DETROIT– Josef Newgarden continued a busy week on Saturday with a third-place finish in qualifying at Detroit and a multi-year contract extension with Penske Racing.
“I don’t think I have the words to describe what this has been like,” said Newgarden, who won his second straight Indianapolis 500 last weekend. “Team Penske has been my family for eight years and I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”
It’s been a busy year for Newgarden and Team Penske. After teaming up to win the 24 Hours of Daytona, Newgarden was disqualified after winning the season-opening race in St. Petersburg. The three Penske cars were caught with illegal modifications to the push-to-pass engine boost system.
Team owner Roger Penske suspended several team members following the disqualifications, leaving Newgarden with a mixed team heading into last weekend’s 500.
“Josef Newgarden is a true winner and we are excited for him to remain part of the Penske team for years to come,” Penske said in a statement. “What he did on Sunday at the Indianapolis 500 shows how Josef consistently delivers for our team and our partners on the track, and he is equally impressive off the track.”
Newgarden, the series champion in 2017 and 2019, played his 200th game this season and has finished in the top five in the season standings in each of the last eight years.
“We won two championships, but we could easily have had a few more,” he said. “We finished second three years in a row (2020-2022) – we could have got one or two of them.”
Indianapolis was Newgarden’s 30th career win, and at age 33, he thinks he could add to that number significantly.
“I’m not ruling anything out,” he said when asked if he could reach 60. “I’m going to continue with a great team, so I have the chance to do a lot more.”
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