Josef Newgarden, in some ways, has served as the face of INDYCAR, and that's thanks to his back-to-back Indianapolis 500 victories.
But he hasn’t been a factor for the championship in the last two seasons. He was pretty much out of contention with three races remaining in 2023. And after his disqualification from the opening race in 2024, he never reached higher than seventh in the standings.
He won titles in 2017 and 2019 and won 17 races from 2020-2024. But Newgarden still seeks that third title.
After racing to a third-place finish last Sunday in the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, he should feel like he has a good shot at the championship. He’s 15 points behind race winner (and three-time champion) Alex Palou after one race.
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The Team Penske driver left St. Petersburg with a clean car and a good result. Not a bad Race 1 of 17.
"Every year I show up at St. Pete and it's about putting up a solid result on the board," Newgarden said. "I really mean that. ... You have to get a result on the board to start the year and you’ve got to start thinking championship right away."
Some fueling issues spoiled any chance of a win. But Newgarden refused to leave with his head down.
"Ultimately, we needed a good day just to get points on the board. That's kind of going to be most important for this weekend, so we accomplished that," Newgarden said. "I can't be too dissatisfied.
"We had some miscues in the race for sure, just a couple fueling-wise. But the team still did a stellar job. It starts with the foundation of a fast car, and we certainly had that all weekend. ... We can go on with that and feel confident at least to challenge for wins in the future."
Last year, Newgarden left with the trophy from St. Pete, but then the disqualification ruling came several weeks later after it was eventually realized that he had access to his push-to-pass boost on restarts (when teams are not allowed to have it).
Despite the deep points hole, Newgarden said he didn’t give up his championship hopes until four races remained and he was still seventh in the standings — 151 points behind the leader in a series where 54 is the maximum a driver can earn in a race.
"You don't really let go of the championship until it's really mathematically over," Newgarden said. "I probably held on to that until Portland, which is late. That's very, very late, but you just don't know what's going to happen.
"You're always hoping for a potential miracle. You want to create a miracle. So all through [last] season, I could feel the things slipping away. ... I didn't let go of it until it was mathematically done. And I think you've got to carry that attitude in this sport."
Newgarden also carries the attitude he has every season as he tries to win his third career title.
"I wake up every day trying to figure out how to do better … how to be a warrior when I step into the car and deliver the best result for my team," Newgarden said. "I want to do it as a team player, too. And I want to deliver it as a group effort."
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
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