J O S E F N E W G A R D E N
Interview} John Russo
Photographs by} John Russo
Produced by} Ken Waller for Photohouse Productions
Grooming} Sydney Sollod
Styling} Sydney Lopez
The 2023 INDY 500 winner is ready for more action!
JR: When did you first know you wanted to be a race car driver? How did you execute this dream?
JN: I have always loved race cars since I was a kid. I loved speed, loved the challenge of driving something to the limit. I don’t think I knew I wanted to be a race car driver for a living until I started racing go karts. That’s when I really started dreaming about driving professionally one day. So I was about 13-14 years old when I started really feeling that dream.
JR: Tell us a bit about the car you are currently racing. Do you have a favorite track or event and why?
JN: I race in INDYCAR currently, this is my 13th year in the series. I love the type of racing that INDYCAR provides. We go to a variety of tracks – road courses, street courses, ovals of all types – so you have to be incredibly diverse in our championship to find success. And I love the challenge of that, where we have so many different track disciplines that we have to master. Some of my favorite tracks are short ovals. I love Iowa Speedway, Milwaukee Speedway, both great tracks that are challenging. But it’s hard to beat the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. There’s a special feeling when you’re there running the Indianapolis 500, so I think that one will forever take the top spot on my list.
JR: What song pumps you up for a big race?
JN: I don’t really have any songs that I listen to before a big race. I would probably listen to something calming but inspiring. I like a band called Empire of the Sun, I think that would be the right mix to get me in the correct mood before a race.
JR: What advice would you give to kids that aspire to be like you?
JN: I think what’s most important in life and motorsports specifically, is the connections you make with people. It’s really important to take care of the people around you and always focus on the connection points that you have in life. You can never do anything alone, it doesn’t matter how much talent you have or how much focus or dedication, success is always going to require a team effort in a lot of ways. So embracing team, embracing people around you and trying to do the best for the people around you is the most important in life.
JR: As with all motor sports, there is a level of danger. How do you manage your fear?
JN: Fear is not really a big factor in my mind – it can’t be if you want to drive in INDYCAR to the absolute limit. There’s just no room to have fear or doubt in your mind while you’re driving these cars. It’s always a possibility that something could go wrong or that I could get injured, but it’s not something I have room for when I’m operating the vehicle. Racing, in a lot of ways, is about calculated risks, you’re always trying to weigh risk versus reward, but you’re more so thinking about that on a competitive level and where it’s going to affect your race outcomes and not how it is going to affect you from a safety standpoint.
JR: Do you have any lucky charms or race-day superstitions?
JN: No good luck charms, no superstitions. I purposely don’t believe in superstitions. Actually, you could tell me something you believe is bad luck or is going to be negative, and it’s probably something I’ll actually do before a race just to try and keep with the thought process that there’s nothing that’s going to affect the outcome outside of our focus and the work we put into it.
JR: If you were not a race car driver , what would you be? Are there other sports or professions that you would gravitate toward?
JN: I would probably be doing something in the financial world, probably an equity trader, a portfolio manager, a financial advisor. I certainly love finances and the equity market, so I could see diving into that world and trying to find an avenue that fit me best.
To learn more about Josef Newgarden follow him at@josefnewgarden
to learn more about INDYCAR follow them @indycar