The 32-year-old Tennessee native, the 75th individual winner of IndyCar’s crown jewel race, was the centerpiece of the event held at the Stutz Building in downtown Indianapolis.
The sterling silver image was crafted by sculptor Will Behrends, who was crafted every Indy 500 winner’s likeness on the trophy since 1990. Newgarden visited Behrends’s workshop in North Carolina in late September for a final sitting.
When the cloth was removed and the final result of the master craftsman’s work was revealed, it triggered Newgarden’s emotions as he reflected over contributions allowed for his #2 Team Penske Chevrolet to achieve victory that provided this everlasting moment.
“You just get emotional,” Newgarden told Motorsport.com.
“For me, I thought about the time and the effort and the sacrifice that everyone made to keep doing this. And it's not just to get to this point, but then to keep doing it year after year. It's just a lot that goes into it from everybody. That's what hits me is the memory and the timeline and the sacrifice that everybody puts in. It's what it makes you think about. It's what the face on the trophy represents."
It took Newgarden 12 attempts before winning “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” and he is soaking up every occasion that follows.
“You know, it's a continual process,” Newgarden said. “If you win, it's more than just actually ending up in Victory Lane and celebrating the tradition there; the traditions continue 365 all the way to the next year. It's just a great honor. The highest honor that you can have in motorsports, that's what sticks out to me. And something I'm just incredibly proud to be a part of and happy to have stuck with it.
“You know, obviously the 500 doesn't owe anybody anything and you never know if you're going to have the opportunity to win that race. For me, it took 12 attempts, and you just never know. You never know how long it may take or when your opportunity or time may come, so sticking with it is important.”
Also, a two-time IndyCar Series champion, Newgarden shared how the weight of capturing the two different achievements compares, too.
“The impact, it's felt that it's greater winning the Indianapolis 500,” Newgarden said. “The history and tradition is on the side of the Indy 500. When you look at the lineage of Indy car racing, it is tremendously significant to win the championship, but I think the 500 still takes the cake in that regard.
“It will always have history on its side as the most significant, the most historic. And you notice that. You see the impact of that by winning the race and everything that follows it all the way through.”
Michelle Collins, global director of marketing and public relations for BorgWarner, has witnessed firsthand every celebration since Will Power won the Indy 500 in 2018. Every winner has their own uniqueness that makes each event special, and she recognized something with Newgarden that stood out.
“He's reiterated the fact many times about how badly he wanted to win this,” Collins said.
“After 12 tries, it was something he just, of course everybody wants to achieve it, but for him, he was so close and could just never quite clinch that. So, I think seeing that as kind of a weight off of his shoulders, it just intensifies that fire in you to want to win again.
“Of course, in my role I deal with a lot of different people who are a lot of different personalities and not everybody is the outgoing, loud, gregarious, has to be the loudest one in the room.
“And I respect that because even my own children are like that: quieter, not always the loudest one, but are internalizing things more. That's how I see Josef. I think he's taking it all in stride and just is speaking very authentically. When he has something to say, that's really coming from the heart.
“A lot of the remarks he made just resonated with me because that is very special to him. What he's saying is very thoughtful and it's coming from the heart. Not that it doesn't with other winners, but he's just more private and so when he says those things, it carries a little bit more weight.”
Newgarden delivered the 19th Indy 500 win for team owner Roger Penske, but first since Penske purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar Series in November 2019.
With 29 career victories, Newgarden is the winningest American in history. Considering all he has achieved already, it was asked how he views the legacy he has created to this point.
“Yeah, I struggle to stop and look around and assess we, where we sit today,” Newgarden said.
“I just want to keep moving forward. I love the quote Roger always says is, 'Good enough is not good enough.' It just makes me focus on the next task and just trying to be better the next day than I was the last.
“I guess the only thing I can say is I've had tremendous opportunity in my career, more than maybe anyone deserves, but I've tried to make the most of it up to this point and I continue to try and make the most of it every year. I feel like my motivation just goes up every single year.
“My commitment goes up, which has been a good thing for me. It's helped me elevate my game and focus on the process, but I hope there's many miles left to go. I feel like there is. There's a lot of road to travel. I don't know the future, but I'm just ready to put in the work and see how far we can go.”
