Josef Newgarden pulled a Max Verstappen with Franz Hermann-like nickname to crash Indy 500 party

IndyCar driver Josef Newgarden revealed that he used a nickname to crash a fan party at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway the night before the 109th Indy 500. This makes him the second driver, after four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen, to use an alter-ego to their benefit.

Before F1's Emilia Romagna GP in Imola, Verstappen participated in a Nurburgring Endurance Series test with Ferrari. To stay under the radar, he used the fake name 'Franz Hermann' before testing the Ferrari 296 GT3 car for Emil Frey Racing.

Once fans found out, the memes kept rolling in, with even the official F1 social media accounts using the pseudonym Franz Hermann in the free practice timesheets at Imola. The Red Bull driver now has Franz Hermann merch on his official website as well.

Two-time Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden had to replicate such pseudonym usage before the 109th Indy 500 on May 25. During the Indy 500 gala, a day after the race, the Team Penske driver shared the hilarious story, saying (via @IndyCarOnFox on X) :

"We were out on the Speedway the night before (the race). I just wanted to see what happens the night before on the Speedway. I think I was given an alter-ego name, Jason Newberry. You should look out for Jason Newberry. He's an animal at night."

Elaborating on his desire to crash the fan party, Josef Newgarden added:

"I didn't expect you (the host) to bring this up, but yeah, I love the community of Indianapolis. It's what makes this race so special. I keep talking about it because there is nothing that replicates it anywhere in the world. It was a dream for me to go in the crowd. I love what Indy is. Whether you love or hate somebody, it's the passion of Indianapolis, it's the chance to watch people coming together and going for it."

Sunday (May 25) was the biggest day in the 2025 racing calendar, with F1's Monaco, IndyCar's Indy 500, and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 taking place, in that order. Max Verstappen finished fourth on the streets of Monaco, while Josef Newgarden DNFed at the IMS after a fuel pump issue on his No. 2 Chevy.

What Josef Newgarden said after the fuel issue ended his pursuit of Indy 500 history

109th Running Of The Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

Josef Newgarden was chasing an unprecedented third consecutive Indy 500 win this past weekend. However, the odds got stacked against him after his No. 2 Team Penske car was found to have a technical infraction during qualifying.

Consequently, IndyCar pushed him and teammate Will Power, whose car had the same infraction, to the back of the grid in P32 and P33. Despite the huge setback, Newgarden put in a heroic drive to get as high as P6 before his car had the unfortunate fuel pump issue, an 'anomaly' which forced retirement.

"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," he said via FOX.

This upcoming weekend, from May 30 to June 1, will feature another F1-IndyCar double-header. F1 will head to Barcelona for the Spanish GP, where Max Verstappen won in 2024, while IndyCar will travel to Detroit for the Detroit Grand Prix.