Josef Newgarden to run champion’s No. 1 in 2018

By Nov 1, 2017, 10:19 AM EDT
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Newly crowned Verizon IndyCar Series champion Josef Newgarden finished second in his No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet at the season finale in Sonoma in September, a result which was enough to net him the No. 1 position in IndyCar.

Now, following on from his two Team Penske teammates Will Power (2015) and Simon Pagenaud (2017), he’ll also run the champion’s No. 1 in the following season the year after winning his title.

Team Penske confirmed the news today via a fun social media video, where Pagenaud passed off a “champion’s to-do list” as the passing of the torch and champion’s number.

Pagenaud ran the No. 22 his first two years at Team Penske in 2015 and 2016, and would seem likely to go back to that next year – although Newgarden’s No. 2 would be available if desired.

Pagenaud is the best finishing driver with the No. 1 in recent years, coming second to Newgarden last year in the championship standings. Power ran the No. 1 in 2015 and finished third; Ryan Hunter-Reay ran the No. 1 in 2013 and finished seventh. Scott Dixon, the four-time champion, ran the No. 1 only once in his career – in 2004 – and finished 10th.

The last champion who defended his crown with the No. 1 was Sebastien Bourdais, who won the Champ Car title in 2004 as No. 2 and then won three more thereafter in the No. 1 from 2005 through 2007, before Champ Car and IndyCar merged in 2008.

And IndyCar’s last repeat champion is Dario Franchitti, who never ran the No. 1 even though he won four titles. He won in 2007 in IndyCar, then in 2009 through 2011.

How will Newgarden fare running the 1? Only time will tell.

IndyCar disappointed by delay of video game but aiming to launch at start of 2024

By Mar 27, 2023, 3:00 PM EDT
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An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”