"This was just devastating" - When Josef Newgarden revealed wife Ashley's sympathy for Pato O'Ward after Indy 500 heartbreak

Josef Newgarden was on top of the world after winning his second consecutive Indy 500 in 2024 but the driver he overtook in the last lap for the win, Pato O'Ward, was in tears and inconsolable. Newgarden's wife, Ashley, who had seen him in torment when he couldn't win the "Greatest Spectacle of Racing" until his 12th attempt in 2023, couldn't help but feel genuine concern for O'Ward.

In an exclusive interview with NBC Sports a day after his 2024 win, Josef Newgarden was asked if he spoke with his heartbroken Arrow McLaren rival.

"I haven't, no. My wife said it was very heartbreaking, and she was pretty adamant that I spoke with him, and we texted," he replied. "Yeah, we did text. I mean, we talk every now and then, and he's always been great. I think we have a lot of respect for each other. At least, that's the way I've always understood it between us, and we've had a lot of battles on track, especially on ovals. We're going to set a record for 1-2 as far as individuals together on ovals. So we've had some history."

The Team Penske driver elaborated on his wife Ashley Newgarden's compassion for O'Ward, adding:

"Ashley was like, 'This was just devastating what happened to him.' She felt so bad and I'm like, 'Ash, like What do you want (me) to tell you?'"

Newgarden won the race with a pass in Turn 3 of the last lap. This was much closer than his breakthrough victory in 2023, where he passed race leader Marcus Ericsson midway through the last lap.

Josef Newgarden candidly described how he would have consoled Pato O'Ward

Josef Newgarden at the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

Pato O'Ward was on the charge in the closing stages of the 2024 Indy 500. In lap 187, he passed pole-sitter Scott McLaughlin for P3, Alexander Rossi in lap 190 for P2, and exchanged the race lead with Josef Newgarden several times. However, he agonizingly fell short before the finish line.

Newgarden explained to NBC how he'd be blunt with O'Ward about the reality of the Indy 500 while consoling him.

"Well, I would console him. My way to console him would just be with honesty. I'm not going to tell you exactly what I texted with him about, but look, truthfulness is really important to me. It really, really is, and it gets me in trouble at times, to be honest with you. It gets me in trouble with competitors because sometimes when I really like somebody, I just give them too much (information). I give them everything. I'll just spill everything to them," he said.

Josef Newgarden won a record $4.288 million purse for winning the race. He became the first driver since Helio Castroneves in 2001-02 to win two consecutive editions of the Indy 500.

Newgarden is currently seventh in the IndyCar Series standings after two races, having finished 13th at the Thermal Grand Prix after a third-place finish in the season-opening race in St. Petersburg. As for Pato O'Ward, he stands in second position with 63 points, ten more than Newgarden.