Josef Newgarden is entering the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season determined to rebound after experiencing his lowest points finish since joining Team Penske in 2017. The 35-year-old American racer, whose 2025 season ended with a 12th-place championship standing, is focusing on a strategic comeback following significant challenges faced by both himself and his team last year.
Challenging 2025 Season Highlights Struggles and Late Surge
Last year marked Newgarden’s poorest performance since 2014, when he finished 13th with Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing. Despite entering the 2025 finale at Nashville Superspeedway in 16th place, Newgarden secured a crucial victory in the final race, allowing him to jump four positions in the standings. This late surge was a bright spot amid a difficult season.
Newgarden’s recent results stand in sharp contrast to his earlier years with Team Penske, where he achieved five top-two championship finishes within his first seven seasons, including titles in 2017 and 2019. The downturn last season, however, was not limited to Newgarden’s performance alone.
Team Penske Faces Organizational and Competitive Hurdles
Team Penske confronted one of its most trying years in recent memory in 2025, managing only two race victories, the fewest since 2007. The team also recorded 15 DNFs (did not finishes) across its three drivers, marking the highest number since 1998. Will Power’s win at Portland International Raceway on August 10 was Penske’s first event victory of the year, ending a streak of slow starts unlike any since 1999.
In the final championship points of the 2025 season, Power led Penske in ninth place, Scott McLaughlin followed in tenth, and Newgarden settled at twelfth. That year also saw significant internal changes after the removal of Tim Cindric, Ron Ruzewski, and Kyle Moyer following Indianapolis 500 rules infractions in May. Jonathan Diuguid replaced them as president, and Travis Law stepped in as competition director in July.
Structural Changes Trigger Positive Momentum Toward Season End
The shifts in leadership had an impact on team dynamics, with Newgarden and McLaughlin admitting it took until August for the new structure to start showing its benefits. After these adjustments, Team Penske claimed victories in two of the final three events of the season, setting a more optimistic tone as they prepare for 2026.
Newgarden’s race engineer Luke Mason remains alongside him, while Diuguid acts as strategist. Tim Cindric was rehired, returning as McLaughlin’s strategist, helping restore continuity and sharpening the team’s competitive edge as they begin the new season.
Newgarden Embraces a More Aggressive and Darker Racing Persona
Entering the 2026 season, Josef Newgarden is embracing a stronger and more intense mindset, adopting a “villainous” approach highlighted by a recent FOX Sports commercial depicting him as a character who “rips the hearts out” of his opponents. Reflecting on that portrayal, Newgarden said,
We are the Evil Empire about to strike. Just wait. We’re coming full attack.
— Josef Newgarden, Driver
Despite this fiercer persona, Newgarden stresses that the team’s mentality largely remains consistent. He explained,
It feels like business as usual in a lot of respects,
I’m excited. It’s that time of year where the cadence is starting to pick up.
— Josef Newgarden, Driver
Process Improvements and Communication Expected to Enhance Performance
Looking ahead, Newgarden foresees important yet subtle changes in how the team operates, especially in communication and debriefing processes. He elaborated,
I think the way we debrief, probably communication flow,
A lot of mundane things, a lot of process-driven things, will be different. Almost refreshed, if you will. It’ll be a new workflow. That’s probably the best way to put it: a slightly different cadence on race weekend. Hopefully, it will be a good, positive change.
— Josef Newgarden, Driver
Driver Lineup Adjustments Mark a New Era at Team Penske
The 2026 roster sees David Malukas replacing Will Power, who left after a distinguished Penske career beginning in 2009. Power secured two championships (2014, 2022), 43 of his 45 career wins including the 2018 Indianapolis 500, and holds a record 71 NTT P1 Awards, 65 of which were earned with Penske. Malukas brings experience from 61 career starts into his new role.
Scott McLaughlin continues with the team following his arrival in 2021, now with 84 career starts. Newgarden, boasting 232 starts, is the most veteran driver in the current lineup. Reflecting on his tenure, Newgarden remarked,
I am the old guy,
I can’t believe I’ve been doing this for 15 years. I’ve always had a strong sense of what I’ve wanted, and that part isn’t going to change. When I was young and now that I’m older, I’ll still have the same projection in my voice about what I think we need to be doing. That part will be similar.
— Josef Newgarden, Driver
Outlook for 2026 and Beyond
Josef Newgarden’s 2026 comeback effort will test his resilience and ability to adapt after a difficult previous season for both himself and Team Penske. With revamped leadership under Jonathan Diuguid and Travis Law, a promising late-2025 finish, and a new team lineup highlighted by the addition of David Malukas, Penske looks to regain its dominance in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.
Newgarden’s aggressive outlook and commitment to refined team processes reflect his determination to return to championship form. As the season progresses, fans and analysts alike will watch closely to see whether this “full-attack” strategy can restore Team Penske’s winning momentum and elevate Newgarden’s standing in the sport once more.
