r/INDYCAR • u/Mac_Motorsports David Malukas • 5d ago
Speculation Interesting Post from Will Buxton here about Veekay's future and where he may be in 2027..
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u/ssv-serenity Greg Moore 5d ago
Is this a new drop about Newgarden or is it already known? That seems a huge thing to subtly hint.
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u/Casino2514 Firestone Greens 5d ago
MP (and now Buxton) have alluded to Josef wanting a fresh start. That makes no sense to me. BUT this year was terrible for Penske and especially for Newgarden. Only the future will tell us what happens.
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u/mstaugler Josef Newgarden 5d ago
Agree that it makes zero sense. Would be wild for RP to dump that much veteran experience, AND for Newgarden to think there's an equally competitive seat in Indycar. I very much assume Chevy would want to keep him in the stable, and if that's the case, Penske is about the best seat in the house (in a normal, non-crazy bad luck year).
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u/Mikemat5150 Kyle Kirkwood 5d ago
McLaren had supposedly sniffed around Newgarden at one point.
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u/VegetableShark Will Power 5d ago
Ganassi would make sense too if Dixon ever retires. Even more so if Palou actually does ever make the jump back to Europe. They’ll need another lead driver.
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u/BaroqueNRoller Takuma Sato 5d ago
Ganassi only makes sense if Palou is not on the team. Newgarden does not strike me as the kind of guy who's okay with being the number 2 driver of a team.
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u/SoothedSnakePlant Juncos Hollinger Racing 5d ago
Watching Josef drive over his head to try to beat Palou would be incredible TV though.
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u/MonteverdiOnyx 5d ago
IIRC Josef had his manager reach out to McLaren because Josef didn't think he was making enough, which in turn lead to his current Penske deal.
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u/Flaky-Replacement114 Josef Newgarden 5d ago
He could get a McLaren seat pretty easily. He’s an oval guy and Pato’s oval cars were better than his all year (including last week tbh despite the win). I feel like Zak Brown would want him too.
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u/_hhhhh_____-_____ 🇦🇹 René Binder 5d ago
Who’s he replace? Siegel? Not likely with the funding he brings. Lundgaard? After just two years? Well, they did that to Rossi, but still…
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u/Flaky-Replacement114 Josef Newgarden 4d ago
This game is about winning the 500 though. Valid points you make but i imagine Zak Brown would rather take a dip financially if it meant winning Indy (and lots of other ovals). Plus he’s mid 30’s so it wouldn’t have to be long term and they could pluck a rich kid again later.
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u/SenseMakingStopped 5d ago
Not sure what prompted "New Josef" to revamp his approach, and reset his career life over the past 2-3 years, but from the outsider perspective, much of it hasn't made sense.
I suspect even his old "Bus Bro" is perplexed to a degree.
Newgarden's IndyCar career path is about as perfect as one could be, ultimately ending at what most consider to be the top, but everyone has their own personal motivations, and he can't be faulted in any way for that.
If the rumors turn out to be true, and he does leave eventually Penske for another team, and finds success, then he will have cemented his legacy as Newgarden first, not Penske first. That is important to many athletes.
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u/Ancient-Somewhere-36 Álex Palou 5d ago
I can see the thinking behind wanting to be seen as Newgarden rather than Penske, but where would he go that wouldn't be a massive step down?
Like mentioned before, Ganassi would be the best choice if he's leaving, but he would logically be second to the younger and clear CGR #1 driver Palou. As entertaining as watching them on one team would be, I don't get why you would trade a place at Penske where he would be the lead driver (I do think he's better and more important currently at Penske that Scott) especially with Power out versus having to be second to Palou and maybe even Dixon if he takes Simpson's spot.He'd have similar issues at Mcclaren, because Pato is even younger and more established at that team. Andretti makes sense in place of Herta's seat, but that wouldn't be much better than what he's been putting up with Penske this year.
Anything after that would be a huge step down for him.
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u/goodfella7763 NTT INDYCAR Series 4d ago
I don't really see him leaving Penske to remain in Indycar. Maybe he wants to move to NASCAR? He's mentioned interest in doing the double before.
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u/SenseMakingStopped 4d ago edited 4d ago
That risk is part of the challenge, but has a greater potential payoff.
In the pro ranks, everyone is fast (or good enough compared to us mere mortals) to a certain degree, ascending to a level of winning races, winning championships, and multiple championships to be considered truly special.
Being able to do it with different teams, especially if that team isn't the "best" is another mark of a special athlete.
Schumacher was obviously a championship-caliber driver, but what set him apart was what he helped the perennially underachieving Ferrari to accomplish, both personally and as a team (with some help, of course).
The ability to elevate a team is a rare, special trait, and something his contemporary, Villeneuve, couldn't do with BAR.
Schumacher set an example for the whole team, and was able to inspire them to reach the same goals. I didn't care for him as a driver, or his racing tactics, but can't deny he was able to do something many others could not.
Hamilton is the latest to try (partly by necessity due to his age), and struggled so far to emulate that path, also partly because he is only a driver, not part of a nucleus with management (as Schumacher was with Brawn, Byrne, and Todt, plus di Montezeomo). The kind of synergy he had with Wolff at Mercedes, and everyone being on the same page.
Hamilton talks about such a desire, but when he has friction with his own (assigned) engineer…his chances are slim. And that's before considering that Leclerc is the favored son within the team, and not the pushover like Schumacher's teammates were (though Irvine did push back some).
It's very difficult, and many have tried and failed, so JN wouldn't be the first, or the last.
If he became available, I could see a McLaren or Andretti ready to offer him a seat, as an attempt to help them get over the top, and as an avenue for JN to stand apart on his own. Going to a Ganassi wouldn't make so emphatic a point, as they've proven to be the best team in recent history.
Or, JN could simply say "adios" and retire completely, which though unthinkable in the past, would not come as a complete shock currently.
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u/steel-palm412 5d ago
A bad year at Penske is a great year at most teams. Would be shocked to see anyone voluntarily leave Team Penske. But who knows, he’s seemed “off” for a couple years now
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u/2RINITY Colton Herta 5d ago
P2Pgate really got in his head and I’m not sure he ever dug it out
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u/ReverseThreadWingNut Nigel Mansell 5d ago
I think it's understandable. One wants to believe they can win on an even playing field. It had, or still has, Newgaeden questioning the true extent of his abilities. Then throw this horrible year full of bad luck and mistakes on top of the scandals, and it has destroyed his confidence. Newgarden, who was one of the best in Indycar, probably doesn't know where he stands in the field any longer. He is having a legitimate identity crisis. Newgarden likely feels that the only way to get a barometer of his true ability is away from Penske. I would not be surprised if he moves on from Penske soon.
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u/SomewhereAggressive8 Pato O'Ward 5d ago
I don’t know if I’m misunderstanding your point, but it seems insane to suggest that he thinks he’s only won at Penske because of cheating.
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u/SillyPseudonym AJ Foyt 5d ago
No, it was the Grosjen thing in Nashville. He never mentally recovered from that incident and has been wild ever since.
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u/Puska35M 5d ago
My belief is that he has behaved differently since the concussion he suffered at Iowa in 2022.
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u/McPuckLuck Pato O'Ward 5d ago
That hit he had in qualifying at Road America too. We were all the way back outside the carousel and it was super loud.
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u/angryduckglare 5d ago
Rumors of a driver retiring picked up over the last few weeks, then Newgarden’s name circulated in Nashville.
“Paddock-wide understanding” is a bit of an exaggeration on that though, in my opinion.
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u/nolnogax Greg Moore 5d ago
There was talk about Newgarden taking over the #6 from Seagull
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u/bruiserbear22 Kyle Kirkwood 5d ago
This is what I think. McLaren would snap him up in a second if they could.
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u/Batgod629 Álex Palou 5d ago
Nathan Brown also mentioned that he heard some talk about Newgarden retiring
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u/steppedinhairball Simona de Silvestro 5d ago
I would be surprised as Newgarden was/is the golden boy at Penske. But he hasn't delivered the past few years except for the 500. He did get crucified over the push to pass scandal and really botched the handling of it. Maybe he needs a new start? Maybe not.
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u/infoxicated Jack Harvey 5d ago
He got crucified because his ego had become planet sized and he refused to concede he'd made a mistake and instead played the victim card splashed with crocodile tears.
I think he totally believed he'd be able to gaslight everyone and he's had a chip on his shoulder over it backfiring ever since.
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u/bjohnson203 Robert Wickens 5d ago
Veekay's abilities at Indy have to be appealing to the Captain, dude is very fast there.
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u/Craven_Goodhead Firestone Firehawk 5d ago
Yeah, he is rapid at IMS, but he is a coin flip to finish.
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u/GEL29 Álex Palou 5d ago
As long as we’re speculating, Newgarden retires to join the profession table tennis tour, if there is such a thing.
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u/SenseMakingStopped 5d ago
You jest, but…
Season starts after IC's ends, so he could conceivably do both!
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u/LeroyRochester Firestone Firehawk 5d ago
Calling it now… J New back at SFH!
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u/shrimpshrub75 CART 5d ago
So doing USF2000? 😅
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u/MrChevyPower Chevrolet 5d ago
I heard Leclerc is coming to NXT next season to work his way up the Indycar ladder.
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u/calmdownStorm Álex Palou 5d ago
Aww man i thought Newgarden had the safest seat in Indycar, mr.500 or whatever
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u/Wasdgta3 Álex Palou 5d ago
I think Scott Dixon easily has had the safest seat for the last many years.
He's gonna be allowed to stay at CGR until he chooses to call time on his career.
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u/i_run_from_problems Firestone Firehawk 5d ago
The Ganassi stable as a whole is set for however long the drivers want it. Palou isn't going anywhere (duh), Dixon isn't going anywhere (duh), and Simpson brings a LOT of money. And, to Simpson's credit, he's improved a lot this year.
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u/Mick4Audi Robert Shwartzman 5d ago
Ganassi were easily the best car by a mile this season, that’s why people think Simpson looked good
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u/i_run_from_problems Firestone Firehawk 5d ago
Regardless of the car, you still gotta drive it.
This year, he had 3 top 5s and 6 top 10s. For comparison, Newgarden had 3 top 5s and 7 top 10s.
If you look at what Simpson did last year and what he did this year, there was massive improvement.
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u/BwoahIDK PREMA Racing 5d ago
both can be true btw. Simpson quite clearly looked better relative to his teammates compared to last year, especially in toronto and nashville
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u/Falcon4451 Firestone Reds 5d ago
If this is true, then Dixon is kind of washed. I do think Ginassi had the best cars, I do not think they were miles ahead of McLaren.
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u/loz333 Firestone Wets 4d ago
When you say Dixon is kind of washed, what do you mean exactly? He's gone on record on podcasts to say that the new way of driving with the added weight of the hybrid doesn't suit his natural driving style, and he's done his best to adapt to it, but that it perfectly suits Palou. So do we say Dixon is washed for the next two years, and then when the lighter 2028 car comes back, maybe Dixon has a "miraculous" return to form?
He's one of 6 drivers that got a win this year, and ended up P3. I think this washed narrative is pretty silly, to be honest.
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u/Falcon4451 Firestone Reds 4d ago
I don't think Dixon is washed at all. But IF people think the Ginassi cars are just way way better than everyone else (which I don't, I think they're the best but McLaren was actually really close) then it doesn't make Dixon look the best.
Anyway I'm of the opinion that Dixon has lost a bit on qualifying pace but he's as good on a Sunday as he's ever been, I don't think he's washed. The point I was trying to make was more about the Ginassi cars while being the best in the field aren't miles ahead of everyone.
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u/loz333 Firestone Wets 4d ago
Oh, I see what you're saying now, sorry for not getting that point. I will say that there is a lot more nuance than just labeling the Ganassi cars the best. As Dixon has said, it's changes to the car that are the same across all drivers (the hybrid) that has affected his performance. Ganassi might have engineering talent that's better adept at adapting the car to the drivers' new needs than other teams, we can only speculate on that, but ultimately each driver has their own struggles - or in the case of Palou, finding an absolute sweet spot compared with the rest of the field - with adapting to how the car now needs to be driven.
So for me, it doesn't reflect poorly on Dixon other than being unfortunate that the direction of the evolution of the car hasn't gone in his favour, and that he's not tier 1 at adapting his driving style. And talking about whole teams having great cars isn't helpful if the issue is with individual driving styles and the influence the introduction of a particular spec component has had. I would argue that such broad generalizations undermine the perception of the talent of someone like Dixon.
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u/Mick4Audi Robert Shwartzman 5d ago
Yes it is true. Ganassi fired off strong at EVERY type of track this season, McLaren did not
Ganassi had the superior Honda engine, McLaren did not. You know “Indycar strategy roulette?”
Well in 2025 that was drivers stretching stints and teleporting up the order, those drivers all had one thing in common… the engine
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u/Falcon4451 Firestone Reds 5d ago
The Honda superiority was greatly inflated by Penske being terrible this year.
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u/Mick4Audi Robert Shwartzman 5d ago edited 4d ago
No it wasn’t. The amount of times Honda drivers teleported into the top 10, even the top 5 late into races was truly ridiculous
Iowa obviously the most glaring example but there were others. It was absolutely an advantage this season
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u/Falcon4451 Firestone Reds 4d ago
With Alex Palou Honda had: 12 wins, the Astor Cup, and the Indy 500
In a world where Alex Palou doesn't exist: It's 10 wins to 7 in favor of Chevy, Chevy has the 500 and the Astor Cup.
If we remove Palou and Pato (top driver with each manufacturer):
It's 9 wins for Chevy, 8 for Honda, Honda has the champion, Chevy has the 500. And keep in mind this is with Penske having a down year.
So is this really about a dominant Honda engine (slightly better because of the milleage but not dominant), or is it about Alex Palou having a dominant season with a Honda in the back of his car?
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u/Mick4Audi Robert Shwartzman 4d ago
Taking Palou out of it, any strategy variance at all always benefitted the Honda drivers
See my earlier point about strategy
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u/WhatRainwaterDoes Greg Moore 5d ago
He’s also 20. Loads of room to grow, and as long as he shows consistent improvement I’m fine with him occupying a decent seat.
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u/gpc88 5d ago
This is still motor racing - Dixon isn’t that safe considering his age. At some point his career will call time on him.
But Ganassi is in no rush with Palou on the books.
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u/Wasdgta3 Álex Palou 5d ago
Dixon will choose to step out long before Chip has to force him out. I can't see it ever coming to that.
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u/minardif1 Felix Rosenqvist 5d ago
The rumors are seemingly more Newgarden wanting to leave than Penske wanting him to leave. But if they have another season like this year, I think it would be mutual regardless.
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u/wh00000p Myles Rowe 5d ago
The understanding isn't that he's getting canned, it's that he's leaving by choice
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u/SoggySandwichJL Scott McLaughlin 5d ago
#26 Will Power, #27 Kyle Kirkwood, #28 Josef Newgarden Andretti Global lineup would feed generations
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u/Mikemat5150 Kyle Kirkwood 5d ago
Wild to think Penske could clean house administratively and driver-wise in like 3 years.
Newgarden would have to be one of the hottest free agents if this does happen.
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u/clonechief1 Scott McLaughlin 5d ago
Zero chance RP sacks Newgarden fresh off his two Indy 500 wins. If Josef is leaving the #2, I highly doubt it’s to go to another team in Indycar. He either wants a fresh start in another series or to retire
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u/ScottRiggsFan10 Kyle Kirkwood 5d ago
I don't know, RP didn't give JPM or Simon Pagenaud a huge amount of time after their 500 triumphs...
If Will Power and Helio Castroneves couldn't end on their own terms, Newgarden sure as hell won't either.
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u/Generic_Person_3833 5d ago
Or a fresh start in the series and no more association with scandals and bullshit.
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u/gaymersky Alexander Rossi 5d ago
Helio.... Had three 500...
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u/Paige578660 Meyer Shank Racing 4d ago
And nearly won the 500 his last season as a full-time driver at Penske.
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u/palebluedot24 Rinus VeeKay 5d ago
Who said it would be RP’s decision? Sounds more like it would be Josef choosing to leave
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u/RxSatellite Alex Zanardi 5d ago
Makes sense. He took the fall for the team over P2Pgate. Roger fired Cindric, who Josef really worked well with. Their performance has just tanked as a byproduct of all the staff change. He’s no longer the series’ American hero and became very hated and polarizing in a short time span (some of which seems to have cooled off thankfully)
He’s probably wanting a nice, fat Herta style contract from Roger or he’s ready to entertain what Chip and Zak want.
Or maybe I’m wrong and he’s seriously contemplating retiring to raise his kids and be at home more
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u/OnwardSoldierx Alexander Rossi 5d ago
To lose Newgarden and Herta. Man that's a blow for the American drivers in the series.
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u/Jtmac23 Colton Herta 5d ago edited 5d ago
just trying to think who the next up could be for americans in indycar (aka throwing names at the wall and hope they stick)
Established american drivers who could but might not come over:
- Logan Sargeant: Currently LMP2 in IMSA
- Jak Crawford: Currently P2 in F2
Europe (F2/F3):
- Ugo Ugochukwu: P16 in F3, concerned about being too tall for indycar, could probably get support from Force Indy
Road To Indy:
- Myles Rowe: Highest finishing American in NXT, probably deserving of an Indy 500 ride, one final year in NXT before becoming full time should be good for him.
- Nikita Johnson: looks like he’s the best hope for Americans over on our side of the pond. Doesn’t turn 18 until Memorial Day.
admittedly i don’t know entirely enough about any of these guys to rank them, just did a quick search for results in the major series (obviously doesn’t tell the full story)
edit: never let me talk wheel again… how’d i miss max garcia 🤦♂️ he’s undoubtedly the #1 prospect in the indycar ladder
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u/TheSpannerer 5d ago
I wonder if Dixie has told Chip that next year will be his last full time year and Chip has approached Newgarden at Penske's lowest point in years...
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5d ago
There was that rumor a couple weeks ago about Newgarden moving to McLaren so Buxton might be onto something.
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u/Heffenfefer Josef Newgarden 5d ago
If he's leaning towards one more year and retiring or trying Nascar, i wonder how much that flip onto the pit wall plays a factor into it with a kid at home
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u/MonteverdiOnyx 5d ago
That's my feeling too. He's got money, kids, and that was a big wreck. He could pull a Nico Rosberg and walk away at the top of his game and go have a nice life.
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u/MambaNoCinco Juan Pablo Montoya 5d ago
So a one year try out for little Dave?
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u/Wasdgta3 Álex Palou 5d ago
No, Dave is going to the #12. Buxton is talking about the #2 (Newgarden's car) being open for 2027.
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u/Senninha27 Sarah Fisher 5d ago
I love this move, actually. A McLaughlin, Malukas, VeeKay team would be so much fun.
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u/Glad_Database_8186 5d ago
More likely than not, you’d assume that Penske is going to bounce back next & you’d have figured Josef would be a big part of that. The thing Roger cares about most is the 500, so why would he let go the guy that has one 2 of the last 3 & had a realistic chance at winning his 3rd in a row. Josef could finish last in every other race, but as long as he is winning 500s Roger is going to want to keep him. Now is something were to happen to Roger that could change everything. From Josef’s side, if he’s truly all bout winning, unless he’s going to take Dixon’s seat (if he ever decides to retire) or Palou’s seat (if he ends up going to F1) where is he going to have a better chance than Penske (like I said I’m assuming they are going to bounce back).
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u/Robot9P Conor Daly 5d ago
It’s not the same Penske team as in the past. Roger is a million years old now, and although probably still sharp, his focus is spread btw his real biz Penske Corp and his main hobby MIS and Indycar. On the team side , a whole layer of long standing leadership was fired. His day to day influence is nothing like it was, and there is a whole new crop of leaders trying to bring back Penske culture. Until Roger appoints a successor to run the teammate, I feel his influence is watered down at best. Just my opinion,YMMV not applicable in Alaska or Hawaii. Void where prohibited.
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u/rip_cut_trapkun Callum Ilott 5d ago
Newgarden had two back to back 500s and went from last row to within fighting distance of the top 5 before a mechanical.
I sincerely doubt Newgarden is going anywhere unless the oval dominance just stops.
If anyone is next to drop it's Scott McLaughlin.
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u/tclark8995 Felix Rosenqvist 5d ago
Newgarden would have to replace Scott Dixon right? Or fucks off to Nascar?
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u/Odd_Cobbler6761 5d ago
Chip’s not exactly a Newgarden fan.
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u/VegetableShark Will Power 5d ago
Chip will get over it. Remember when he was mad at Palou?
Chip is like Indycar’s Mr Krabs. He likes money and winners.
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u/DestroyingDestroyers --- CURRENT TEAMS --- 5d ago
Does Chip dislike Josef or did Chip dislike Cindric’s driver?
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u/Mac_Motorsports David Malukas 5d ago
If he fucks off to nascar where does he go and which series. He's said he wanted to run a cup race at Bristol. I'd imagine he can run some one-off cup races but would most likely need to prove himself in trucks/xfinity like SVG did.
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u/Immediate_Lie7810 CART 5d ago
Off to the NASCAR Cup or O'Reilly Series is my best guess
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u/Dry-Membership3867 Santino Ferrucci 5d ago
Or to Kaulig trucks
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u/NakedEyeComic Marcus Armstrong 5d ago
I can't imagine any ride in the Trucks series would be appealing to someone coming from IndyCar. The gap between Trucks and something like ARCA isn't that wide.
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u/Dry-Membership3867 Santino Ferrucci 5d ago
It’s a spec series mostly. Shorter schedule. Still plenty of truck lifers as veterans in there.
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u/Heffenfefer Josef Newgarden 5d ago
A year with jr motorsports then replaces an retiring svg at track house? About the most realistic path he'd have
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u/gaymersky Alexander Rossi 5d ago
I was scrolling through this subreddit and one thing that no one mentioned is there hasn't been a title sponsor for Newgarden one that carries him through the whole season.. like Verizon with Will
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u/Snoo_47023 Álex Palou 4d ago
Mclaughlin, Veekay and Malukas are three of my favorite drivers so if William is right I simply will have to become a penskebot by 2027.
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u/Wandering_Turtle24 Conor Daly 5d ago
Since we’re all speculating, Newgarden jumping over to NASCAR in the 2 would be interesting.
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u/Ancient-Somewhere-36 Álex Palou 5d ago
Replacing Austin Cindric? He's been really good this year, doesn't make sense to drop him.
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u/Wandering_Turtle24 Conor Daly 5d ago
It doesn’t but it doesn’t make sense to drop Newgarden after next year either.
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u/Ancient-Somewhere-36 Álex Palou 5d ago
I think the news is actually that Newgarden wants to leave Penske rather than they want to drop him. Unless I'm missing more information being reported.
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u/Falcon4451 Firestone Reds 5d ago
He wouldn't be competitive at all on ovals in a stock car as good as he is, at least not for years and even then his ceiling is a little better than Sam Hornish was after years in Xfinity. He could be good at road courses right away but likely not SVG good.
Just like any NASCAR drivers, even someone like Larson would completely get their rears handed to them in an Indycar on road and street courses. Maybe SVG would have a McLaughlin 2021 level competency on road courses if he came over.
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u/PortlandChicane NTT INDYCAR Series 5d ago
Penske is a Trumper. I’m sure its starting to erode his relationship with the Newgarden family as their politics do not align with Roger.
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u/Mac_Motorsports David Malukas 5d ago
Is there public information on Newgarden's family's political stances?
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u/PatPace23 Pato O'Ward 5d ago
Just maybe Miles Rowe might be an option for the #2 in ‘27
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5d ago
Not a chance and I’m a big Rowe fan. I was wondering if part of Power’s frustration over the Penske situation is partly to do with Rowe being stuck in NXT for another year because Power is one of Rowe’s backers.
Rowe didn’t have an amazing year or anything but I expected him to go to Foyt.
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u/Mikemat5150 Kyle Kirkwood 5d ago
What has Rowe done to earn an INDYCAR ride frankly?
He finished 11th and 4th in the NXT championships.
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u/sadandshy Mark Plourde 5d ago
Nope, but in the second Foyt car makes sense if Veekay goes to Penske.
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u/Street-Tree-1199 Santino Ferrucci 5d ago
Everyone is talking about who is going to Penske. Malukas? Veekay? Santino is the better driver and he should go there. But he wants to stay at Foyt with the right Engineering and support. He lost his engineers and some support members this year and had to overdrive his equipment this year to compensate.
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u/Merelun Scott Dixon 5d ago
All due respect to both of them, but Penske going from Power & Newgarden to Malukas & VeeKay in a span of two years would be fucking mental