Newgarden Wins INDYCAR Race, Puts Pressure on Penske NASCAR Drivers

Josef Newgarden jokingly challenges his Team Penske counterparts in NASCAR to deliver a win after his INDYCAR victory at Phoenix Raceway.

Published on Mar. 8, 2026

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Josef Newgarden won the INDYCAR Good Ranchers 250 race at Phoenix Raceway, his 33rd career victory. After the win, Newgarden jokingly put pressure on his Team Penske counterparts in the NASCAR Cup Series to also deliver a win in Sunday's Straight Talk Wireless 500 race, as part of the "Desert Double" weekend with both series racing at the same oval track.

Why it matters

The INDYCAR-NASCAR crossover weekend is the first time the two top motorsports series have raced on the same oval track on the same weekend, providing an opportunity to grow the fan bases of both series and give motorsports fans more value for their weekend.

The details

Newgarden won the INDYCAR race, with his Team Penske teammate David Malukas starting on the pole and finishing third. On the NASCAR side, Joey Logano won the pole for Sunday's Cup Series race. Newgarden praised the crossover event and hopes to see more of these types of shared race weekends in the future, believing it will be good for both series and their fans.

  • Newgarden won the INDYCAR Good Ranchers 250 race on Saturday, March 7, 2026.
  • The NASCAR Cup Series Straight Talk Wireless 500 race is scheduled for Sunday, March 8, 2026 at 3:30pm ET.

The players

Josef Newgarden

A 33-time INDYCAR race winner and driver for Team Penske.

David Malukas

An INDYCAR driver for Team Penske who won the pole position for the Good Ranchers 250 race.

Joey Logano

A NASCAR Cup Series driver for Team Penske who won the pole position for the Straight Talk Wireless 500 race.

Jonathan Diuguid

The president of Team Penske.

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What they’re saying

“It will be so disappointing if the Cup guys do not deliver tomorrow.”

— Josef Newgarden (foxsports.com)

“Horribly disappointing.”

— Jonathan Diuguid, Team Penske president (foxsports.com)

“It's always fun. We got to go first. It worked out. Now you got to put the pressure on them. Look, it was very hard. I didn't think we were going to win today, to be honest with you. It's fun. I wish we had more weekends like this, to be honest with you. It's fun going on an oval together.”

— Josef Newgarden (foxsports.com)

“I hope there [were] a lot of people that have maybe not seen an INDYCAR race in a while that are going to leave here and go, 'Hey, I should give that another look.' Both should complement each other. If you're a motorsports fan, you're just getting way more value for your weekend to have the top-2 motorsports championships together on the same weekend. I don't see why we can't do a little more of this. I think it's good for everybody.”

— Josef Newgarden (foxsports.com)

What’s next

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The takeaway

This case highlights growing concerns in the community about repeat offenders released on bail, raising questions about bail reform, public safety on SF streets, and if any special laws to govern autonomous vehicles in residential and commercial areas.