4-time Indy 500 winner gives Josef Newgarden the "best way" for a third consecutive win

Team Penske star Josef Newgarden will be going into the 109th running of the Indy 500 as a back-to-back winner and aiming for a three-peat at the greatest spectacle in racing. Four-time Indy 500 winner Rick Mears has advice for Newgarden to accomplish the elusive feat.

Josef Newgarden had to wait for over a decade before winning his first Indy 500 in 2023, when the Team Penske driver beat Marcus Ericsson in a photo finish. However, the American didn't have to wait long for his second win, as he won the iconic race again in 2024, giving him a shot at a three-peat this year.

Many drivers have won the Indy 500 back to back, but none has accomplished the three-peat. If Josef Newgarden wins the 2025 Indy 500, he will become the first to accomplish the feat. Helio Castroneves was the last driver who had a shot at the three-peat after winning back-to-back Indy 500s in the early 2000s.

AUTO: MAY 15 INDYCAR 109th Running of The Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

Former Indy 500 winner Rick Mears, who works as a spotter and consultant for Team Penske, talked about what Josef Newgarden‘s approach should be for the three-peat:

“All I can do is kind of go off what I felt I should do. I can't really speak for Josef. But to me, it's just treat it as another race. Myself, if I had two or whatever, it didn't matter. Each year you go into this race as a new race, and you're here to win it.

“This is Indianapolis. It's almost impossible to keep it as another race. But that's the frame of mind I tried to keep when we were running.That way I'm not pressured into doing something that I shouldn't do possibly. I just think that's the best way. That'll be up to him how he wants to approach it."

Josef Newgarden had a disappointing final day of practice, finishing P16, while his teammate Scott McLaughlin topped the timing sheets with an average speed of 233.954 mph.

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Josef Newgarden detailed “team” formula that aided his two previous Indy 500 wins

Two-time Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden of Team Penske detailed how it takes a perfect weekend at the IMS to win the race, elaborating:

“On race day, you can have all the ingredients. You can feel like you have the winning car underneath you. You can feel really good about the moves you're making. But if everything is not complete from a team side, you will not win the race. It just has to be almost as close to perfect as possible. I think that's what I've tried to just continue to repeat, is that it's such a team effort here.”

Newgarden started last year's race in P3 and was consistently around the leaders. The Team Penske driver made the crucial move on Pato O'Ward going into the final lap and maintained his lead to win the race. It was the perfect strategy call, navigating the cautions and making the right moves at the right time that won Newgarden the 2024 Indy 500.