Aside from Roger Penske making his way back to victory lane at the Rolex 24 for the first time in 55 years, the famed endurance race was also another milestone achievement for one of Penske’s top talents.
Co-driving the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsports machine with Felipe Nasr, Matt Campbell and Dane Cameron, NTT IndyCar Series driver Josef Newgarden vaulted himself into elite company at Florida’s Daytona Int’l Speedway.
Newgarden became the fifth reigning Indianapolis 500 winner to win the Rolex 24. Only Arie Luyendyk (1998), Dan Wheldon (2006), Dario Franchitti (2008) and Helio Castroneves (2022) are the others.
The Hendersonville, Tenn., native also cemented his name with 11 other drivers in motorsports history to have scored victories at the Rolex 24, Indy 500 and claim an IndyCar Series championship.
Impressive, right?
To add to an already incredible résumé, the Team Penske driver is tied with Rick Mears for the 13th-most victories (29) in IndyCar history.
He’s only 33 years old.
Despite an already decorated career, Newgarden’s comments during IndyCar Content Day earlier this month were clear — he’s remains laser-focused on success.
“When it comes to racing, it’s still — for me, it’s still the bottom line numbers. What’s the ultimate results? I care about that stuff,” Newgarden began.
“I think everybody that’s in here does.
“I don’t know how you can be in racing and not care about just finding success every weekend you’re at the track. That’s why I show up. I know it’s why our team shows up.”
Newgarden was adamant that even though he finally achieved a lifelong dream of winning the Indy 500 last season, he’s not satisfied with one dousing of milk in victory lane.
“I’m so thankful we were able to win an Indy 500 last year, but I’m thinking about the next one,” Newgarden said. “How do we get a second one, and if we’re lucky enough to get a second one, how do we get a third, and if we can get a third, how do we get a fourth?
“It’s a never-ending process of trying to stack success on top of one another. That’s what motivates me.”
While only time will tell as to what Newgarden achieves before hanging up his helmet, it’s safe to say he’s already solidified his name as one of IndyCar’s top drivers.