“He looks the most complete”: When Josef Newgarden was left impressed with Alex Palou

In recent years, IndyCar has witnessed a strong crop of young drivers. Josef Newgarden, who has been competing since 2012, once took time in 2021 to applaud a young Alex Palou (now 28) making his mark in the sport.

Palou made his IndyCar debut in 2020 at the Genesys 300 (Texas). Right from the very start, it was clear that he was a talented driver, and Josef Newgarden heaped praise on Palou in 2021, billing him as a championship contender.

"He’s done the job, clearly. He’s been solid all year. I said earlier in the year, I think from the young crop of drivers he looks the most complete. Seems to be very Dixon-esque in a lot of ways. Scott has been sort of the measure over the last couple decades of how you be a champion. Alex seems to embody that pretty well." Newgarden told Associated Press.

Alex Palou won his maiden IndyCar championship in 2021 with the Chip Ganassi Racing team. In the process of doing so, he was able to put on board 549 points alongside three Grand Prix wins, a solitary pole position, ten top-five, and 12 top-ten finishes. Josef Newgarden, on his end, managed to end up in second place with 511 points.

Josef Newgarden's take on his 2025 Indy 500 run

Team Penske racing driver, Josef Newgarden, did not have the best of times in the recent 2025 Indy 500. The 34-year-old started the 200-lap race from way down in P32 and despite his best efforts, was only able to secure a P22 finish.

Understandably, he was extremely disappointed with the result and shared his thoughts in a post-race interview.

"It's tough to not have a shot here at the end. It's a team sport. It takes everything to win here. I'm still immensely grateful to run at Indianapolis. As tough as it is to take, I still feel grateful to be out here today. I just wish we had a chance to fight for it. We didn't get to see what we had in this Shell V-Power Chevrolet," Newgarden said via Team Penske.

The ongoing 2025 IndyCar season has so far proved to be a challenging one for Josef Newgarden. He has had one issue or another during the various Grand Prix weekends, and as a result, he currently finds himself in 13th place in the drivers' standings.

After the first six rounds, he has only managed to amass 104 points. Moreover, he is also third in terms of the Team Penske pecking order with his teammates Scott McLaughlin and Will Power sitting in seventh and eighth place, respectively.

Keeping this in view, this week's Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix holds tremendous significance for Newgarden.