"Still have plenty to prove" - Team Penske President issues statement as Josef Newgarden retains major IndyCar sponsor

The President of Team Penske's IndyCar arm, Tim Cindric, issued an inspiring statement after two-time IndyCar champ Josef Newgarden's primary sponsor, Hitachi Astemo, announced the continuation of their long-standing partnership.

Hitachi Astemo has a 13-year relationship with the Roger Penske-led Team Penske. They announced the extension of this successful partnership in June 2024, with Newgarden's car being adorned with new liveries for select races. In a follow-up statement issued by Hitachi Astemo on Monday (Feb. 17), Cindric said:

"Winning is all about teamwork. Josef Newgarden and this No. 2 Hitachi Astemo Chevrolet team are proven winners, yet we still have plenty to prove going into the 2025 season."

The automotive industry supplier is set to be the primary sponsor for the defending two-time Indy 500 winner for eight of the 17 IndyCar races in 2025, excluding the Indy 500 on May 25.

Rob Sharpe, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Hitachi Astemo Americas, echoed Cindric's positive outlook, saying:

"We're looking forward to another record-setting partnership year with Chevrolet and Team Penske. With Josef Newgarden in command of the No. 2 Astemo Chevrolet, the outlook for 2025 is a bright one."

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Volatile 2024 season inspires Josef Newgarden to "come out firing" in 2025

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

Josef Newgarden created history in May 2024 by winning his second consecutive Indy 500, becoming the first driver since Helio Castroneves in 2001-02 to do so. However, the rest of his year wasn't as exciting. Though he recorded another victory at Gateway, his consistency wavered.

The No. 2 driver witnessed such highs that were offset by equally big lows, like his back-to-back DNFs in the two Milwaukee Mile races. During IndyCar's 2025 Content Days, Newgarden honestly reflected on this turbulent period.

"Yeah, I do think it was a dynamic year is maybe the way to put it. It was a year of great highs, as you said. There was multiple strong points to it. But then there were some tremendous lows. Very volatile and rocky. But I would say transformative, if anything. For me, it was a really good year to go through," he said, as quoted by ASAP Sports.

That uncertain period only made him more excited for the upcoming season.

"It makes me excited about 2025. It ended up being a really positive year for the way everything transpired, even the waviness of the year. It just put us in a good spot to come out firing in 2025, and I think we can do that," the 34-year-old added.

The two-time champ will be seen in action at the season opener on March 2 on the streets of St. Petersburg. Come May, he will be the man of the moment with all eyes on his attempt at winning the Indy 500 for an unprecedented third consecutive time.