Josef Nicolai Newgarden (born December 22, 1990) is an American racing driver who competes in the IndyCar Series full-time for Team Penske. He is the 2011 Indy Lights champion, the 2017 and 2019 IndyCar Series Champion, and the winner of the 2023 Indianapolis 500.
Career
Karting
According to an interview on The Dale Jr. Download, Newgarden's first race vehicle was a motorized scooter purchased at a skate shop in Hendersonville, Tennessee. In 2001, Newgarden competed in events across the country. After a year of this, his father purchased a kart.
When he was 13, he and his family ventured outside of Tennessee to find a competitive kart racing environment. This led Newgarden to a kart racing facility in New Castle, Indiana, that had recently been launched by IndyCar driver Mark Dismore. In order to stay efficient with funding, Newgarden focused on local and regional championships rather than competing nationally.
In his first year of karting (2005), Newgarden finished 2nd and 3rd in the Kart Racers of America (KRA) Junior Can Championship. He also competed in the TAG world championships that year in the junior division, securing the title.
2006 was his most successful year in karting; he secured two championships in the KRA Junior Can division and repeated as the TAG World Champion in the junior division.
He went on to compete in junior car racing in 2007, but returned to karting several times, racing in the highly competitive Robo-Pong 200 at New Castle Motorsports Park multiple times over the next few years. He won the 200-mile endurance race twice, with both successes coming with members of the Dismore family as his teammates (Mark Dismore Sr in 2011 and Mark Dismore Jr in 2013).
Early formula car racing
Skip Barber
Newgarden started his open-wheel car career in the Skip Barber Racing School series in 2006. He finished as runner-up in the Southern Regional Series with three wins and another seven podium places. He next competed in the 2007 BFGoodrich / Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda championship, finishing sixth with two wins. Newgarden remained in the series for 2008 and improved to second place, with three wins.
Formula Ford
After the 2008 season, Newgarden was selected for the Team USA scholarship to compete at the Formula Ford Festival and Walter Hayes Trophy. He would secure the Formula Ford Festival title, becoming the only American to do so.
At the Walter Hayes Trophy event, Newgarden would win all of the qualifying races leading to the main event. He would also start the event from the pole position but mid-way through the race in wet conditions, Newgarden crashed from the lead, finishing 6th place.
In 2009, he would move to England to compete in the British Formula Ford Championship and start his European career. He would finish runner-up in 2009, leading the series in total race wins and amassing 550 points.
Formula Palmer Audi
Newgarden competed in the opening round of the 2009 Formula Palmer Audi season at Brands Hatch, taking two wins and a fourth in the third race.
GP3 Series
In 2010, Newgarden competed in the newly formed 2010 GP3 Series with Carlin Motorsport. 2010 would end in Josef's most disappointing championship position of his young career, finishing 18th in the points. The season was highlighted by a pole position at Hockenheimring and a best finish of fifth at the season finale at Monza.
Indy Lights
At the start of 2011, Newgarden would return home 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. He followed his opening win in St. Petersburg with four more wins and ten podium finishes out of thirteen races in 2011, clinching him the points championship with one race to go. 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 this since Thiago Medeiros in March 2004. Josef, as a rookie, would also lead the series with the most number of wins for the 2011 season.
IndyCar
2012–2014: Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing
On December 7, 2011, Newgarden was announced as the driver for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing. He competed in IndyCar from 2012 to 2014 with Fisher's team. He would earn his first podium at the 2013 race in Baltimore and in 2014, would stand on his second career podium at Iowa Speedway.