​IndyCar star Josef Newgarden, a Hendersonville native, showed up on July 9 at Gibson Guitar Garage in Nashville wearing a walking boot on his left foot and using crutches as he attended the unveiling of the guitar trophy for the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix. The Team Penske driver, who is the defending champion of the Music City Grand Prix, was slated to race on July 19 at Nashville Superspeedway. The event is scheduled to air on Fox Sports following the World Cup final, which begins at 2 p.m. CST.
Newgarden has been notably tight-lipped about his injury since he hurt his foot in a crash during the 2026 Indianapolis 500 on May 24. “I’m keeping the foot stuff close to the vest right now,” he said at the Gibson Guitar Garage event. “But everything’s been good. I’ve got a great team that’s just been moving forward every day. That’s the most important thing: whatever obstacles we have, we just keep moving forward. You’re going to have that in racing in a lot of different ways. I feel like we’re in a really good place right now.”
Since the May crash, Newgarden has posted a mix of results. He finished 10th at the Grand Prix of Detroit on May 31, took the victory at the Grand Prix of Illinois on June 7, placed 22nd at the Grand Prix of Road America, and finished ninth at the Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio on July 5. “Everything’s been good; having a great car underneath me is the best thing,” he remarked when asked how he’s handling the injury. “When the car’s fast, everything else looks good, and if we can put a fast car on the track we’re going to be alright.”
Before the injury, Newgarden had claimed the season’s second win at Phoenix on March 7, marking a strong start to the year. He remains sixth in the IndyCar Series standings with 270 points, while Alex Palou sits atop the table with 404 points.
For more details, reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter. This overview originally appeared in the Nashville Tennessean as: Josef Newgarden still on crutches since Indianapolis 500 crash.