"Josef Newgarden is an animal": Ryan Blaney on Team Penske teammate's pursuit of third Indy 500 win

Josef Newgarden is looking to complete a three-peat at the Indy 500 this year, and his NASCAR stablemate, Ryan Blaney, has backed him for the upcoming race. The Cup Series champion deemed him an animal on track and has high expectations for him.

The Tennessee-born driver won the oval race at the IMS in his 12th attempt and for the second year running last year. The two victories at IndyCar's premier race of the season were won similarly as he made last-lap passes for the race victory. Many in the racing realm have backed him to win the 2025 Indy 500, including his Team Penske colleague, who said (via Peter Stratta):

"I'll tell you, Josef [Newgarden] is an animal man. He's been really neat to get to know over the years at [Team] Penske, he's one of the hardest working guys out there, one of the nicest guys ever and he just kind of has that 'it' factor.

I don't know what it is but it's just something about him that he [is a] hardcore racer. They haven't had the best of starts to the year on that side, but I have no doubt in my mind he can go out there and win it." (0:10 onwards)

On the other hand, the reigning Indy 500 winner has not had a great 2025 campaign so far.

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Josef Newgarden reflects on the Sonsio IndyCar Grand Prix

Josef Newgarden at the INDYCAR Indy 500 Open Testing - Source: Getty

Apart from claiming a podium at the season opener in St. Petersburg, Josef Newgarden has struggled in the subsequent race weekends. He has only secured a solitary top-10 finish at the race in Alabama and had a similarly subpar race weekend on paper at the IMS.

The 34-year-old made it to the Fast 6 on Friday and aimed to get a strong result at a track he had previously won. But disaster struck before the race began as he suffered a Motor Generator Unit issue, which saw him plummet down the field and start last on the grid.

The two-time IndyCar champion then salvaged a 12th-place result at the checkered flag, and said (via Team Penske):

"Really unfortunate with the mechanical issue before we went green, but proud of the effort on the Astemo Chevrolet. We certainly had the pace to run up front but never got to show it. We'll put it behind us and get ready for the 500."

Josef Newgarden sits 12th in the championship standings, having amassed 96 points.