IndyCar Driver Review: Josef Newgarden - MotorSportsTalk

With the IndyCar season in the books and a limited amount of news to come since the season finale at Fontana, my MotorSportsTalk colleague Chris Estrada and are taking a look back at the 2013 season just past. Chris and I each ranked our top 10 drivers and some of the biggest stories; now we take a look back at the field driver-by-driver.

P14 and one of the most improved drivers of 2013, is Josef Newgarden…

2013 SEASON PREVIEW

Josef Newgarden

Team: Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing
2012: 23rd Place, Best Finish 11th, Best Start 2nd
2013: 14th Place, Best Finish 2nd, Best Start 5th, 1 Podium, 4 Top-5, 7 Top-10, 0 Laps Led, 17.5 Avg. Start, 13.7 Avg. Finish

DiZinno says: I’m a massive believer in Josef Newgarden and his potential, and it was realized in part during an improved sophomore season. The results came – four top-fives including a runner-up in Baltimore – and so too did a nine-spot jump in the standings from 23rd in 2012 to 14th this year. Still, I know how hungry this kid is because even with his improvements, he wants more out of himself and to give Sarah Fisher her second win as a team owner. And the one thing that needs to improve is qualifying. Newgarden’s starting position average (17.5) beat only three other full-time drivers, Ed Carpenter, Graham Rahal and Sebastian Saavedra. If he makes a similar performance jump Charlie Kimball did from his second to third year, I’ll say it now, look out. He’ll be a free agent at the end of 2014 and next year is his shot to move up the grid.

Estrada says: Another driver that made a good leap in performance this year was Newgarden, who’s continuing to look more and more like a future star. His inaugural podium finish at Baltimore was the biggest highlight from his 2013 season, but we can’t leave out his stellar run at Sao Paulo, where he overcame an engine change penalty that put him 25th on the starting grid and managed to fight for the win before his tires finally had enough and he subsequently settled for fifth. Qualifying was a problem but if he can figure that out, then he just might deliver an upset win for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing at some point in 2014.

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Ryan Hunter-Reay was named to replace Conor Daly in Ed Carpenter Racing’s No. 20 Dallara-Chevrolet, starting in the NTT IndyCar Series event next week at Road America.

Hunter-Reay is the 2012 series champion and 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner. He finished 11th for Dreyer & Reinbold last month in the 107th Indy 500, his first start since the 2021 season finale. He drove full time for Andretti Autosport from 2010-21.

“We need to improve our competitiveness and I wanted to add a fresh perspective from a driver like Ryan who has a massive amount of experience and success as well as a reputation as a team leader. I am excited to welcome Ryan to the team,” team owner Ed Carpenter said in a team release. “We have worked together in the past as teammates and he tested for ECR at Barber Motorsports Park in October 2021, where he made an immediate impact as we were able to qualify one of our cars on the pole following that test. I am confident that his experience and technical abilities will be an asset to ECR as we move forward toward our goals as a team.”

Hunter-Reay has 18 IndyCar victories, most recently in 2018. He also is a winner in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, having been a part of winning entries in the 2020 Twelve Hours of Sebring and 2018 Petit Le Mans. Last year, he was an endurance driver for Cadillac Racing while being on standby for Chip Ganassi Racing.

He replaces Daly, whose departure was announced a day earlier in what the driver and team said was a mutual decision.

“I was surprised when I got the call from Ed,” Hunter-Reay said in a team release. “He described how frustrated he was that his team has not been able to realize its potential despite their efforts, investments, as well as technical and personnel changes over the past few years and asked for my help. Ed and I are very close friends and have been for a long time. I’ve worked with the team in the past and they are a very talented group with high expectations and a committed partner in BITNILE.COM.

“This will certainly be a challenge for me as well. It’s a tough situation jumping in a car in the middle of the season without any testing in what I believe to be the most competitive series in the world. Certainly, part of my motivation in saying ‘yes’ to Ed is the great challenge ahead. The last time I turned right driving an NTT IndyCar Series car was in October of 2021 with this team at Barber. However, I remain very confident in both my driving and technical abilities and believe by working with the talented people at ECR and Team Chevy, while representing BITNILE.COM, we will make progress. I am going to do everything I can do to help the team achieve its long-term objectives.”

Said Milton “Todd” Ault, the chairman of sponsor BitNile.com: “It is great for BitNile.com to be aligned with an Indy 500 Winner and an NTT IndyCar Series champion. I have followed Ryan’s career for years and I am confident he will challenge the entire ECR team to perform at higher levels. I wish everyone luck at Road America.”