Josef Newgarden jokes his luck may never change after a painful 2025 IndyCar season

Team Penske driver and multiple IndyCar world champion, Josef Newgarden joked this weekend at Laguna Seca that he was unsure if his luck was ever going to change.

Originally suggesting that he doesn't think he will be as unlucky as he has been in 2025 for the rest of his career, Newgarden then played devil's advocate and jested that maybe it never does get better.

"I can't imagine it stays like this forever", Newgarden began, "Maybe it does. I don't know.

"Hey, you know what? If it does, it's been a good ride. It's been a pretty good ride."

The American driver has seen himself involved in several crashes in 2025 which included last weekend in Toronto.

Avoiding collisions into Turn One on race restart after a Caution, Newgarden was caught unawares by Jacob Abel who had been tagged and hit the wall.

Newgarden proceeded to become entangled with Abel with the Dale Coyne car eventually ending up on top of the Penske vehicle.

Having a strong weekend before Toronto in Iowa, Newgarden went on to lose both races that weekend thanks to pitstops and a late caution in race two.

One of his favourite tracks, he had led majority of both and had been the clear quickest throughout the weekend.

Sat in 16th in the championship standings, his retirement in Toronto meant he has 24th or lower in six races out of 13 this season.

He has never finished below seventh in the championship standings before which means it is likely 2025 will be his worst season in his IndyCar career so far.

Asked by Fox if there is any solace that, thanks to Alex Palou domination, it would be unlikely he could win the season, Newgarden seemed hesitant to answer.

He explained: "That's so hard to answer, things change so quickly. [If] we win the Indianapolis 500 this year, I don't know what this year looks like. It's an alternate universe.

"The flow of events that happens after something like that I mean you just can't predict what the year looks like".

"He's [Palou] had a great year. He's one of the best we've ever seen so he deserves the success he's had. 

"We just we've not had it this year. I don't know how to speak to it. I really don't."

Out on track in Practice One, Newgarden had a spin at the top of the Corkscrew which wedged him into the gravel and brought out the red flag.

While it seems certain his luck will change, it seems that so far it hasn't happened at Laguna Seca.