Josef Newgarden kickstarts Indy 500 Green Flag Relay from Bourbon Street, New Orleans

Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden launched the 2025 Indy 500 Green Flag Relay from Bourbon Street in New Orleans. The event took place after Super Bowl Sunday, where the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX to win their second title. Newgarden, along with reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou, was set to appear in his racing suit during the pre-game show.

This was part of FOX’s efforts to promote IndyCar as the network took over broadcasting rights for the series. The official Instagram handle of Indianapolis Motor Speedway took to Instagram to signal the start of the annual tradition.

The Green Flag Relay marks the beginning of the countdown to the Indianapolis 500. The tradition involves the green flag that will start the race traveling to various locations across the country and beyond in the lead-up to the Indy 500 event.

"Green Flag from Bourbon Street! The #GreenFlagRelay for the #Indy500 is underway after @josefnewgarden took the Official Green Flag with him to #SBLIX!" the caption of the Instagram post read.

The hashtag #GreenFlagRelay is used to track the location of the flag on social media at any given time before the 500-mile event. FOX's strategy to include Josef Newgarden and Alex Palou in their promotional strategy was not just a random choice. Both drivers will be fighting to achieve something incredible during the 2025 NTT IndyCar season.

Newgarden is chasing history by attempting to win his third consecutive Indianapolis 500. Meanwhile, Palou is seeking to become just the fourth driver in IndyCar history to win three straight championships.

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Josef Newgarden highlights similarities between the Indy 500 and Daytona 500

Josef Newgarden recently spoke about the similarities between the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Daytona 500 in a video posted by Pennzoil’s Instagram account. He was featured alongside defending NASCAR champion Joey Logano, and the two discussed what it takes to win the most important event in their respective series.

When Logano asked Newgarden what it takes to win The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, Newgarden quickly compared the two 500-mile events. He explained that success at both races depends on having the right equipment and executing everything perfectly on race day.

"There are some things that have to be put into place. Like the car's gotta be sort of perfect there. I think similar to Daytona, like if you don't have good car speed, everything gets harder. You gotta get all the processes right during the day. The pit stops have to be perfect and flawless," Josef Newgarded shared.

"At Indy now with how close the racing is, you have to have a high level of confidence to make aggressive moves at the right point. It's kind of like Daytona in that the only thing that matters is winning... To win the race you have to put it all on the line,” he added.

Josef Newgarden has the opportunity to become the first driver in IndyCar history to win the Indy 500 three times in a row.