"He's got a great shot": Danica Patrick backs Josef Newgarden to win his third Indy 500 in a row

Josef Newgarden has so far looked good in the build-up to next week's Indy 500. In line with this and his past record (won in 2023 and 2024) in the event, former racing driver turned motorsport pundit, Danica Patrick, has backed him to go all the way.

Patrick genuinely believes that Newgarden can win his third consecutive Indy 500 this year. The 43-year-old recently appeared on a show at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and said:

"Penske, they have 20 wins here; he's such a solid driver the last two years winning. It is a lot of pressure though to put on yourself to think, I'm gonna out there and get my third one, just getting one here at the Indy 500, is already a feat in itself, but he's such a seasoned driver and such a great driver, he's got a great shot at it," Danica Patrick said via IndyCar on FOX. (0:54 onwards)

Josef Newgarden secured a place in the Top 12 during yesterday's qualifying and will fight for pole in the upcoming second quali session at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

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Danica Patrick: "It's nice to be up here instead of out on the track"

During her racing days, Danica Patrick competed in quite a few Indy 500 events. Moreover, during her maiden IndyCar season in 2005, she was even chosen as the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year. Her last race outing also came at the 200-lap event in 2018.

In line with the 2025 antics going on at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway ahead of next week's event, she felt relieved to not be racing against the current crop of IndyCar drivers. Via the same IndyCar on FOX interaction, she said:

"It's nice to be up here instead of out on the track because this wind can play such a big role, and how the car feels. That windsock right there you see on the pylon, as a driver, you are looking at that and check for how far it, what direction it is and how straight out it is. When that's straight out, it's 30-mile-an-hour wind," Patrick said. (0:05 - 0:25)

During the ongoing sessions at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, quite a few drivers have had scary moments while driving at high speeds.

During yesterday's running, Marcus Armstrong and Andretti Global's star driver, Colton Herta, had huge crashes. Having previously competed in quite a few Indy 500s, Danica Patrick is quite aware of the impact wind has while driving IndyCars around the oval track at high speeds.

Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see how the 2025 Indy 500 will pan out for all the top drivers.