"She's a badass" - Josef Newgarden bows down to Team Penske's history-creating female IndyCar crew member

Josef Newgarden has shared heartwarming appreciation for Caitlyn Brown, the only female tire changer and mechanic on his No. 2 Team Penske side. In a behind-the-scenes video from IndyCar's Grand Prix of St. Petersburg shared on his YouTube channel, the two-time IndyCar champ talks highly about Brown's elite in-race skills.

Brown created history at the 107th Indy 500 in May 2023. Her work during the pit stops, among other factors, gave Newgarden his maiden win in the prestigious race. This made her the first woman to win the Indy 500 as a member of the pit crew. The streak continued in 2024 as the partnership brought the second consecutive win for the Team Penske driver. In his recent YouTube video, the Penske driver moved the spotlight on her for a brief time, saying [3:12 onwards]:

"You have to talk to Caitlyn at some point. She is a badass. She can probably change a front tire twice as fast as me. It'd take me like 8 seconds. She could do it in three or four. I'm just proud of her, like every time I come into the pits, I'm like 'Oh, she's going to crush it'," Newgarden said in his YouTube video titled 'ADMIT1 (2025 Ep 3): St. Pete Season Opener'

Brown's work in the pits has made her a respected figure in Team Penske. Team President Tim Cindric was all smiles while talking about her after their 2024 Indy 500 victory. He revealed how she was proactive in wanting a chance to work in the pits in IndyCar and "worked her bu** off" to earn a place on the crew.

"I think her runway is really long, and if she’s patient and she continues to be in the right place and do the things she’s doing now, the sky’s the limit for her," Cindric was quoted as saying by RACER.

Newgarden was on the money at the 2025 season opener at St. Petersburg on March 2. He could've snatched the race lead from Alex Palou in the closing stages, but low fuel in his car disrupted the plan. It also led to Scott Dixon overtaking him for second place.

Josef Newgarden revealed his car was "capable of winning" IndyCar's Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

INDYCAR Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg - Source: Getty

Josef Newgarden had an ordinary race weekend at St. Petersburg until race day. He finished P9 and P14 in the two practice sessions, and that form continued into the qualifying sessions on Saturday, where he secured 10th place on the grid for Sunday.

The No. 2 Chevrolet driver put up a classy drive around the 1.8-mile bumpy circuit on a day when Team Penske's strategy wasn't picture-perfect. If it wasn't for low fuel, he could've overtaken Palou for the win. In the post-race interview, he said (via IndyCar):

"I felt like our car today certainly was capable of winning, just didn’t quite get there for a couple of reasons. Pit cycles, obviously, we needed to go longer, and we had a shift at the end that we didn’t realize, so we kind of had to give up that second place."

Josef Newgarden earned 36 points for his result - 35 for P3 + 1 point for leading the race at one point. He had won the 2024 race at this circuit, only to be stripped of it six weeks later when IndyCar found him guilty of a technical infringement.

The 34-year-old will be seen in action at the Thermal Club IndyCar Grand Prix on March 23.