When Josef Newgarden made a case for IndyCar being tougher than NASCAR

Two-time IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden is one of the most well-known personalities in American motorsports. The stalwart of open-wheel racing once made a case for IndyCar being tougher than stock car racing.

IndyCar and NASCAR are two of the most followed motorsports all over the globe. IndyCar is way faster than NASCAR, where cars run very close to each other while regularly bumping their bumpers.

While talking about both the motorsports in 2019, Newgarden said:

"I genuinely believe physically IndyCars are harder. That’s not a knock, it’s just what it is. But I would also preface that by saying the physicality is different. I think overall it’s more physical." Newgarden said via an interaction with Jeff Glock.

He added:

"But there’s no power steering (in IndyCars), there’s much higher G-loading because of the weight and downforce that our cars produce, so laterally we make a lot more grip. We go a lot quicker through the corners. I think physically they are tougher to drive."

Josef Newgarden has been competing in America's highest class of open-wheel racing since the 2012 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. He has amassed over 200 race starts, 31 victories, 58 podiums and 18 pole positions.

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"Nothing to brag about" - Josef Newgarden

Josef Newgarden - Source: Getty

Josef Newgarden had an average outing in last week's Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix. The 34-year-old started the 90-lap race from P9 but finished P10.

Following a tough day at the office, he said (via Team Penske's website):

"Just a decent day. At least got a decent result. P10-nothing to brag about. At least we got some points and a clean day which is probably the most important at the moment.

"Lacked a little bit of speed in the race. The team executed really well. We just wanted to get as much as we could. Just disappointed we couldn't drive forward a little bit more. Sometimes its all you have on a weekend. Everyone did a great job."

After the first four rounds of the 2025 IndyCar season, Josef Newgarden is 11th in the drivers' standings, level on points with Dale Coyne Racing's Rinus Veekay (78 points).

The 34-year-old's Penske teammates, Scott McLaughlin (P6) and Will Power (P9), are ahead of him in the standings, going into the upcoming SONSIO Grand Prix. In 2024, Newgarden ended his 17-race campaign in eighth place with 401 points.