"He's the gold standard on ovals" - Josef Newgarden gets the ultimate compliment from ex-IndyCar driver

Josef Newgarden is regarded as one of the best drivers to have graced the IndyCar field in recent years. The 34-year-old has won the Indy 500 twice in succession and is often a beast on ovals. Observing this, former IndyCar driver turned commentator James Hinchcliffe praised Newgarden by claiming he is the gold standard of ovals.

Since making his debut in 2012, the Team Penske driver has slowly made his way up the field and smoothed out his driving style for ovals. While Newgarden's initial race wins came around road courses or street circuits, this trend changed in 2016 at the Iowa Corn 300, where he got his first oval win under the belt.

From then on, Josef Newgarden has lit up the track and has won 10 of the last 18 races held on ovals and speedways thus cementing his name in the American open-wheel racing sphere as one of the best oval racers.

Subsequently, witnessing his prowess, Hinchcliffe stated how Newgarden is the gold standard around ovals (via Apex Hunters podcast):

"Josef is good at all of them, [he] certainly excels at the short tracks, which we have a lot of on the calendar right now, just for whatever reason... You know he's won at Texas, he's won at Indy twice. I mean so he's obviously proved [himself], if anything he started really good on the short tracks and he's gotten better at the Super Speedways. But yeah, I mean he's the gold standard on ovals right now. [Team] Penske is as a team and as a driver, he definitely stands out compared to his teammates in that category." (34:38 onwards)

The 34-year-old finished the 2024 season on a high by claiming a podium at the last race in Nashville.

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Josef Newgarden shares the effects of a long winter break

Josef Newgarden at the Borg Warner Trophy Ceremony - Source: Getty

The previous season ended on September 15 in Nashville and the 2025 season is slated to start on March 2. This means that IndyCar drivers will have a massive break of over five months.

Reflecting on the long winter vacation, Josef Newgarden said (via MSN):

"I’m always nervous in an offseason because it’s been like five months since I’ve driven a car in anger, and when you show up to St. Pete in that first race of the year, I always wonder, ‘Can I still do this? Do I know how to drive this thing correctly?' It’s one of those just funny moments, just even if you’ve been out of the car for two months, I started to get those feelings, ‘Can I do this job? Should they be paying me to do this still? And then that kind of goes away."

Newgarden can complete a three-peat at the Indy 500 this year after winning the elusive race on the two previous occasions.