Roger Penske names his favorite to take the Indy 500 crown from his trio of elite talents

Ahead of the Indianapolis 500, the owner of Team Penske, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and IndyCar, Roger Penske, has named Josef Newgarden as his favorite to win it. The 'greatest racing spectacle in the world' is 53 days away.

In 2024, Team Penske driver Newgarden won the Indy 500 for the second time. The 34-year-old is one of the few to have won the prestigious race twice in their career. In 108 editions of the Indianapolis 500, no driver has ever won it three times in a row, and Newgarden has a chance to create history.

Penske has a talented pool of drivers in his team, which includes Newgarden, Will Power and Scott McLaughlin. Among the elite pilots, the 88-year-old mogul picked the defending champion (via fox59.com):

“Of course, for the 109th running, I’m rooting for Newgarden. But you have to go back to 2003. [Team Penske driver] Helio (Castroneves) was on his way to his third, and he got blocked on the back straightaway and Gil de Ferran won the race. (But) it could be done, and Josef is certainly a student now."

"He took 12 years to win his first race. I think he’s ready. [Team Penske's Head of IndyCar Operations] Tim Cindric is one of the greatest strategists here at the Speedway. He’s won a number of races with his particular car, so I really feel he’s got a great chance."

After two races in the 2025 NTT IndyCar Championship, Newgarden is seventh with 53 points.

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When Roger Penske dismissed rumors of F1 owners buying out IndyCar

Roger Penske at the Rolex 24 at Daytona - Source: Getty

Roger Penske has branches in almost every racing series in the world, but his primary focus remains IndyCar as he owns both the championship and the most prestigious track on the calendar, i.e., Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

In the early 2000s, Formula 1 was unsuccessful in establishing its roots in the United States. To add to that, the otherwise popular discipline of motorsport did not return to the States for a span of five years from 2008 to 2011. However, the scenario changed when Liberty Media took over, and F1 witnessed exponential growth.

Following that, in 2022, IndyCar's paddock was engulfed in the rumor that Liberty Media made an offer to buy the American series out. However, Penske vehemently denied it (via Racer):

"That’s the dumbest thing I’ve heard. Let me tell you this, it doesn’t make any sense to me. You cannot own the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and not have the ability to support IndyCar, or vice versa."

"IndyCar is nothing without Indianapolis, and we’re all-in. There’s not enough money that would even tempt me to sell it. I don’t need to; I’m not in it for the money," Roger Penske added.

The 27-car grid now awaits the third race of the 2025 NTT IndyCar Championship, scheduled for April 13, the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.