WATCH: Josef Newgarden pushes past 200MPH at IMS ahead of Indy 500

With the 2025 Indy 500 on the horizon, Josef Newgarden has sent a subtle reminder of what to expect from him as he lit up the speed chart in practice. The Nashville native delivered a thrilling display of his pace by topping over 200 miles per hour during preparations at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS).

In a video shared to X (formerly Twitter) by IndyCar, the Team Penske driver was seen rocketing across the iconic oval circuit, with his Chevrolet-powered car slicing through the air. The 34-year-old, who is one of several drivers largely tipped for victory at the Brickyard event, registered a blistering top speed of 225.545 MPH.

Josef Newgarden’s run of over 220 MPH ranked among the fastest during the third day of practice. The two-time IndyCar Series champion posted the third-fastest time, trailing only teammate Will Power (225.584 MPH) and championship leader Alex Palou, who led the grid with a staggering 227.546 MPH.

With the excitement building for the upcoming racing showpiece, Josef Newgarden stands on the cusp of history. A win in the upcoming event would make him the first-ever driver in the 109-year history of the event to win the Borg-Warner Trophy three times in a row, following his consecutive triumphs in 2023 and 2024. However, the 31-time IndyCar race winner will face fierce competition from a stacked field of drivers, including Palou, who has had an impeccable start to the 2025 season.

Josef Newgarden speaks about winning his third Indy 500 title

Josef Newgarden recently reflected on the prospect of clinching victory at the upcoming Indy 500 event. He enters the upcoming event with the possibility of winning his third consecutive race in the 109th running of the racing spectacle — a feat never achieved before.

As the Indianapolis event draws near, talks of the possibility of the former Ed Carpenter Racing star potentially rewriting the record books of the open-wheel racing series have heralded the scenes. However, the Team Penske star has opted to downplay the expectations, stressing that a failure to win wouldn’t be a disaster.

Sharing his thoughts with the media, as quoted by Indy Star, Newgarden stated:

“I've told people that if you focus on the end result, you're missing the point that you've already succeeded so much by just being here. You get here, you qualify, you’re on the grid — you are already winning in so many ways.

That’s what I feel when I show up and try to remind myself of that. It doesn’t matter that we’ve won it a couple of times, I'm just still thankful to be here and to have another shot.”

Josef Newgarden achieved both of his Indy 500 victories in quite dramatic fashion, as he needed a last-lap overtake on then-Chip Ganassi driver Marcus Ericsson to clinch his maiden win in the 2023 season. He also repeated another last-lap overtake on Pato O’Ward in the 2024 season to clinch the Borg-Warner Trophy and become the first driver since Hélio Castroneves to claim consecutive Indy 500 wins.