Josef Newgarden is no stranger to winning the Indy 500. But on Sunday, he celebrated as if he had won it for the first time.
The Team Penske driver sealed his second consecutive Indy 500 victory via an incredible last-lap pass of Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Indianapolis, Ind.
WHAT A FINAL LAP!
Josef Newgarden and Pato O’Ward battled to the end in the 108th running of the #Indy500. pic.twitter.com/0QqbcbnfYl
— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) May 26, 2024
Newgarden was understandably ecstatic once he crossed the finish line. The 33-year-old first shared an awesome moment with his team before taking the celebration to all the fans cheering him on. Newgarden jumped the fence and was immediately mobbed as he ran up into the stands.
No better way for Josef Newgarden to celebrate his 2nd straight Indy 500 win than with 350,000 fans that have been hammered since 6 AM
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) May 27, 2024
Newgarden won a $440,000 bonus from BorgWarner for his repeat win. He became just the sixth driver in history to win the Indy 500 in back-to-back years. Helio Castroneves, who also raced for Team Penske, was the last driver to complete the feat 22 years ago.
O’Ward finished second, while Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon placed third. NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson, who immediately left IMS to race in the Coca-Cola 600, finished 18th. Larson’s attempt to complete “The Double” hit a snag when the Indy 500’s race start was delayed due to weather.
