Josef Newgarden breaks silence on IndyCar retirement rumors

Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden has broken his silence on rumors about his IndyCar retirement. There was significant chatter and speculation about the two-time Indy 500 winner's retirement from the sport over the past week.

It all began when a random user on the social media platform X posted that an IndyCar driver was going to retire after the 2025 season finale in Nashville, but it wasn't the one fans were expecting. The person was referring to Will Power in the latter part of the sentence, who fans were expecting to retire or join another team, with a split from Team Penske imminent, which happened anyway on Tuesday, September 2.

With the user ruling that out, a considerable number of fans jumped to Power's teammate Josef Newgarden, who was having a horrid season before winning in Nashville. Moreover, paddock insiders confirmed that there was chatter about the 34-year-old retiring.

The two-time IndyCar champion recently addressed the rumors on the Speed Street podcast hosted by Juncos Hollinger Racing driver Conor Daly. In response to Daly's question about the speculation, Newgarden jokingly said:

"I will say this. I am going to retire at some point in my life. Yes, I'm going to do that. I don't know when that is. I can't tell you right now when that's going to be."

Conor Daly laughed at his Team Penske rival's response, but had a serious follow-up. The No. 76 JHR driver asked whether the inevitable retirement would arrive in the next "6 to 8 months," to which Newgarden replied:

"I hope not. It's not on my to-do list."

The 2025 IndyCar season was Josef Newgarden's worst in a decade. Bad luck marred the results of all three Team Penske drivers, but he was the worst-affected. If not for a triumph at the season finale on his home soil in Nashville, he would've ended the season winless, something he hadn't done since 2014.

Josef Newgarden wants to "go away" from IndyCar and "start to miss it"

Josef Newgarden gives an interview after winning the IndyCar Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Josef Newgarden began the 2025 IndyCar season with a podium in St. Petersburg and ended it with a victory in Nashville. What transpired in between was a horror show. The misfortune was so high that he had started turning down interviews after racing sessions or wrapping them up with short answers.

In the post-race press conference after his Nashville win, the No. 2 Team Penske driver was asked about his offseason plans and the importance of time away from racing.

"Yeah, I mean, candidly, I'm looking forward to it," Newgarden replied (via ASAP Sports). "I'd like to go away and start to miss it again. Sometimes that's what you want, is to miss something. That's my plan."

Newgarden remains under contract with Team Penske for 2026, but his No. 2 Chevy will reportedly be open to takers come 2027.