Josef Newgarden’s wife Ashley makes her 2024 highlight known on IG

Before bringing in the New Year, Josef Newgarden's wife Ashley shared her 2024 highlight on Instagram. The moment that stood out for her was her husband's history-making move in an otherwise subpar IndyCar season.

Though it wasn't a fairytale from a championship point of view in 2024 for Josef Newgarden, his second consecutive Indy 500 victory salvaged the season. In dramatic fashion, the Team Penske driver overtook Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward on the outside of Turn 3 in the final lap to retake the lead he lost earlier in the lap. The passionate crowd came to its feet as Newgarden became the first driver since Helio Castroneves in 2001-02 to win the "Greatest Spectacle of Racing" consecutively.

His wife of 5 years and their two-year-old son Kota were present at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to cheer him on and celebrate. On Tuesday, December 31, Ashley reshared an Instagram story by a Josef Newgarden fan page that had the video capturing the moment Kota kissed the bricks along with them and clapped in unison after. She wrote:

"One of my highlights too!"

A snapshot of Ashley Newgraden's Instagram story (@ashleynewgarden)

With that victory, Newgarden handed team owner Roger Penske his record 20th Indy 500 triumph. The No. 2 driver Chevy earned a record $4.288 million, including a $440,000 bonus for winning it consecutively.

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Josef Newgarden's son Kota behaved like a "pro" during the post-Indy 500 festivities

The 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

The 108th Indy 500 this year was Josef Newgarden's son Kota's first time at the event. But to his two-time champion father's surprise, it didn't seem like it was his first. Kota was at ease throughout and after the race. A considerable amount of credit also went to Ashley, who made several 'sacrifices' to take care of the family, as Newgarden appreciated after his first Indy 500 win in 2023.

In an interview with NBC Sports published on May 28, two days after Newgarden's second victory, he said:

"What was amazing was that he (Kota) handled it all so well, not just (Monday), but (Sunday), too. I was shocked. I mean, when you have a 2-year-old, they don’t know everything that’s going on, and it’s very reasonable for them to get upset at different times. It was also pretty late. I just was blown away how cool and calm he was."

Newgarden also revealed how smoothly Kota steered his way through the Monday photoshoots.

"He just kind of knew what to do. I was like, ‘Let’s look this way. Let’s take some photos,’ and he was like a pro. So I don’t know what to think of that," the Penske driver added.

Newgarden recently admitted that his No. 2 Penske team has yet to hit its ceiling in terms of car pace and overall perfection in execution. In 2025, he will aim to achieve an unprecedented third consecutive victory at the Indy 500.