Lebron James’ agency Klutch hires IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden as first professional racing client

IndyCar driver Josef Newgarden has signed with global sports agency Klutch Sports Group as the announcement was made on February 28, 2025, with the new IndyCar season on the horizon. The St. Petersburg Grand Prix weekend begins on February 28, with the announcement being made before the first practice session.

The Klutch Sports Group was founded by NBA star LeBron James’ agent, Rich Paul, in 2012. The company has about 100 employees headquartered in Los Angeles, with Paul in the Chief Executive Officer’s position. Fara Leff is the Chief Operating Officer, and Nicole Lynn is the President of Football.

Klutch Sports' official Instagram account uploaded a post to announce the signing of Josef Newgarden, and tagged the Team Penske driver as a collaborator. The post included a well-designed poster with Newgarden's photo and a picture of his No. 2 Team Penske car.

The second slide of the post was the Josef Newgarden promo released by FOX earlier this year, which featured NFL quarterback Tom Brady. FOX took over the exclusive broadcasting rights from NBC and signed with IndyCar starting in 2025.

LeBron James' agency will now be handling the future contract talks and negotiations on behalf of Josef Newgarden. The 34-year-old is the first ever motorsports athlete signed by Klutch Sports Group.

As Klutch Sports Group welcomed Newgarden, the caption of the post read:

“Welcome to our first professional racing client, 2x IndyCar racing champion Josef Newgarden! 🏎️”

A multitude of athletes from the NBA are represented by the Klutch Sports Group, which includes the LA Lakers’ LeBron James, Chicago Bulls’ Lonzo Ball, Dallas Mavericks’ Anthony Davis, Sacramento Kings’ Zach LaVine, Philadelphia 76ers’ Tyrese Maxey, and many more. Klutch Sports Group also represents NFL stars like Odell Beckham Jr.

Newgarden’s current contract will see him race with Team Penske until the end of the 2026 season. The IndyCar champion signed a contract extension with the team last year, just weeks after winning his second Indy 500.

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“We haven’t reached our full potential”: Josef Newgarden on signing contract extension with Team Penske

Josef Newgarden’s previous Team Penske contract ended after the 2024 season. Before Newgarden signed a contract extension, he was available as a free agent for the 2025 season. Rumors suggested that Newgarden was in talks with other teams as well, but decided to stay with Team Penske.

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

As the 34-year-old signed his extension, he thanked Roger Penske for the opportunity and suggested that there's more to come from his side. He said (via Race):

“Driving for Roger Penske and this iconic team is a dream that I never thought I would realize. I’m thankful for the opportunities that I’ve been given during my time at Team Penske. I’m sure that we can achieve much more in the future. I still believe we haven’t reached our full potential together just yet.”

Newgarden enters the 2025 IndyCar season as the defending Indy 500 winner and will be looking to accomplish the three-peat at the iconic race and become the first-ever driver to do the same.