Josef Newgarden Officially Joins Team Penske

Josef Newgarden confirmed the IndyCar rumors on Wednesday as Team Penske announced it had signed the former Ed Carpenter Racing driver for 2017.

Josef Newgarden will drive for Team Penske in 2017.

Confirming the rumors that have been buzzing around the IndyCar paddock since practically last off-season, Penske announced on Wednesday that it has signed the former Ed Carpenter Racing driver to compete for them next year. Terms of his contract were not immediately announced.

“When you look at the top talent in the series, both from a driving and commercial perspective, Josef is near the top of the list,” team owner Roger Penske said in revealing the hire.

“We are always looking to build toward the future and when we had the opportunity to talk with Josef, we knew that he would be a great fit with our program. He is a fantastic driver on the track and will be great with our partners off the track.

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“He is hungry to win more races and win championships and we hope to give him that opportunity as part of our team.”

Newgarden had been rumored to head for Penske as early as 2015, when his original contract with then-CFH Racing expired, but there weren’t seats available with the team signing now champion Simon Pagenaud.

He bided his time with a one-year deal but as the current Penske drivers’ contracts lapsed, the rumor mill started up again. Carpenter seemed resigned to Newgarden’s departure and James Hinchcliffe went on record as saying the chance to drive for a big team was what his friend had always wanted.

Now he has it, and Newgarden was just as enthusiastic in his statement Wednesday.

“For any open-wheel racer – or any race car driver in general – Team Penske is a dream job,” he said. “Roger Penske is a legend in the motorsports community and his team has done just about everything they’ve ever set out to do. I look forward to working with all of Team Penske’s great partners.

“To get an opportunity to work with Simon, Will [Power] and Helio [Castroneves], along with the rest of the team, will just help make me a better driver.”

That last sentence will likely pique the interest of IndyCar fans, because it might have just tipped the team’s hand for 2017. Juan Pablo Montoya and Castroneves’ contracts are up and neither have said where they’ll be driving next year.

Did Newgarden’s comments just confirm that he is taking Montoya’s place in the No. 2 car, as expected – and furthermore, that Castroneves will be back in the No. 3? If so, that also means Penske will once again be running four cars next year, something that was in doubt as recently as last month.

Food for thought. But for now, IndyCar fans can look forward to seeing if Josef Newgarden can really take his career to that elite level. He has had two great seasons with a small team – now with the might of Team Penske behind him the expectations will be win or go home.

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Between the signing of Josef Newgarden by Penske and the return of Alexander Rossi for Andretti, IndyCar is shaping up to have some fantastic battles between rising stars next year. For more on IndyCar’s youth explosion, click here.