Team owner Roger Penske offered nothing but praise for his new signee. "When you look at the top talent in the series, both from a driving and commercial perspective, Josef is near the top of the list," he explained. "We are always looking to build toward the future and, when we had the opportunity to talk with Josef, we knew that he would be a great fit with our program. He is a fantastic driver on the track and will be great with our partners off the track. He is hungry to win more races and win championships and we hope to give him that opportunity as part of our team."
Newgarden expressed similar excitement about joining the powerhouse organization. "For any open-wheel racer - or any race car driver in general - Team Penske is a dream job," he asserted. "Roger Penske is a legend in the motorsports community and his team has done just about everything they've ever set out to do. I look forward to working with all of Team Penske's great partners. To get an opportunity to work with Simon, Will and Helio, along with the rest of the team, will just help make me a better driver."
Newgarden was the highest finishing non-Penske driver in the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series championship, ending the season in fourth place behind Simon Pagenaud, Will Power, and Helio Castroneves.
IMS
