IndyCar's Josef Newgarden wants to compete in NASCAR; one track in particular

Two-time IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden stated once again that he would like to compete in NASCAR and that Bristol Motor Speedway is one of the tracks at which he would like to compete one day.

The last time Josef Newgarden drove an IndyCar in front of a crowd full of spectators was during a NASCAR race weekend at NASCAR race track.

The two-time IndyCar champion completed an exhibition run at the Charlotte Motor Speedway roval ahead of the Xfinity Series and Cup Series playoff races at the track back in late September, less than one week after securing his second IndyCar title at Laguna Seca.

And if he has it his way, he will one day drive a stock car during a NASCAR race weekend.

The 28-year-old Hendersonville, Tennessee native recently discussed wanting to compete at Bristol Motor Speedway, the lone active NASCAR track in his home state. Hendersonville is roughly 300 miles to the west of “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile”, which is located in Bristol, Tennessee.

Here is what Newgarden had to say about wanting to tackle the high banks of “The Last Great Colosseum”, according to Autoweek.

"“I’d love to do some NASCAR stuff, to be honest with you. I really enjoy the NASCAR stuff. I want to do Bristol. I want to do the Bristol Night Race. There’s more, but that’s No. 1. If get to choose, it’d be the Bristol Night Race. What makes it so great is that there’s nothing like Bristol. Even if you’re not from Bristol, Bristol looks awesome. I wish we could run an Indy car at Bristol. But you just can’t. I’ve tried it on a simulator. People would pass out.”"

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Indeed, it would be quite difficult for IndyCar drivers not to black out circling the four-turn, 0.533-mile (0.858-kilometer) oval, which is banked at between 26 and 30 degrees in the corners and between six and 10 degrees on the straights.

This isn’t the first time that Newgarden has mentioned wanting to compete in NASCAR, and it likely won’t be the last considering he drives for Team Penske. Team Penske are one of only two teams (Chip Ganassi Racing) that field entries in both IndyCar and NASCAR. Newgarden signed with the team ahead of the 2017 season.

After winning his first championship back in September of 2017, Newgarden stated the following about getting behind the wheel of a Team Penske Ford stock car in the Cup Series.

"“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.”"

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Will Josef Newgarden ever make the move to NASCAR to drive in select races for Team Penske? Team Penske field only three full-time entries in the Cup Series, so it’s not out of the question. The Xfinity Series certainly can’t be ruled out either.

IndyCar’s Josef Newgarden wants to compete in NASCAR; one track in particular

By Asher Fair | Nov 27, 2019

Two-time IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden stated once again that he would like to compete in NASCAR and that Bristol Motor Speedway is one of the tracks at which he would like to compete one day.