DETROIT – Josef Newgarden continued a busy week Saturday with a third-place qualifying run in Detroit and a multi-year contract extension with Penske Racing.
“I don't think I have any words for what this has been like,” said Newgarden, who won his second straight Indianapolis 500 last weekend. “Team Penske has been my family for eight years and I can't imagine being anywhere else.”
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It has been a wild year for Newgarden and Team Penske. After they teamed up to win the 24 Hours of Daytona, Newgarden was disqualified after winning the season-opening race in St. Petersburg. The three Penske cars were caught with illegal modifications to the push-to-pass engine-boost system.
Team owner Roger Penske suspended several team members after the disqualifications, leaving Newgarden with a mix-and-match crew last weekend at the 500.
“Josef Newgarden is a true winner, and we are excited that he will continue as a part of Team Penske for years to come,” Penske said in a statement. “What he did Sunday in the Indianapolis 500 shows how Josef consistently delivers for our team and our partners on the track, and he is just as impressive off the track as well.”
Newgarden, the series champion in 2017 and 2019, made his 200th start this season and has finished in the top five in the season standings in each of the last eight years.
“We've won two championships, but we could easily have a few more,” he said. “We finished second three years in a row (2020-2022) — we could have gotten one or two of those.”
Indianapolis was Newgarden's 30th career win, and at age 33, he thinks he could move the number significantly higher.
“I'm not writing anything off,” he said when asked if he could get to 60. “I'm staying with a great team, so I've got a chance to do a lot more.”
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AP IndyCar: https://apnews.com/hub/indycar