Get To Know Indy 500 Champion Josef Newgarden One Ridiculous IndyCar Promo Video At A Time

Josef Newgarden has been competing in the IndyCar series since 2012, but this past weekend, he finally ticked off a bucket list item: He won the 2023 Indianapolis 500. The two-time series champion has been one of the greatest ambassadors for American open-wheel racing — but if you're just catching him on the track each weekend, you're missing out on so much of what makes Newgarden so special.

Newgarden is one of the big reasons I got interested in IndyCar back in the day, and that came down to all the goofy behind-the-scenes promo videos that Newgarden has been involved in over the years. From going wild at space camp to housing an entire grilled cheese sandwich in one bite, here are some of the greatest Newgarden videos to get you acquainted with a modern icon of American open-wheel.

We'll get to the goof in a minute, but if you're looking for a primer on Newgarden filmed at the start of his career, look no further than this primer from 2013. There's another great feature from 2015, if you're looking for more legit interviews!

I'm not kidding when I say that this video is the reason I'm an IndyCar fan. Newgarden and fellow driver Simon Pagenaud get "lost" in a cornfield ahead of the 2014 Iowa race, creating one of my friend groups' most quoted videos of all time.

Here, Newgarden joins presenter Katie Hargitt and fellow driver Conor Daly to "formally announce" the 2016 IndyCar season schedule. It's easily one of the greatest displays of Newgarden's personality I've ever seen.

Whatever Josef Newgarden makes (and yes I know he just made over $3 million for winning the Indy 500), it's not enough.

Racer Will Power's brother Damien is a professional comedian, and in 2015, he sat down with most of the grid for some iconic interviews. Including this one with Newgarden.

Back when Sage Karam was regularly racing in IndyCar, Josef Newgarden decided to raise awareness for the young driver with the endlessly mem-eable #Shirts4Sage campaign.

And here the two are at the NFL combine way before the Formula 1 drivers tried it at the 2023 Miami Grand Prix.

I don't know if Newgarden wants us to remember this video, but I'm going to.

When I first saw this video, it changed me. James Hinchcliffe tours a race garage courtesy of tour guide Josef Newgarden. I don't know how to describe it, but there are gnomes.

Not just Newgarden in this one, but still a classic.

Enjoy Newgarden's exceptional accent here. I can't place exactly what he's going for, but it's delightful.

Grown adults having the time of their lives? Sign me up, thanks.

I'm still not really sure what the point of this video was but I am so deeply glad it exists.

Josef Newgarden stuffs a whole grilled cheese in his mouth in one bite at the Indiana State Fair.

Ahhhh, remember when IndyCar raced in New Orleans?

I don't think Newgarden has a career in basketball any time soon.

Also probably not a career in golf, either. Good thing this race car driver stuff worked out.

Newgarden has used his own YouTube channel to great effect. Each race weekend, he puts out a new episode of ADMIT1, a series that goes behind the scenes with the driver. It's a little more polished than some of his former promo vids, but we can chalk that up to Penske perfection.

And now for the modern classic: Bus Bros. Team Penske teammates Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin started this series last year; it's another behind-the-scenes-style endeavor, but with two of the funniest guys in motorsport. This is their most recent episode, filmed just before the 2023 Indy 500.