Will Indy 500 Champion Josef Newgarden Race in the NASCAR Cup Series?

Two-time Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden was one of the esteemed guests present at the Nashville Superspeedway during Sunday’s Cup Series race. As a native of Music City, the 33-year-old had been trying to watch the Ally 400 for the last couple of years and finally managed to this time. Whilst at the venue, he provided some interesting insight into the chances of his racing in NASCAR.

He told motorsport.com that he’d love to race a Cup Series car sometime and that he was extremely interested in attempting the ‘Double’ as well. Unfortunately, there’s one tiny hurdle to his desires. Team Penske, on the IndyCar side, isn’t very open to drivers having extracurricular activities. And for now, Newgarden can’t but put his entire focus on IndyCar.

He says, “I mean it’s a real battle. You know, I have a job on the IndyCar side. I’ve got to make sure we’re continuing to do it for our partners, for our team. That’s number one for me, but if we can keep delivering results, then we can add a couple more things which would be great.” He believes that winning more Indy 500s is the key to getting his team to let him race at other venues, particularly the ‘Double’.

Kyle Larson’s attempt in 2024, though failed, appears to have left more drivers wanting to give it a shot. Newgarden doesn’t have a fixed number of Indy 500 victories on his mind but he is willing to keep stacking them up until his team caves. Noteworthily, he isn’t new to stock and oval racing. He was a part of the now-defunct Superstar Racing Experience.

Why Nashville and Bristol are Newgarden’s favorite Cup Series venues

Should he come to race at NASCAR someday, Newgarden will probably want to turn laps at Nashville and Bristol the most. He reasons the affinity, “You know, I used to go to Bristol races as well when I was a kid. Bristol’s always been, like, very high on my list. This track and Bristol were probably the two that I went to the most to see Cup races.”

His presence at the 1.33-mile oval on Sunday wasn’t just for entertainment. The IndyCar season finale will go down on the track in September. He made use of the day to satisfy the NASCAR fan in him and to better prepare the IndyCar professional racer in him for the challenge ahead.