Josef Newgarden is the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series Champion. He is the first American Champion since 2012. Josef is a versatile athlete. He's been invited as a celebrity guest at the NFL Combine as well as joined the Indiana Pacer's "Power-Pack" - trampoline slam dunk crew - for a performance during a halftime show. He also competed with fellow drivers Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan on American Ninja Warrior in 2016. Newgarden loves to stay active away from the race track and is constantly pursuing unique ways to keep in shape. He's taken to snowboarding, rock climbing, mountain biking and even ping-pong to stay in the best shape possible. Josef is an avid music listener and enjoys a broad range of genres from Hip-hop/R&B to EDM and Country music. He's a cinefile who loves the art that is motion picture and video creation. A big fan of Christopher Nolan, Josef is particularly fond of the Batman series produced by the famous director. Growing up Josef was a big fan of the Forza Motorsport series and in his professional career has struck a relationship with the Microsoft owned gaming series. He is a brand ambassador, has lent his voice to the game itself, and, of course, is a frequent player online.