Just about at the halfway point of the 2026 IndyCar season, the silly season chatter has begun swirling around the paddock. And Team Penske finds itself in the spotlight as rumors suggest they might lose another Indy 500 winner after Will Power. 

The rumor surrounds Josef Newgarden, who gave his boss, Roger Penske, the record-extending 19th and 20th Indy 500 wins for Team Penske in 2023 and 2024. The speculation surrounding his future began last year after an awful season marked by poor results. Not forgetting the Indy 500 qualifying disqualification for having an illegal modification to his car. 

According to IndyCar Insider Jenna Fryer, multiple leaders from various teams have told her about how Josef Newgarden has been looking for opportunities at other teams. A top driver from one team allegedly disclosed that a deal has already been sealed, and the Team Penske driver will be taking his place. 

Fryer also pointed out to the fact that Felipe Nasr has expressed his interest in racing in IndyCar. Considering his connections to Penske via IMSA, the move might not be far-fetched. In 2024, the IMSA champion took part in the IndyCar thermal testing for Penske with Newgarden’s race engineer, Luke Mason. 

Nasr was also present this weekend at the Detroit Grand Prix, all set to replace Newgarden if he was unable to race due to his injured foot. 

The speculation arises because Newgarden is in the last year of his current contract. Whereas his teammates Scott McLaughlin and David Malukas have been locked in with Penske with multi-year contracts extending through 2027.

This season, he has put up decent performances and sits eighth in the driver's championship after eight races, with four top 10 finishes and one win.

Josef Newgarden Races Through Pain at Detroit

Josef Newgarden injured his left foot in a hard crash during the Indy 500 on May 24. Consequently, in the Detroit GP paddock last weekend, he was seen walking around on crutches and with a walking boot.

Despite the pain, the No. 2 Team Penske driver raced the entire weekend. He qualified in 21st place and finished the race in 10th. While talking to the media post-race, he said:

"I knew it wasn't gonna be good, and it wasn't. I don't want to speak on it too much — it is what it is." 

He compared his current injury to the one from 2016, when he broke his left clavicle and wrist when he drove for Ed Carpenter Racing. Newgarden also admitted that he would have been fine with Felipe Nasr taking over his car for the race if Team Penske wanted him to. 

"If they didn’t want me to drive, then I would have been okay," said Newgarden. "I would’ve accepted that. I think if they wanted to win the race, then you put Felipe in this car. I’m so mixed, I would’ve loved to see Felipe drive this thing."

With no contract extension talks made public and such despondent-sounding comments, Josef Newgarden’s future with Team Penske remains unclear.

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Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Yask Kotak