Josef Newgarden addresses rumors of Tom Brady's 2025 Indy 500 entry with Jimmie Johnson

Josef Newgarden has commented on the rumors of NFL legend Tom Brady being linked with an Indy 500 entry. The speculation began shortly after FOX Sports, IndyCar's new TV partner, released a promo centered around Newgarden which had a cameo by Brady.

As per a report by Tony Donohue, the 7-time Super Bowl winner could join forces with NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson to field a fourth Chip Ganassi Racing car for the 109th running of the Indy 500 on May 25.

Newgarden, who is aiming for an unprecedented third consecutive victory at the "Greatest Spectacle of Racing", addressed this on the Over Stregen podcast.

"I know he's going to come to Indy. I'm pretty sure he's gonna be there to watch the event. But he might field a car is what I understand. So I hope he does. It would be pretty cool to see. He was obviously involved at Le Mans too, which was obviously exciting because he was part of the Jota team, wasn't he? I think he's a motorsport fan."

Brady and Johnson were reportedly interested in fielding 4-time Champ Car champion Sebastian Bourdais at the 2025 Indy 500. Bourdais competes for Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing in the IMSA Sportscar Championship.

When motorsport journalist Bob Pockrass asked the Frenchman about this report after his win in the LMP2 class of the 2025 Rolex 24 at Daytona, he said he'd have to ask Chip Ganassi about it.

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FOX kept Josef Newgarden in the dark about Tom Brady's cameo in his promo

Josef Newgarden - Rolex 24 at Daytona - Source: Getty

FOX Sports hit the ground running with its first IndyCar promo. The unique writing immediately landed the network in the good books of fans and the sport's stakeholders. Tom Brady's cameo in it was the cherry on top.

Josef Newgarden revealed that Brady's one-liner cameo wasn't written in the original script he read and shot for. Elaborating on it on the Over Stregen podcast, he said:

"It was a surprise. I didn't know about it until 24 hours before they aired the commercial when I saw it. They didn't tell me he was going to be in there with a cameo. I don't think they would ever promise Tom. They wrote a script, I saw the script, and obviously, I filmed it and he wasn't in it. I don't think they ever promised Tom Brady because it is very difficult because his time is limited."

Josef Newgarden's commercial was aired to an audience of 39.9 million during the NFL Wild Card Playoffs game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers on January 12. The second hilarious promo featuring defending 3-time IndyCar Alex Palou was received equally well.

For Newgarden, the 2025 season has a dual purpose. The No. 2 Team Penske driver wants to win his third consecutive Indy 500 and simultaneously make a comeback on overall performance, which took a hit in 2024.