The winner of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge earns a spot on the Borg-Warner Trophy, a drink of cold milk, a healthy purse check and guaranteed racing immortality.
But there’s one thing that’s in short supply for the winner immediately after the race – sleep.
That was no different for Josef Newgarden, winner Sunday of the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge in the No. 3 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet after prevailing in a scintillating last-lap showdown with reigning winner Marcus Ericsson.
Newgarden participated in post-race celebration rituals and media obligations until nearly 9 p.m. Sunday night, was on the track at 8 a.m. Monday for the traditional winner’s photo shoot and did more media and sponsor work until early afternoon. Then he and his family attended the Victory Celebration Monday night in downtown Indianapolis before flying straight to New York for the traditional winner’s media tour that started bright and early Tuesday morning.
Two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES Newgarden started his Tuesday morning in the media capital of the world by ringing the opening bell at the NASDAQ stock exchange in Manhattan, which also is broadcast on the seven-story big-screen video board outside the NASDAQ’s MarketSite building.
.@josefnewgarden’s #Indy500 Media Tour starts now in NYC!
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) May 30, 2023
Drop your comments below to congratulate Josef.#INDYCAR // @Team_Penske pic.twitter.com/V8e0wFRVeI
He then did interviews with ESPN Radio, USA TODAY and FOX Sports before heading to the top of the Empire State Building for a photo opportunity wearing the famous winner’s wreath. More media interviews followed, including CNN, Axios, Sportico and the Detroit Free Press, the home paper of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear this weekend on the streets of Detroit.
.@josefnewgarden’s taking the #Indy500 wreath to new heights.
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) May 30, 2023
Heights that he’s not the biggest fan of 😬#INDYCAR // @EmpireStateBldg pic.twitter.com/KDSz2Pcvmu
A hectic Tuesday finished with an interview with anchor Elizabeth Vargas on the NewsNation television network.
Last stop of the day is @NewsNation!#INDYCAR // #Indy500 pic.twitter.com/vmQSeCHQR6
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) May 30, 2023
The brisk pace continued Wednesday for Newgarden. He started a round of media interviews with New York-area and national outlets at 8:30 a.m., including ABC News, SiriusXM and “The Pat McAfee Show.”
Newgarden’s whirlwind tour of New York ended Wednesday afternoon, but there is little respite. He is due to be in Detroit at 11:30 a.m. Thursday for a media luncheon for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear.
Indy 500 TV Ratings, Engagement Up
The Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge provided thrills from the green flag to the incredible one-lap showdown for the checkered flag, and that buzz was reflected in increased TV/streaming ratings and digital engagement.
NBC announced a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of nearly 5 million people for its Indy 500 broadcast, up 2 percent from 2022. The race also delivered a 13 share (percent of homes with TV’s on and watching the Indy 500), its best in 15 years.
INDYCAR’s own channel video views more than tripled this year, up 314 percent, with engagements up 93 percent. INDYCAR’s video views across the 2023 season already have exceeded the entire 2022 season.
The strong Month of May also was reflected in the cavernous grandstands at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Race Day crowd was the second largest in more than two decades, only slightly behind that of the landmark 100th Running in 2016. There were increases on every practice day, year over year, and Crown Royal Armed Forces Qualifying saw bigger attendance than even the 100th Running in 2016.
McLaren Moving to Rival’s Old Shop in Indy
Arrow McLaren will relocate to Andretti Autosport’s headquarters in 2025 after purchasing the 89,000 square-foot facility in Indianapolis in 2025.
The shop is nearly triple the size of Arrow McLaren’s current facility in Indianapolis. Arrow McLaren expanded from two to three full-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES cars this season, and McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown indicated earlier this month in Indianapolis that the team looks to expand to four full-time cars in the future.
Arrow McLaren announced in March 2022 plans for new construction of a team facility north of Indianapolis in Whitestown, Indiana. Those plans were dropped, according a team statement, when the opportunity and timeliness to move into a fit-for-purpose location by 2025 was presented, with plenty of space to grow in the future.
Vietnam Wall Memorial Coming to Iowa Race Weekend
Hy-Vee, Inc., in partnership with NTT INDYCAR SERIES, will host the American Veterans Traveling Tribute (AVTT) Vietnam Wall during Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend July 21-23 at Iowa Speedway.
The AVTT Vietnam Wall will be featured as part of the event’s salute to veterans and military members during the Hy-Vee Homefront 250 presented by Instacart on Saturday, July 22. The Vietnam wall memorial will be present throughout the weekend, with race attendees welcome to visit the memorial for free beginning Friday, July 21 through Sunday, July 23. The memorial will be located outside the Iowa Speedway entry gates.
The AVTT Vietnam Wall has been featured at more than 300 events across the United States over the last 15 years. Spanning nearly 400 feet, the wall represents an 80 percent scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and it contains the name of every veteran etched on the original memorial.
Single Day Tickets On Sale in Toronto
Single Day tickets for the 35th Honda Indy Toronto are on sale at hondaindy.com. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES event takes place July 14-16 on a street circuit around Toronto’s Exhibition Place.
Two-day tickets also are on sale. Admission is free to all, with a voluntary donation to Make-A-Wish Canada, on Your Ontario Honda Dealers Association Presents Honda Fan Friday on Friday, July 14.
The return of street racing in the Motor City culminates this weekend with Sunday’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear at 3 p.m. on NBC, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.