Josef Newgarden gives "controversial" Tom Brady opinion after Super Bowl meet-up

Josef Newgarden had a dream come true at the Super Bowl 2025 on February 9. In addition to being one of the faces of FOX's IndyCar promos during the big game, the two-time Indy 500 winner got to meet his idol, Tom Brady.

The meeting was no coincidence. FOX's first-ever promo for IndyCar which it released in January was centered around Newgarden's life and career. Retired NFL legend Brady, now a FOX presenter, had a short cameo in it. His job was to act envious when the voiceover in the promo swooned over Newgarden's perfect jawline.

On Sunday, the Team Penske driver was in attendance with his wife Ashley at the New Orleans football stadium for the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. He got to spend half an hour with Tom Brady in the green room pre-game.

On a recent episode of the 'Off Track with Hinch and Rossi' podcast, Josef Newgarden spoke about what that experience was like. He said:

"He was lovely. Brady has always been inspirational to me like just as an athlete. I know that's controversial. He's someone people love or they hate. And look, I've always stated this - I like people that do extraordinary things in sport, things that people don't see that often. He's certainly done that. He sits at a level no one has sat at from a quarterback viewpoint."

"I think what you see about Tom is the way he interacts with his team, how close he is with a lot of players that he got to work with, and how they still interact today. What you see on camera, that's Tom Brady. He's a super genuine, nice guy, like give you all the time in the world that he can. It was really cool."

Newgarden's promo was one of three shown during the first half of the Super Bowl. FOX reportedly spent over $30 million in total for the ad slots. It turned out to be a masterstroke as the game became the highest-watched Super Bowl ever with 126 million viewers across different platforms.

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Josef Newgarden had a blast watching "modern day gladiators" at the Super Bowl

2023 Acura Grand Prix Of Long Beach - Source: Getty

Along with Team Penske's NASCAR driver Joey Logano, Josef Newgarden attended to marketing duties for FOX before the Super Bowl 59. The duo interacted with NFL fans and clicked some photos too.

Newgarden had a thoroughly enjoyable time at the game. Compared to watching it from home, it was a mega step-up.

"I love watching the Super Bowl at home, but being in the crowd just hits different. This is modern day gladiators," he wrote in an X post.

The two-time IndyCar champ was rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs, who unfortunately got routed by the Jalen Hurts-led Eagles.

"I legit love the Chiefs, but you gotta give it up for the Eagles. They have played incredible, just on it from the start!" he wrote in another post.

Josef Newgarden will be entering his 14th IndyCar season in 2025. His main aim is to win an unprecedented third consecutive Indy 500 with Team Penske.