Josef Newgarden had the opportunity to take the mound at Busch Stadium Thursday evening, as the Team Penske driver threw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the St. Louis Cardinals game against the Colorado Rockies.
Calling the event a “Dream come true,” Newgarden walked up to the mound in a No. 2 Cardinals jersey and then proceeded to throw a strike. The Cards would go on to defeat the Rockies 6-5.
Thank you to the @Cardinals and @WWTRaceway for inviting me to throw out the first pitch tonight! Dream come true!
— Josef Newgarden (@josefnewgarden) August 23, 2019
#INDYCAR | #RISEABOVE | #TimeToFly | @indycar | @team_penske
Photo ✖️ @gritzpics pic.twitter.com/4A7ZNqwuMZ
Newgarden’s first pitch was part of “World Wide Technology Raceway Night” at the stadium, a unique fan fest organized by the Cardinals and the raceway to help kick-off the Bommarito 500 race weekend.
The free fan fest included appearances by NTT IndyCar Series, Road to Indy, and NASCAR K&N Pro Series drivers, and fans that bought special themed tickets to the game also received a bobblehead of Cardinals outfielder Harison Bader driving an IndyCar.
The Cardinals won’t be the only St. Louis team celebrating IndyCar’s annual visit to WWTR, however, as the St. Louis Blues will be at the track for the race itself on Saturday evening.
The 2019 Stanley Cup Champions will bring the coveted trophy to the raceway for fans to view, and team captain Alex Pietrangelo and defenseman Colton Parayko will also be in attendance.
Live coverage of the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 from World Wide Technology Raceway begins on Saturday, August 24 at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN.