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IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden says he would love to drive in NASCAR

By Asher Fair

SONOMA, CA - SEPTEMBER 17: Josef Newgarden, driver of the #2 hum by Verizon Chevrolet, celebrates with the Astor Cup after winning the Verizon IndyCar championship following the Verizon IndyCar Series GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma at Sonoma Raceway on September 17, 2017 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images)
SONOMA, CA - SEPTEMBER 17: Josef Newgarden, driver of the #2 hum by Verizon Chevrolet, celebrates with the Astor Cup after winning the Verizon IndyCar championship following the Verizon IndyCar Series GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma at Sonoma Raceway on September 17, 2017 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images) /
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Newly crowned IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden says he would absolutely love to race in NASCAR. How likely is that scenario? Will it ever happen?

Josef Newgarden, 26, finished in 2nd place at Sonoma Raceway this past Sunday in the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series championship finale, which was good enough to allow him to secure his first career series title as the first American to do so since Ryan Hunter-Reay pulled it off in 2012.

Newgarden, who has seven career IndyCar wins, won the title after more than doubling his career win total with four wins in his sixth career IndyCar season and first season as the driver of the #2 Team Penske Chevrolet.

However, Newgarden may not want to limit his potential to just America’s premier open-wheel racing series. He recently stated that he would love to race in NASCAR at some point in time in an interview that you can watch a little bit further down this article.

Team Penske team owner Roger Penske owns a team in the NASCAR Cup Series, so a few appearances there for Newgarden in the future may not be out of the question. In fact, Penske is expanding his current two-car operation with Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano to become a three-car operation with Keselowski, Logano and rising star Ryan Blaney next season.

Here is a sound bite from that aforementioned interview.

"More from IndyCarIndyCar: Two teams with no drivers confirmed for 2024IndyCar: Chip Ganassi Racing news hints Alex Palou announcementIndyCar: ‘Addition by subtraction’ could pay off in a big wayTeam Penske should make a bold driver signing for 2024IndyCar: 5 teams that still have open seats for 2024“You know, I’d love to. I really get a kick out of the NASCAR stuff. I think it’s so fascinating because it’s so different to me; it’s not my background. To me, that’s very exciting. It’s something new, it’s something to learn about, it’s something to try to master, and I would love to get an opportunity to go over there.”“[The Double] is even that I’d love to try to do in the future. I can’t get ahead of myself. Roger [Penske] hired me to drive IndyCars and to do well in their IndyCar program and represent that and I think if we continue to do that down the road, I’m hoping I can twist his arm and get him to put me in some of the NASCAR stuff at some point.”"

Next: IndyCar Post-Season Driver Grades

Do you think Josef Newgarden will ever race in the NASCAR Cup Series? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to follow along with Beyond the Flag for the latest news, opinions and analysis stemming from a number of different motorsports series. You don’t want to miss any of it. Also be sure to follow Beyond the Flag on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.