3 times Josef Newgarden outshined everyone else during an IndyCar race, ft. 2023 Indy 500

Josef Newgarden, the two-time world champion, is one of the most well-known names in American motorsports. He has been competing in IndyCar since 2012, and while he is a popular figure among the fans for varied reasons, one specific factor behind his ever-growing popularity is his impressive exploits in the Indy 500s.

The 'Greatest Spectacle in Racing' has been taking place since 1911 (Indianapolis Motor Speedway). Over the years, it has made the careers of several top drivers, one of whom is also Team Penske's Josef Newgarden. In line with this, here are the top three moments when Newgarden outperformed every other driver in the Indy 500 series.

#3 Josef Newgarden's surge from P13 to P5 in 2020 Indy 500

First up on this list is Newgarden's heroics in the 2020 Indy 500. The 34-year-old did not have the best of qualifying and, as a result, had to start the Grand Prix from outside the top 10 in P13.

Moreover, after six laps, he had fallen to P14 in the standings, but from this point on, he started putting his car through the absolute wringer, and when it came to the 100th lap of the race, he was already in P5, making up nine places.

From this point on, he maintained his fifth place until the end of the race with Takuma Sato (started his outing from P3), Scott Dixon (started his outing from P2), and Graham Rahal (started his outing from P8) finishing in the top-three places. What makes this outing an extremely solid one for Josef Newgarden is the fact that he made up the highest number of places in comparison to the top three.

#2 Josef Newgarden's triumph in the 2024 Indy 500

The penultimate effort on this list from Newgarden was in the 2024 Indy 500. He started his outing from third place on the grid, but on lap 43, he was overtaken by Colton Herta.

However, on lap 86 of the 200-lap race, Herta crashed and gifted the position back to Newgarden. From this point on, there was a lot of back-and-forth action (Newgarden steadily progressing upwards) with the various tire strategies. When it came to the final lap, Newgarden was overtaken by Pato O'Ward for the lead position. Many thought that all was lost for the 34-year-old, but amidst all the noise, he put out his absolute A-game to re-take the lead going into the final section of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This was his second-consective victory in the event.

#1 Josef Newgarden's 2023 Indy 500 triumph from P17

With two Indy 500s out of the way, Newgarden's best performance, in which he outperformed everybody on the race track, came in the 2023 event. He started his 200-lap outing from way down in P17, but despite this, he was able to win the race (maiden Indy 500 win).

Moreover, just like his exploits in 2024, in the 2023 event, he overtook a driver on the last lap of the race. This time, it was the 2022 winner, Marcus Ericsson, who got a taste of Newgarden's last-lap might.