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IndyCar: Josef Newgarden wins 2019 title, becomes two-time champion

By Asher Fair

MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 22: Josef Newgarden #2 of United States and Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet kisses the Astor Cup after winning the NTT IndyCar Series championship following the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on September 22, 2019 in Monterey, California. (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images)
MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 22: Josef Newgarden #2 of United States and Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet kisses the Astor Cup after winning the NTT IndyCar Series championship following the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on September 22, 2019 in Monterey, California. (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images) /
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Josef Newgarden secured his second career IndyCar championship with his eighth place finish in the 2019 season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden entered the 17th and final race on the 2019 IndyCar schedule in position to win his second career championship, which would be his second in the last three years.

The 28-year-old Hendersonville, Tennessee native entered the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca with 593 points, 41 points more than Andretti Autosport’s Alexander Rossi in second place in the championship standings, 42 points more than teammate Simon Pagenaud in third and 85 points more than Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon in fourth.

Newgarden only finished this 90-lap race around the 11-turn, 2.238-mile (3.602-kilometer) WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca natural terrain road course in eighth place in his #2 Chevrolet, but he did enough to become a two-time champion.

He couldn’t hide his emotions afterward.

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With Newgarden in eighth place, Dixon had no path to winning the championship while Rossi and Pagenaud would have had to win.

Dixon finished in the highest position of the four championship contenders in third place in his #9 Honda. Pagenaud could only manage to finish in fourth in his #22 Chevrolet while Rossi could only manage to finish in sixth in his #27 Honda.

Newgarden becomes the first two-time champion since four-time champion Dario Franchitti won his second title one decade ago in 2009, and he becomes Team Penske’s first two-time champion since Gil de Ferran in the 2001 CART season.

Newgarden finished the season with 641 points, 25 points ahead of Pagenaud in second place in the championship standings, 33 points ahead of Rossi in third and 63 points ahead of Dixon in fourth.

Throughout the season, Newgarden won four races. He won the season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, the first of two races on the streets of Belle Isle in Detroit, Michigan, the race at Texas Motor Speedway and the race at Iowa Speedway. He recorded seven podium finishes, 12 top five finishes and 14 top finishes, and his average finish was an impressive 5.65.

The only race after which Newgarden did not lead the championship standings this year was the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which was won by Pagenaud. Pagenaud led Newgarden by one point in the standings after this race.

That said, because Newgarden secured one point by qualifying on the front row for the following race on the streets of Belle Isle, there were a grand total of zero races on the 2019 schedule that he entered outside of first place or a first place tie in the championship standings.

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Congratulations to Josef Newgarden and Team Penske for securing the 2019 IndyCar championship. The 2020 season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, March 15 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. This race is set to be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network.