Josef Newgarden's Indy 500 ends in heartbreak as Penske has unexpected issue

Team Penske star Josef Newgarden retired from the 2025 Indy 500 with over a quarter of the race to go as the #2 Chevrolet suffered a fuel system issue. Newgarden came into the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 with the aim of becoming the first driver to achieve the three-peat, but the race ended in heartbreak for him.

Newgarden and the #2 Team Penske looked great coming into the 2025 Indy 500, with the IndyCar showcasing great pace. However, the team suffered a setback on qualifying day when Newgarden and Will Power were first withdrawn from Top 12 qualifying as the team failed to follow the technical rules, and were then penalized and sent to the back of the grid.

Josef Newgarden started the race on the last row in P32 alongside Will Power and was able to avoid the Lap 1 mayhem. The #2 Team Penske driver slowly but surely made his way up the grid and was running with the lead group in P6 before the retirement.

With 67 laps to go, the leaders made their penultimate pitstop, and Newgarden came into the pits with Alex Palou. However, as the #2 Chevrolet exited the pit lane, Newgarden was informed of an issue with the fuel pressure and pitted the very next lap.

The two-time Indy 500 winner sat inside the car for a long time as the team tried to resolve the issue, but after failing to do so, he retired the car. The dream for the three-peat was over as the efforts of the 34-year-old went in vain.

Josef Newgarden was 25 positions up on his starting spot when he retired from the race, and was in the hunt for the win.

Josef Newgarden reflects on the disappointment of the 2025 Indy 500

Josef Newgarden and Team Penske, despite the setback from Indy 500 qualifying, knew they had a great car underneath, capable of winning the race. The race pace suggested the same, but it wasn't meant to be. Newgarden spoke with FOX after retiring from the Indy 500 as he detailed his disappointment and said:

“It's tough to not have a shot here at the end, felt really good, was trying to be methodical today. It's a team sport, it takes everything to win here. Still immensely grateful to run at Indianapolis today.”

“I love the race the most, love the opportunity to be on the grid. So as tough it is as it is to take, I still feel thankful to have been out here today. I just wish we had a chance to fight for it. We didn't even get to see what we had there.”

Chevrolet came out and confirmed that it was a fuel pump issue with Josef Newgarden’s #2 Team Penske which forced the retirement.