"A shame": Josef Newgarden 'bizarrely' spins out on lap 1 of IndyCar Mid-Ohio race to extend Team Penske's 2025 nightmare

Josef Newgarden spun out of the IndyCar race at Mid-Ohio on Sunday (July 6) on lap 1. The two-time Indy 500 winner, who started 18th on the grid, unusually spun going into Turn 4, went onto the gravel on the left, and crashed into the barriers. IndyCar imposed a full-course caution after the incident.

Graham Rahal also went onto the gravel, and the commentators assumed that the duo made contact. However, as the replays played on the FOX broadcast, it became evident that Newgarden spun out after locking up the rear axle on his No. 2 Team Penske Chevy.

It is the third straight DNF for the two-time IndyCar champion. Josef Newgarden had to get out of the car after getting beached on the gravel, while the AMR safety crew got his damaged car back to pit road.

Newgarden spoke with FOX pit reporter Georgia Henneberry shortly after getting released from the medical centre. The Team Penske driver himself wasn't aware of what caused his spin.

"I'm not sure. I either had a massive rear lock-up and spun or I got touched, I don't know. To me, initially, it felt like I locked the rears all of a sudden out of nowhere, kind of unexpectedly, or I got touched. If I didn't get touched, then just a weird, freak, massive rear lock, which is bizarre.

He elaborated on how his No. 2 Chevy hadn't sustained terminal damage and he was waiting to head back out on the 2.258-mile Mid-Ohio track if his team could make the required repairs.

"Tough to not be out there. Hopefully, we can fix the car. I don't think there's a lot of damage. I'd like to get back out. But obviously, we are out of thing. So it's a shame having a fast PPG car, support from Team Chevy. Just want to be in the mix."

Josef Newgarden and Team Penske are having a nightmare 2025 season. He also spun out of the last race at Road America and owned up to his mistake. When Henneberry asked him how he's dealing with this unfortunate run, the 33-year-old replied:

"Oh, you just go to the next one."

Newgarden had been avoiding interviews on air in the last few instances, including after his WWTR crash, after Road America, and after getting knocked out in Round 1 of qualifying for Mid-Ohio on Saturday.

Josef Newgarden's 'frustrated' message after disappointing qualifying at Mid-Ohio

Josef Newgarden at the IndyCar Bommarito Automotive Group 500 - Source: Getty

Josef Newgarden had a dismal qualifying session for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. His best lap time of 1:05.6489 around the 13-turn, 2.258-mile Mid-Ohio circuit in Round 1 was good enough for only ninth place among the 14 drivers in Group 2.

He refused to speak with FOX reporter Kevin Lee after the dismal result. He later shared his feelings in a post on X, writing:

"Missed the fast 6 by thousandths. Frustrating starting 18th. Our car was much better than that, just need to focus on tomorrow 🇺🇸 🎆📷 @ignitemedia00"

Newgarden was still the quickest Team Penske driver. Will Power, who was also in Group 2, was only 11th-quickest among 14, and Scott McLaughlin in Group 1 was 11th-quickest among the other 13.