He won the pole with Italian team Prema Racing, a dominant European organization that this season expanded to IndyCar. Shwartzman has never before raced on an oval and will start alongside two-time winner Takuma Sato and Pato O’Ward, who lost to Newgarden on the last lap year.

Memorial Day Weekend brings us the 109th running of “the greatest spectacle in racing” — the Indianapolis 500. The Indy 500 sold out its grandstand of 350,000 for the first time since 2016, and the decades-old local TV blackout has been lifted so locals can watch the race live.

Josef Newgarden is among the most successful and popular stars in IndyCar, with the Team Penske driver aiming to make history at the Indy 500 this weekend.

The 109th running Sunday is loaded with storylines, from Team Penske firings to cars failing inspections, Shwartzman making history and Newgarden’s 3-peat bid.

Indianapolis has an incredible weekend of sports on deck. Caitlin Clark and the Fever host the WNBA champion New York Liberty on Saturday.

Last Sunday’s FOX broadcast of Indianapolis 500 qualifying showed a grinning Alex Palou, of Chip Ganassi Racing, and Josef Newgarden standing together on pit lane, watching the Team Penske driver’s team work on the car’s attenuators.

As Josef Newgarden chases a historic three-peat at the Indy 500, he holds dear the relationship with his dad that shaped him into who he is.