NTT INDYCAR SERIES: BORCHETTA BOURBON MUSIC CITY GRAND PRIX

July 20, 2026

Josef Newgarden

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Josef Newgarden, best finish since the win at St. Louis. Third podium of the season, third podium at Nashville Superspeedway.

Josef, a long weekend. Your thoughts on your day today.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it was an all right day, okay day. We had a good, fast car. Chevy did a great job. We'll take second and move on.

THE MODERATOR: Open it up for questions for Josef.

Q. Could you talk through the decision to go onto the reds for the last stint. Was that the one shot you had at Palou? Was the car better on the reds?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It was what it was. It was a track position race with 30 laps. I don't think it really mattered.

Q. Why was it such a track position race today? The fact that the downforce had been cut?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Separator was past 40. We didn't get many stints past 40. That's why it was what it was. Once you're settled in, a shootout was going to be what it was lineup-wise.

Q. How difficult is it to chase Palou under those conditions in the final 10, 15 laps?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It's not tough. The nature of this race. You're in front, you're in front. Till you go the distance on a stint... Unfortunately we just didn't have a stint there at the end.

Q. I know you live in this area. Used to the weather. What was it like today in the car? You and Malukas looked pretty hot. Palou looked like he hadn't even run a race.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: He's Spanish (smiling). Probably doesn't sweat as much. Not so much how you look, but genetically he doesn't sweat as much is my guess.

Q. On the restart did you feel like he was going to have to make a mistake over the last 30 laps?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Definitely. I mean, the restart was what it was. Unless you have a full stint, there's your stack right there. It is what it is.

Q. Are you surprised that's the way this race came down to?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I didn't think it was going to fully be that way if we could have gotten more full stints. Before the last yellow, I was coming, I was ready. The track was still open. Just didn't get enough of it.

Q. Source of frustration is you weren't able to do anything more than finishing second?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I mean, it is what it is. I got blocked a couple times. We lost track position a couple times. It's racing. Sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn't.

Q. Do you feel like if this race was 300 laps it would end up differently?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Today that would have been great because we would have had more full stints, hopefully. Unless there were more yellows. I don't mind the yellows. You can't give up the track position under the yellows. If we just had less yellows, that would have been ideal.

Q. I don't know if last night you had this conversation with your crew, but did you think the call to make it 225 was right or 300 would have been safe for everybody?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I don't think it matters. I think 300 would have been fine. We could have done 500 today. I wasn't worried about it.

Q. Josef, was there frustration with the Louis Foster situation at the end, the timing, not getting a chance to close on Palou?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: No, I didn't have an issue with that. Like I said, we just needed more laps.

THE MODERATOR: Josef, thank you for all you've done this weekend for Nashville Superspeedway and the Grand Prix.