INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Nobody has ever won the Indianapolis 500 in three straight years. That could change this May. Josef Newgarden is going for a three-peat in the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” He loves that he has the opportunity to make history, but he hasn’t been thinking about winning the Indianapolis 500 any more than he normally does. “Any year you show up to Indy you want to win the race, so I’m not thinking about it too much more than just that,” Newgarden said. Newgarden won in 2024 in dramatic fashion. He passed Pato O’Ward on Turn 3 of the final lap, just after O’Ward passed him at the beginning of the final lap. It was quite the finish for Newgarden, who doesn’t avoid the clips. “I’ve seen it a lot,” Newgarden said. “I watched it many times after the fact.” He said that’s one of the fun things about winning the Indianapolis 500, because you get to see it over and over. That’s not his favorite part about winning though. It’s the pageantry that comes with it. “The highest reward of winning the Indy 500 is just being able to be the winner just with your team, in the crowd, the ceremonies, the milk, the wreath, all the traditions, what everybody sees for the Indy 500, when you get to be a part of it, there’s nothing that beats it,” Newgarden said. “It is, by far, the highlight.” And while Newgarden and his team have won in back-to-back years, they will still be as focused as ever. He said their recent success is not going to change their approach. As for the season as a whole, Newgarden finished eighth in the IndyCar Series Championship standings, his worst result since 2014. He said he’s focused on not overcorrecting from last season, and thinks they’re in a good spot. “I think we have great potential underneath us and we can get back to the form that we’re used to being in,” Newgarden said. It will be a challenge though, as Newgarden says the competition among the drivers this season is “through the roof.” He said that’s every season though. The IndyCar competition has been on an upward trajectory since he joined in 2012 and it’s only gotten better. “It’s a good time to be in the sport and it’s a good time to be a fan watching it,” Newgarden said. The first IndyCar race of the season, the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, is on March 2. More IndyCar coverage IndyCar drivers excited for electrifying year