Newgarden Joins Porsche Penske Motorsport: Newgarden, Matt Campbell, and Felipe Nasr will race the #7 Porsche 963 LMDh at Road Atlanta on October 14th, the final IMSA event of the season.
Newgarden announced this following his debut IMSA race, the Rolex 24 at Daytona. His Tower Motorsport Oreca 07 was cool, and he placed fifth in his class. Kyffin Simpson, John Farano, and IndyCar legend Scott McLaughlin were there.
Newgarden has two IndyCar championships and the Indy 500. He worked with Penske, which is now working with Porsche on their factory LMDh project. He’s stated his desire to race for the German automaker in the Le Mans 24 Hours. He tested Porsche’s first race car prototype following the 919 Hybrid at Road America in June.
Newgarden exclaimed, “I love that Porsche and Penske are working together in Porsche Penske Motorsport. Any race car driver’s dream, and I’m happy to be a part of it.”
He constantly praises the team’s work. He stated, “Watching the teams work hard to make this program succeed throughout the years has been cool. Both Porsche 963 cars have won races this year and are doing well in the championships, proving the hard work was worth it.” I aim to support Porsche Penske Motorsport’s great work and contribute to the program. I believe our efforts will be rewarded if we’re lucky.”
Porsche Penske Motorsport announced more. They said Laurens Vanthoor, a notable World Endurance Championship driver, will join Nick Tandy and Mathieu Jaminet in the #6 vehicle.
This is Vanthoor’s first 2023 IMSA race. March saw him win the GTD Pro event at Sebring. Driven a Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R. At Portimao, Vanthoor, Andre Lotterer, and Kevin Estre raced a Porsche to the team’s only podium finish of WEC 2023.
The Belgian racer added, “I’m excited to join the team’s IMSA program and help them win the team and manufacturer titles. My track experience will help, and working with Nick, Mathieu, and the rest of the staff will help me grasp how the business works by the end of the WEC season in Bahrain in early October.
Tandy and Jaminet rank fourth among GTP drivers. Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor of Wayne Taylor Racing Acura lead Tandy and Jaminet by 98 points. Campbell and Nasr are seventh after winning their first GTP race at Road Atlanta. Porsche won their second race of the season at Long Beach with Tandy and Jaminet.
Porsche Penske Motorsport CEO Jonathan Diuguid explained why they chose Laurens Vanthoor and Josef Newgarden for Petit Le Mans. He cited Vanthoor’s time at Road Atlanta and that Indianapolis 500 winner Newgarden has a unique style.
Diuguid supported both drivers. He commented, “After practicing a lot at Road Atlanta, we believe that both Laurens and Josef will be prepared to perform well for the team and achieve a good outcome in the season’s final race.” The team is preparing for a spectacular season finale after a combination of successes and challenges.
Our Reader’s Queries
How many cars does Penske have in the Indy 500?
Team Penske is currently running three cars in the race. The No. 2 Hitachi Dallara/Chevrolet is being driven by Josef Newgarden, while Scott McLaughlin is behind the wheel of the No. 3 Dallara/Chevrolet. Will Power is driving the No. 12 Verizon Dallara/Chevrolet.
What team does Newgarden race for?
Josef Newgarden, sponsored by Team Penske and Hitachi, is a two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion and the most successful American driver in the series. He made history in 2016 at Iowa by leading the most laps ever by a race winner in the INDYCAR SERIES.
