Body Measurement | – |
Body type | Normal |
Height | 6 Feet 0 inches |
Weight | 80 Kg |
Hair Color | blonde hair |
Eye Color | Brown |
Shoe Size | 9 (UK) |
Full Name | Josef Nicolai Newgarden |
Nickname | Josef Newgarden |
Gender | Male |
Date of Birth | December 22, 1990 |
Age | 33 Years |
Profession | American racing driver |
Josef Newgarden Net Worth | $5 Million |
Education | Pope John Paul II Preparatory School |
Nationality | American |
Birthplace | Nashville, Tennessee. |
Hometown | Hendersonville, Tennessee, U.S. |
Religion | Christian |
Zodiac Sign | Capricorn |
Father | Joseph |
Mother | Tina |
Spouse | Ashley Welch |
Children | 1 |
Siblings | 3 |
Official Website | josefnewgarden.com |
DriverDB.com | driverdb.com/drivers/josef-newgarden |
IndyCar documentary | IndyCar 36: Josef Newgarden |
Childhood & Early Life
Tennessee’s Nashville is the birthplace of Newgarden. During the 1980s, his parents relocated from New York to establish the family photography company. With two elder sisters, he is the youngest of three siblings.
According to Newgarden’s statements on his YouTube channel and in an interview, he has a Danish passport and is half Danish by virtue of his mother. He attributes his early exposure to racing on television to his father, who was a devoted follower of Formula 1, IndyCar, and NASCAR.
After attending Pope John Paul II High School in Hendersonville, Tennessee, where he was acquainted with and a former classmate of NFL Pro Bowl wide receiver Golden Tate, Newgarden was raised in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Furthermore, he was a previous pupil of NASCAR driver Josh Berry in the 7th and 8th grades.
Newgarden played basketball, football, and baseball before he began racing.
On October 7, 2018, Newgarden said that while visiting Japan, he and his longtime partner, Ashley Welch, had been engaged. In Nashville, they were wed in the autumn of 2019. The first of Newgarden’s children was born in 2022 to his wife.
On his YouTube account, Newgarden shares vlogs and behind-the-scenes footage from his Indianapolis 500 racing weekends. Additionally, the channel offers the Bus Bros. podcast, which he co-hosts with Scott McLaughlin, his Penske colleague.
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Career
According to an interview on The Dale Jr. Download, Newgarden’s first race vehicle was a motorized scooter purchased at a skate shop in Hendersonville, Tennessee. In 2001, Newgarden competed in events across the country. After a year of this, his father purchased a kart.
When he was 13, he and his family ventured outside of Tennessee to find a competitive kart racing environment. This led Newgarden to a kart racing facility in New Castle, Indiana, that had recently been launched by IndyCar driver Mark Dismore.
In order to stay efficient with funding, Newgarden focused on local and regional championships rather than competing nationally.
In his first year of karting (2005), Newgarden finished 2nd and 3rd in the Kart Racers of America (KRA) Junior Can Championship. He also competed in the TAG world championships that year in the junior division, securing the title.
Following the 2008 campaign, Newgarden was chosen to race at the Walter Hayes Trophy and Formula Ford Festival as part of the Team USA scholarship programme. As the sole American to do so, he won the Formula Ford Festival title.
2010 saw Newgarden participate for Carlin Motorsport in the newly established 2010 GP3 Series. 2010 would conclude with Newgarden finishing 18th in the standings, which would be his most disappointing championship place of his short career. A pole at the Hockenheimring and a top finish of fifth at the season finale at Monza were the highlights of the season.
The announcement that Newgarden would be driving for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing was made on December 7, 2011. From 2012 to 2014, he participated in IndyCar races with Fisher’s squad.
In the race held in Baltimore in 2013, he secured his first podium, and in Iowa Speedway in 2014, he secured his second career podium.
After the 2015 season, Sarah Fisher withdrew from the IndyCar circuit, while Newgarden continued to race for the same team, Ed Carpenter Racing. At Barber Motorsports Park’s 2016 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, Newgarden began the season on the podium.
He qualified for the 2016 Indianapolis 500 from the middle of the first row after missing pole position. He completed the 100th Indianapolis 500 race in 3rd.
At Gateway, Newgarden held off his teammates and Scott Dixon to clinch his fourth series victory of the season but not without controversy as late in the race, Newgarden went under teammate Simon Pagenaud very late going into Turn 1.
After bumping tires, both continued but, as Pagenaud nearly hit the wall, he was not pleased with his teammate’s move. The following week at Watkins Glen, Newgarden had a sizable cushion in the points over second-place Dixon.
Coming back onto the track after a pit stop under green on cold tires, he lost control of the car as Sébastien Bourdais made contact with him damaging the suspension. Newgarden ended up leaving the Glen with a three-point lead, later a four-point lead as he won the pole for Sonoma, setting a track record.
Newgarden needed to finish 4th or higher regardless of Pagenaud’s result and he finished 2nd to clinch his first title. Newgarden became the first American born driver to win the Astor Cup since Ryan Hunter-Reay in 2012.
The most challenging season for Newgarden with Team Penske would be 2023. During the first part of the season, he won two races, including the Indianapolis 500, where he overcame Marcus Ericsson in the final lap.
Despite winning the double header at Iowa to extend his winning streak to three or more events, Newgarden experienced unusual difficulties on road and street circuits during the season, finishing on the podium just once.
With two races remaining, an unusual crash at Gateway while leading eliminated Newgarden from the title chase. After retiring early at Laguna Seca, Newgarden finished fifth in the 2023 IndyCar Series.
Both in 2018 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and in 2019 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, Mexico, Newgarden competed for Team USA in the Race of Champions.
It was revealed on February 23, 2022, that Newgarden will participate in Tony Stewart’s Superstar Racing Experience at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, which is located in Newgarden’s hometown of Nashville.
On December 5, 2022, Newgarden said that he would be entering the 2023 24 Hours of Daytona with an LMP2 entry, partnering with fellow Team Penske IndyCar driver Scott McLaughlin and Indy NXT driver Kyffin Simpson.
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Major Work/Filmography
In 2016, he participated in the eighth season of American Ninja Warrior’s Indianapolis round with racers Tony Kanaan and Helio Castroneves.
Actor and race team owner Paul Newman founded the SeriousFun Children’s Network, for which Newgarden serves as the driver ambassador. Newgarden plays ping-pong as well. Every year in May, he organises a celebrity competition to benefit the Serious Fun Children’s Network. The competition brought in more than $100,000 for the organisation in 2019.
As a gamer, Newgarden served as a marketing representative for the Microsoft game Forza Motorsport. He appears in Forza DLC and his voice can be heard in the game.
In the autumn of 2019, he appeared on many Nashville Squares episodes on CMT.
Awards & Achievements
- Formula Ford Festival – Kent Class
- Indy Lights
- IndyCar Series
- IMSA SportsCar Championship – GTP
- Sam Schmidt Motorsports
Josef Newgarden Net Worth
With a $5 million net worth, he has established himself as one of the series’ most illustrious characters. Since his early years, it has been clear that Newgarden possesses extraordinary skills, an unyielding passion to racing, and unwavering tenacity.
Controversy
The defending Indianapolis 500 winner, Josef Newgarden, blinked back tears on Friday as he took responsibility for abusing the push-to-pass system in his since-retracted season-opening victory, calling it an embarrassment and realising that he might need to work hard to regain the respect of his peers.
In the lead-up to this weekend’s race, the two-time series champion made an emotional 25-minute press conference at Barber Motorsports Park, saying he is “not a liar” and did not deliberately break the rules. It was his first time speaking in public after IndyCar disqualified him from the series for the first time in 29 years on March 10 at St. Petersburg, Florida.
According to Newgarden, the open-wheel series, whose owner, Roger Penske, is a prominent figure in racing and also manages Newgarden’s team, made the correct call in taking away his victory. As IndyCar gets ready for the highly anticipated Indianapolis 500 next month, the decision has caused chaos.
10 things you didn’t know about Josef Newgarden!
FAQs
– What teams has Josef Newgarden driven for in IndyCar?
Newgarden has driven for several teams in the NTT IndyCar Series, including Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing (now Ed Carpenter Racing) and Team Penske.
– What are some of Josef Newgarden’s notable achievements?
Newgarden has numerous achievements in his racing career, including winning the Indianapolis 500 in 2021 and winning races at iconic venues like Road America, Barber Motorsports Park, and Iowa Speedway.
– What is Josef Newgarden’s racing style?
Josef Newgarden is known for his aggressive yet calculated driving style. He is adept at both road and street courses as well as oval tracks, making him a versatile driver.
– Is Josef Newgarden involved in any philanthropic efforts?
Newgarden is involved in various philanthropic activities, including supporting charities focused on children’s healthcare and education.