Associated Press photo by David Royal / Josef Newgarden raises the trophy as he celebrates winning his second IndyCar Series season championship in two years on Sunday Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, Calif.MONTEREY, Calif. – Josef Newgarden wrapped up his second IndyCar Series championship and burst into tears – an unexpected reaction for a steely-nerved race car driver who rarely shows emotion.
The outburst took him by surprise and even shocked his fiancée, who had never before seen tears from Newgarden.
“I never cry. Ever. Even my fiancée is a little disturbed,” Newgarden said. “And it was a good cry.”
It was nearly two hours after his championship drive Sunday around Laguna Seca Raceway, and Newgarden was still a bit emotional. Talking about the moment he collapsed into his crew members arms while choking back tears, the 28-year-old Team Penske driver from Hendersonville, Tennessee, nearly broke down again.
“It just feels like a big weight. A big weight has been lifted,” Newgarden said.