Josef Newgarden bluntly addresses 2024 St. Petersburg scandal with single goal for first IndyCar race weekend

Josef Newgarden had a sour end to the St. Petersburg Grand Prix last time around as he was disqualified due to the push-to-pass antics. The 34-year-old has left that incident behind and strongly asserted how he is full of motivation to win the race this time around and get his redemption.

At the 2024 St. Petersburg Grand Prix, the Team Penske driver won the race ahead of Pato O'Ward with a hefty eight-second lead. However, this decision was overturned over six weeks later as the governing body found that the Mooresville-based squad had exploited the push-to-pass system.

While Will Power was penalized with a 10-point deduction, Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin were not as lucky, as they were disqualified from the race. This impacted the team as allegations regarding Roger Penske's hold over the sport came flooding in.

Moreover, the 34-year-old is now determined to prove his critics wrong after last year's mishap. Newgarden stated that he is focused on achieving the best result, and said (via X/@BobPockrass):

"There's definitely motivation for us to do well. That seems obvious. So I won't shy away from saying that. Definitely, we want to come out here and do a great job this weekend. It would be very gratifying to win the race. I do not think that needs to be our focus."

"I don't see how this year's different. Every year I show up at St. Pete, it's about putting a solid result on the board and I really mean that. I'm not just trying to be poetic. You gotta get a result on the board to the start of the year, and you gotta start thinking championship right away. If we can come of the weekend with a good result, a clean car, I think that's gonna be a win. Do we wanna ultimately have a dominant day and be out front and make a statement? Absolutely. I hope that happens, but I'm not gonna try and force that."

Josef Newgarden is a two-time winner of the street race, while Pato O'Ward inherited the race victory last time, which became his first around the 1.8-mile track.

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Josef Newgarden and Pato O'Ward did a helmet swap during the St. Petersburg Grand Prix weekend

Josef Newgarden at the INDYCAR Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg - Day 1 - Source: Getty

Though some may reckon that the two-time champion might be left with a sour taste after losing a trophy to O'Ward, the two have had a formidable rivalry since getting on the IndyCar grid. The Mexican driver got the victory at St. Petersburg, and Newgarden edged him out for victory at the Indy 500 a few months later.

Ahead of the first race of the 2025 season, at the St. Petersburg track, the pair swapped their helmets with each other, as Josef Newgarden posted on X, and wrote:

"I bet you want to know what was written on these helmet visors @PatricioOWard."

The 34-year-old posted the ninth fastest time during the first practice session around the St. Petersburg track. Qualifying for the Grand Prix will begin at 2:30 PM Eastern Time, where the double champion will be looking to bag pole home to get the best chance for victory tomorrow.