Josef Newgarden calls Will Power a "mystical human being" in IMS comparison

Josef Newgarden has been teammates with Will Power since he joined Team Penske in 2017. Knowing the Aussie for this long has led the two of them to often banter with each other, and when talking about the calm weather at the IMS during the open test, Newgarden compared the IMS to Power's mystical nature.

The 44-year-old is a revered figure within the IndyCar paddock. Power is a seasoned veteran and has won two world championships with his stellar performances on track.

Though the Aussie remains focused on his target while on track, this nature tapers off as soon as he gets off the grid, that's when his amiable side shines through. According to Josef Newgarden, in a similar fashion, the IMS often throws curveballs in unexpected ways.

Comparing the two entities in the recent Pit Pass Indy podcast, the 34-year-old claimed that the IMS was a mystical place, much like his teammate, Will Power, and said:

"The Indy Speedway is a mystical place, much like my teammate, Will Power. He's a mystical human being... He's an interesting cat... He's all over the place, but this speedway is up and down too. You try and come with a formula for this place and there is no consistent formula for what you should be doing, it's moving around all of the time and it's the challenge of it. It's also the fun of it. So, to have couple of good days of weather for these last two days of testing has been lovely."

On the other hand, Newgarden will be looking to rewrite history at IMS this year as he can become the first driver in history to complete a three-peat at the fabled race.

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Josef Newgarden is in a happy place after the Indy 500 open test

Josef Newgarden at the INDYCAR Open Testing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Source: Getty

While completing a three-peat is a daunting task, the Tennessee-born driver looks forward to achieving this impressive feat. To set his foot in the right place, he utilized the two days of open testing at the IMS and posted stellar lap times.

Josef Newgarden finished Day 1 in the second-spot in the timing sheets and impressed the fans with his pace. While his Day 2 pace was not at par with his prior result, his teammate, Scott McLaughlin topped the leaderboard, suggesting Team Penske has a strong car for the upcoming Indy 500.

Following on the same path, the double champion said (via IndyCar):

"When the car is fast, everything else can be fixed. It’s the car’s speed that fixes everything. For us, it’s been a really good start. It doesn’t mean it’s going to be all smooth sailing, but I hope we can come out of this and be prepared for the Month of May."

Newgarden's first Indy 500 victory came in 2023, ending a decade-plus wait to win the elusive race. He repeated this feat in 2024 after making a similar last-lap pass for the win.