at Iowa and the unique Pocono circuit before joining Ed Carpenter Racing for 2016.
Newgarden’s only season at ECR was the closest he had come to challenging for the Astor Cup. He finished fourth in the standings and took yet another victory at Iowa.
He moved to Team Penske for the following season, replacing former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya. This demoted the Colombian to a part-time role; he raced only at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and the Indy 500.
Team Penske enjoyed a star-studded lineup with Will Power, Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud joining the outfit’s new recruit at all 17 events.
Newgarden’s championship challenge began with a drive to eighth place at St. Petersburg before a third place and his first podium while driving for Roger Penske at Long Beach.
The good form continued as IndyCar rolled into Alabama, taking the second victory of his career at Barber Motorsports Park, finishing ahead of Dixon.
After the win in Alabama, the following three events saw a brief lull for the driver of the No. 2 car, failing to score a top-five finish, a run that included a lacklustre day at the Indy 500, finishing in 19th place.
Pagenaud capitalised on this, winning on the oval at Phoenix and finishing fourth on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course to gain critical points in the title battle.
Newgarden returned to form at the doubleheader at Belle Isle in Detroit. He finished fourth and second in the two races, getting his campaign back on track.
Another podium followed at Road America before a trio of victories as the season drew to a close, taking another win in Toronto before standing on the top step of the podium at Mid-Ohio and Gateway.
This run of success was enough to put the title within reach as Pagenaud stumbled slightly in Canada. The championship battle came down to a tense finale at Sonoma; Newgarden’s drive to second place was enough to win his first IndyCar title despite Pagenaud winning the season’s final race.
Josef Newgarden won the Indy 500 after overtakes on the last lap in 2023 and 2024
The Indy 500 is the most prestigious race on the IndyCar calendar, with more than 100 years of history dating back to 1911.
Newgarden drove well at The Brickyard early in his career but failed to take a victory, with his best finishes being third in 2016 and fourth three years later.
The American also had to endure the agony of his Team Penske teammates Power and Pagenaud, who had taken victory at Indianapolis in consecutive seasons.
But after years of heartache, Newgarden’s wait for his first victory at the Indy 500 finally came to an end in 2023 after overtaking Marcus Ericsson on the 200th and final lap.
Qualifying hadn’t been spectacular for Newgarden ahead of the race and he started in the middle of the sixth row of the grid alongside Conor Daly and Ryan Hunter-Reay.
After a mediocre qualifying, Newgarden remained competitive throughout the race as held second place when a caution was called with 50 laps to go after Romain Grosjean crashed.
The race resumed six laps later, with Ericsson leading and Newgarden close behind before taking the lead into Turn 1 after the restart.
A final caution was brought out after an incident in the closing stages, the race restarted with two laps to go as Newgarden hunted down Ericsson for the lead.
The Team Penske driver used the slipstream on the back straight, driving past the Swede before Turn 3 to win the Indy 500.
A year later, history was repeated as Newgarden took his second Indy 500 win on the final lap.
His qualifying performance was much improved compared to 2023 as Newgarden took third place while Team Penske locked out the front row.
The defending winner of the Indy 500 also stayed at the front of the field throughout the race and kept out of trouble as Power and Colton Herta fell by the wayside.
Newgarden then battled Pato O’Ward during the final two laps of the Indy 500 with the Mexican snatching the lead as the white flag flew, indicating the start of the last lap.
The Arrow McLaren driver led Newgarden into Turn 1 on the last lap but he lost the lead heading into Turn 3. The eventual race winner passed O’Ward with a similar move to that of the year before when he passed Ericsson for the victory.
O’Ward was agonisingly close to winning and making history as the Arrow McLaren driver would have been the first Mexican to win the Indy 500.
Josef Newgarden won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2024
Newgarden has built a superb career in IndyCar after winning the Indy 500 multiple times and clinching a championship title, too.
But Newgarden has also driven brilliantly in endurance racing, even winning the Rolex 24 at Daytona for Team Penske in 2024.
Porsche Penske Motorsport fielded an excellent, highly experienced lineup in the No. 7 car with Newgarden partnering Felipe Nasr, Matt Campbell and Dane Cameron.
Team Penske won the race after qualifying third behind two Cadillacs, and the American manufacturer battled with Porsche throughout the race.
Newgarden and his teammates won after 791 laps of racing, just over two seconds ahead of the No. 31 Cadillac at the chequered flag.
So, with that in mind, Full Oversteer looks at everything that you need to know about Newgarden…
How old is Josef Newgarden? Where was he born?
Newgarden is 33 years old and was born on the 22nd of December 1990 in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
How tall is Josef Newgarden? What is his height in feet?
Newgarden is 1.83 metres tall and measures at 6’0 in feet.
What is Josef Newgarden’s net worth?
Newgarden’s net worth is estimated to be around $20 million or £15.6 million.
Josef Newgarden’s career stats in IndyCar
As of the end of the 2024 season, Newgarden is a two-time IndyCar Series champion and boasts a raft of race wins – including two at the Indy 500 – plus multiple pole positions and podiums.
IndyCar titles: 2 (2017, 2019)
IndyCar race entries: 215
IndyCar wins: 31
Indy 500 wins: 2 (2023, 2024)
IndyCar pole positions: 18
IndyCar podiums: 58