“We’re there to win”: Josef Newgarden not afraid of achieving rare IndyCar feat in 2025

Josef Newgarden won his second consecutive Indy 500 this year in grand fashion. The Team Penske driver has set his sights even higher, wanting to conquer the "Greatest Spectacle of Racing" for an unprecedented third consecutive time in 2025.

At the Borg-Warner Trophy ceremony on December 4, where his second sterling silver face on the trophy was revealed, Newgarden spoke about the possibility of achieving an Indy 500 three-peat. He said (via IndyCar):

"I’m not shy to talk about (the possibility) because there is a chance to win it three years in a row. Talking about it isn’t going to change (anything) in what we do. We’re there to win. We know the process we have to go (through). I think Helio (Castroneves) said it perfectly: If it’s meant to be it’s meant to be. And I think that’s how it is."

"I haven’t told anybody, but we’ve already been (planning) stuff for next year – potentially. We’re not (hiding from) the fact we do have an opportunity to win it again next year. I know the probability is extremely low; winning it twice (in succession) is a low probability," Newgarden added.

The No. 2 Chevy driver won the 108th running of the Indy 500 with a last-lap overtake on Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward, retaking the lead he lost in Turn 1 of the lap. That victory made him only one of six drivers in IndyCar history to win consecutively at the Brickyard. He received a $440,000 bonus to take his winnings to a record $4.228 million.

Newgarden's dream of a three-peat might not be as far-fetched as it sounds. Team Penske is the winningest team in Indy 500 history with 20 victories, and he has re-entered his prime.

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Josef Newgarden thanks Borg-Warner for the "unbelievable honor" after getting a second sterling silver face sculpted

2024 INDY 500 Winner Josef Newgarden at the Borg-Warner Trophy Ceremony - Source: Getty

Both of Josef Newgarden's Indy 500 wins came after last-lap overtakes. The 2023 occurrence, which he won by a non-existent 0.0974s, was the most special win of his IndyCar career and meant more to him than his two championships. When he was invited to get his face sculpted for the first time in 2023, he termed it an "unbelievable experience," a grateful compliment he repeated in 2024.

The Tennessee native said (via Forbes):

"Having my face added to the Borg-Warner Trophy is one of the coolest parts about winning the race. Seeing the finished product, with two side-by-side images of my face, is an unbelievable honor, and I look forward to hopefully adding a third likeness to the row after this year’s Indy 500."

Newgarden's rising to the challenge in the Indy 500 came as a surprise for many. After his two championships in 2017 and 2019, he finished runner-up in three consecutive years before dropping to fifth in 2023. In 2024, he finished further down, securing eighth in the standings with two race wins and 401 points. In 2025, he will make his 14th Indy 500 attempt.