Josef Newgarden names himself the "ultimate competitor" in a frank declaration for IndyCar fans

Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden has called himself the 'ultimate competitor' who will do anything necessary to fight for a victory. The American is a two-time IndyCar champion and has also won the last two runnings of the Indy 500.

Josef Newgarden joined Team Penske in 2017 and went on to win his first IndyCar championship in the same year, claiming 4 wins and 5 more podiums. He went on to win his second championship in 2019 but failed to add to his titles, finishing runner-up for the next three consecutive seasons.

The American has claimed victory in both the 2023 and 2024 runnings of IndyCar's premier event, the Indy 500 and became only the sixth driver to do so.

It can be said that Newgarden is well placed to know about winning races and being a competitor. So when the former champion was asked by Fox Sports reporter Bob Pockrass as to why new fans should potentially support him, Newgarden replied by claiming that he is the ultimate competitor but also a team player. He said:

"I think if you're watching IndyCar and you want to cheer on someone that is the ultimate competitor, who wants to do essentially anything to fight for a victory, you know, that's me." [via @bobpockrass on X]

"That's what I wake up everyday trying to figure out, how to do better. How to be a warrior when I step into the car and deliver the best result for my team. I wanna do it as a team player too, and I want to deliver it as a group effort. So if that's the type of person you want to support then I think I'd be your guy," added Newgarden.

In the same interview, Josef Newgarden is also asked about what books he has been reading recently. The 34-year-old revealed that he has been reading "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck" by Mark Manson and Disney CEO Bob Iger's Autobiography, "The Ride of a Lifetime".

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Josef Newgarden shares his hilarious struggles with "Content Day" shoots

INDY 500 Winner Josef Newgarden Borg Warner Trophy Ceremony, Dec 2024 - Source: Getty

Josef Newgarden has shared that he struggles with filming content for the media on content day. The American particularly mentions how he does not like doing fake celebrations for the camera.

The IndyCar driver released a video on his own Youtube channel in which he is going through his pre-season preparations ahead of the start of the new season in March. Part of this video is behind-the-scenes footage of Newgarden's "Content Day", in which he has to take part in photo shoots and video shoots for his team and other sponsors and broadcasters.

In a light-hearted tone, Newgarden shared how he struggles with this day the most and that he cannot do the fake celebrations infront of the camera. He said:

"It's a good problem, we gotta do content day but I struggle with it. So I'm gonna keep a good attitude and we're gonna get through it" [via Josef Newgarden on Youtube]

"They want the fake celebration, like, what would be your celebration. I can't do that. That's got to be an 'in the moment' thing. But they want something good, I get it, but it's hard to deliver." added Newgarden, while laughing.

Newgarden ended this section of his video by mentioning that Content Day is like a check-point for him that signifies that the new season is on the horizon, which is an exciting prospect for the driver.