Josef Newgarden opens up on the possibility of becoming the first driver to win the Indy 500 for three consecutive years

Ahead of the 2025 IndyCar season, Josef Newgarden has shared his feelings about potentially winning the Indy 500 for a third consecutive time. No driver in IndyCar history has achieved the feat yet.

Going into the 2023 season, Josef Newgarden carried the emotional weight of having won two IndyCar championships, but not the Indy 500 in 11 attempts. However, once he crossed that barrier with a final lap pass on defending winner Marcus Ericsson that year, he superbly topped it in 2024 to take a second consecutive victory at the "Greatest Spectacle of Racing".

That win also handed Team Penske owner Roger Penske a record-extending 20th win at the event. On January 17 this year, IndyCar commemorated the win by awarding Newgarden and Penske their Baby Borgs, a miniature version of the iconic Borg-Warner Trophy.

After the event at the Henry Ford Museum, Josef Newgarden spoke with Bruce Martin of the Pit Pass Indy podcast about what a three-peat at Indy would mean to him.

"It's not a make-or-break. I don't think it changes our legacy or the worth of our team if we win three in a row. But we for sure have a chance to do it and I think we have a great chance to do it. I think we have good cars again and it would be a huge deal."

"I mean, how often do you show up to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and you have an opportunity to do what no one else does in the day to make history? So I'm very excited about that. I look forward to the challenge. We're gonna be working hard to make the... I don't wanna say the impossible, but probably the improbable happen."

Newgarden won the 2024 Indy 500 with a final lap pass on Arrow McLaren driver Pato O'Ward, reclaiming the lead he lost earlier in the lap.

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Josef Newgarden and Team Penske are 'constantly' developing their Indy 500 car

NTT IndyCar Series 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

The Indy 500 is the premier event of the IndyCar calendar. In addition to the full-time drivers, additional entries, including drivers from other series like NASCAR and F1, round up the 33-car grid.

For Team Penske, which has been the most successful team in the prestigious race, year-round effort in car development is key. Josef Newgarden revealed this to be the case during the Baby Borg ceremony in Detroit.

"It is a constant in the sense that when you ask the team, we're working on that specific car all year round. We leave the Speedway in May, and you're already working on the next Speedway race car."

"If you win it, you're getting a brand-new chassis. You're already thinking about what can we do to make that one a little bit better. You have to divide where you split your development and thought time," the 34-year-old said (via Autoweek).

Josef Newgarden became the first driver since Helio Castroneves in 2001-02 to win the Indy 500 consecutively. He will also aim for his third IndyCar championship in 2025 to shrug off the otherwise disappointing year that 2024 was.