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Team Penske and its contingency were honored at the White House by US President Donald Trump, as the 78-year-old took his chance to ask two-time Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden a peculiar question. The 34-year-old won the elusive race twice in a row in 2023 and 2024.
Newgarden made his debut in 2012 and had to wait over a decade to win his first Indy 500 in 2023. However, the first time was so nice that he had to do it twice, and won the Indy 500 again the very next year.
This made him the first repeat winner since Helio Castroneves in 2002. His impressive feat lit up the American racing fandom, and he aims to complete a three-peat at the event this year.
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On the other hand, Trump had invited Team Penske over to the White House to recognize their efforts in the racing field. The Mooresville-based squad has asserted itself as a force to be reckoned with in the IndyCar, NASCAR, and IMSA spheres.
With drivers from various racing stables, the 78-year-old took his shot and asked about where Josef Newgarden got his abilities when he was in the Team Penske cockpit, and said:
"Two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500; consecutively though? What the hell are you doing, what do you eat?"
The double IndyCar champion is one of the four drivers to have won the Indy 500 consecutively in its 113-year history.
Josef Newgarden will visit the Indianapolis Motor Speedway track ahead of the 2025 Indy 500
With Josef Newgarden being part of an exclusive club of drivers, he seemed to be the right person to catapult IMS Museum's re-opening in April. The 34-year-old will be the guest speaker at a show hosted by IMS and IndyCar President Doug Boles, which will be aired as 'An Evening with Josef Newgarden.'
IMS Museum President Joe Hale shared how Newgarden was the perfect person for this role and said, via WTHR:
"Josef is the perfect choice to kick off our public events in the reimagined Museum. The Museum has always prided itself on providing exclusive events for our members and guests, and our ‘An Evening With’ speaker series is a fan-favorite that allows them to get to know the drivers on a deeper level."
Despite winning the Indy 500 twice, Newgarden has not won the IndyCar championship since the dawn of the 2020s. He finished as runner-up in the championship standings for three years in a row (2020-2022), but luck has not been on his side.
Moreover, the Team Penske driver witnessed his worst campaign in almost a decade last year as he finished down in eighth in the standings. Thus, he would want to bounce back harder amid increasing competition from rivals and teammates.
