"Wouldn't be here without my dad": Josef Newgarden's endearing Father's Day message before IndyCar race at WWTR 

Josef Newgarden and fellow IndyCar drivers joined everyone to celebrate Father's Day on Sunday, 15 June. The veteran American driver shared a heartfelt message ahead of the upcoming IndyCar race in Madison, Illinois.

Newgarden is set to take part in the upcoming 2025 Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway, and ahead of it, the Team Penske driver, alongside the others on the grid, came up with special messages on the occasion of Father's Day.

Josef Newgarden's father is Joey Newgarden, and as per NBC Sports, he used to run a photography business. The latter has, in the past, even made some track appearances during Josef's IndyCar outings.

In line with the 2025 Father's Day, the two-time IndyCar champion came up with the following message for his dad, Joey Newgarden.

"Gotta have love for the Dads. I wouldn't be here without my dad for sure, most of us can say that. You know, it's always a team effort, the Dads are a big deal, so thanks for all the Dads," Newgarden said (0:40 - 0:47).

After the first seven rounds of the 2025 IndyCar season, Josef Newgarden is currently in 11th place in the drivers' standings with 126 points. In the process of doing so, he has also secured a solitary top-five finish and three top-ten finishes.

"Let's have some fun" - Josef Newgarden after WWTR qualifying

The 2025 IndyCar season has so far not proved fruitful for Team Penske's Josef Newgarden. He has had one or the other factor, which has just not allowed him to get into a consistent rhythm.

At last month's Indy 500, he was having a solid run up until the final round of qualifying. Ahead of it, his and teammate Will Power's cars were sent to the back of the field for a modified attenuator violation on their respective Penske cars. Moreover, in the 200-lap race, he was not even able to complete it because of a mechanical issue on lap 135.

The ongoing race weekend at the World Wide Technology Raceway has so far proved promising for him. In Saturday's qualifying, he was able to manage a solid P5 starting position.

In line with this, via his official Instagram account, he said:

"Starting p5 tonight. Let’s have some fun!"

Josef Newgarden has been competing in America's highest class of open-wheel racing since 2012. He has secured over 200 race starts and has managed to put on board 31 wins, 58 podiums, and 18 pole positions. His last championship triumph came in 2019.

Keeping in view that Newgarden has only secured a single top-five finish this year, he would eye the same as the bare minimum in the upcoming race. The 34-year-old's Penske teammate, Will Power, will start the race from pole position.