What could prevent Josef Newgarden from racing Indianapolis 500, Coca-Cola 600 double

LEBANON – Two-time Indianapolis 500 champion and Nashville resident Josef Newgarden would be interested in one day running the double — the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte.

However, Newgarden acknowledged there is a lot more behind the scenes to making that happen than simply saying he’d like to compete in the two races, which would account to 1,100 miles racing in one day.

“If we win enough Indy 500s, maybe they’d just have to say yes,” Newgarden said Sunday during a media availability at Nashville Superspeedway prior to the Ally 400. “That’s the strategy. We’ve got two now. How many do we need to get an automatic yes. Is it two more? I don’t know what the answer is. We’ll keep going until they say yes.”

Newgarden, The Tennessean’s 2023 Sportsperson of the Year, has won the past two Indianapolis 500 races.

“I’d love to drive a Cup car at some point,” said Newgarden, a Pope Saint John Paul II Preparatory School graduate.

“I used to go to Bristol races when I was a kid. Bristol has always been very high on my list. This track and Bristol are probably the tracks I went to the most to see Cup races. To do the double, would be a great opportunity.

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“I don’t know if that will ever take shape. It’s really tough nowadays to get that all lined up. There is a lot of people that have to be involved and come together on that. First and foremost, it was great to see Kyle (Larson) do that. We’d love to see more do that.”

Newgarden drives for Roger Penske, owner of Team Penske. Team Penske’s NASCAR Cup program includes 2023 NASCAR Cup champion Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano and Austin Cindric. Roger Penske also owns Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or tkreager@tennessean.com and on the X platform @Kreager.