"Josef Newgarden looks very sad": Conor Daly sympathizes with Penske rival amid heartbreak-laden IndyCar season
Josef Newgarden is having a tough time trying to secure Top Fives and podiums in the 2025 IndyCar season. Conor Daly has revealed how the Team Penske driver seems to be down in the dumps and ready to strike his rivals hard at the upcoming race at the WWT Raceway.
Newgarden started the season strong, with a podium finish in St. Petersburg. However, after that, he has finished in the Top 10 only twice in six races. The biggest heartbreak came at the Indy 500, where he was chasing a historic third consecutive win.
Team Penske's qualifying controversy caused IndyCar to push Josef Newgarden to the back of the grid for the race. Against all odds, he clawed back up to P6, only for a fuel pump issue on his car to anticlimactically end his race.
Conor Daly recently commented on his buddy's dire run. Speaking on his Speed Street podcast on YouTube, the Juncos Hollinger Racing driver said:
"I think Josef Newgarden has had a rough go. I saw him at the Detroit driver intros, and he looks very sad. I feel bad. A lot of people are hating on Josef right now, and I want to let people know what that could do to a driver's mental side. It's cool if he's not your favorite, and booing people, that happens all the time, that's sports. But I don't think Josef is personally going out and attacking people." [30:00]
Many IndyCar fans have been calling Newgarden a 'cheater' since Penske's 2024 push-to-pass scandal, worsened by this year's Indy 500 controversy. Addressing that side of the situation, Daly added:
"Obviously, the team has done some things that they've got in trouble for, which is fine to be upset with the team. But I think a lot of people are coming after Josef personally. I felt bad for Josef. I've known Josef since I was a kid."
While Daly couldn't come to a concrete conclusion about Josef Newgarden's beaten-up mental state, he envisions complete domination from the two-time IndyCar champion at the upcoming Bommarito Automotive Group 500.
"Josef Newgarden wants to destroy everyone": Conor Daly makes prediction for IndyCar at WWT Raceway
IndyCar's next race at the WWT Raceway from June 13 to 14 has been a hunting ground for Josef Newgarden. The No. 3 Team Penske driver has won at the 1.25-mile oval a record five times. His first win came in 2017, followed by three consecutive wins from 2020 to 2022, and his last win in 2024.
The 34-year-old enters the weekend as the defending winner and a favorite to win. Conor Daly has the same opinion as he expects total dominance from his rival.
"I think you could see a Josef domination weekend. I think he wants to rebound. This is one of his stronger tracks ever. I think he wants to just destroy everyone. In his face, it just looks like he wants to literally step on your throat," Daly said on the aforementioned podcast. [31:00]
Daly is having a mediocre first season with Juncos Hollinger Racing. He was in contention for the 2025 Indy 500 victory before a right rear tire issue forced him to fall back, with an eventual P8 finish, still his best of the season.
Coincidentally, it was at the WWT Raceway last year where he joined the JHR squad for a part-time season, eventually earning a full-time seat for 2025.