DETROIT (AP) — Josef Newgarden continued his busy week on Saturday with a third-place qualifying finish at Detroit and a multi-year contract extension with Penske Racing.
“I don’t think words can describe what this felt like,” said Newgarden, who won his second consecutive title last weekend in the Indianapolis 500. “Team Penske has been my family for eight years and I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”
It’s been a tumultuous year for Newgarden and Team Penske, after winning the 24 Hours of Daytona with the team, Newgarden won the season opener at St. Petersburg but was disqualified after three Penske cars were found to have illegal modifications to their push-to-pass engine boost system.
Newgarden was forced to field a motley crew for last weekend’s 500 race after team owner Roger Penske suspended several team members after the disqualification.
“Josef Newgarden is a true winner and we are excited to have him as a part of Team Penske for years to come,” Penske said in a statement. “His performance in Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 demonstrated that Josef is a consistent contributor to our team and partners on the track and an equally impressive performer off it.”
Newgarden, the 2017 and 2019 series champion, is making his 200th start this season and has finished in the top five in the season standings in each of the past eight years.
“We’ve won two championships and we could easily win a few more,” he said. “We’ve finished second three years in a row (2020-2022) and we could have won one or two of them.”
Indianapolis was Newgarden’s 30th career win, and the 33-year-old believes he can add to that tally.
“I’m not giving up anything,” he said when asked if he could make it to 60. “I’m staying with a great team and I have the chance to do a lot more.”
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AP Indycar: https://apnews.com/hub/indycar
