Newgarden to Make GTP Debut in Penske Porsche at Petit

Photo: Team Penske

Josef Newgarden will make his IMSA GTP class debut as a third driver in Porsche Penske Motorsport’s lineup for Motul Petit Le Mans.

The NTT IndyCar Series star, who won this year’s Indianapolis 500 for Team Penske, will join full season drivers Matt Campbell and Felipe Nasr in the No. 7 Porsche 963, while Laurens Vanthoor has been drafted into the lineup of the No. 6 entry with Mathieu Jaminet and Nick Tandy.

Newgarden made his sports car racing debut in this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona as part of Tower Motorsport’s lineup in LMP2 and also tested with Porsche Penske earlier this year at Road America.

The 32-year-old American had previously expressed interest in being part of the team’s lineup for the endurance races, particularly the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the future.

“I have a lot of respect and admiration for both the Penske and Porsche brands, and the combination between the two through Porsche Penske Motorsport is a dream scenario for any racing car driver and is an absolute honor to be a part of,” said Newgarden.

“Watching the dedicated teams build this program from the ground up over the last couple of years has been exciting to watch, and seeing both Porsche 963 get wins this year and compete for championships shows that all the hard work has paid off.

“My goal is to add to the program and help support the tremendous efforts that Porsche Penske Motorsport have put in place. With some good fortune, I’m sure we can turn effort into results together.”

PPM managing director Jonathan Diuguid added: “Josef has increased his exposure to sports car racing already in 2023 with a test in the Team Penske LMP2, as well as raced in Daytona in 2023.

“In addition, he got his first exposure to the 963 in early June at Road America. With several testing days for the team at Road Atlanta, we are confident that both Laurens and Josef will be fully prepared to deliver for the team and have a positive result in the final race of the season.”

Vanthoor moves over from the team’s FIA World Endurance Championship program where he serves as a full season driver.

The Belgian, who recently had a seat fitting at Team Penske’s shop in Mooresville, N.C., was due to take part in the ten-hour enduro at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta as a third driver in Pfaff Motorsports’ Porsche 911 GT3 R.

“I’m really excited to compete with the team’s IMSA program and help them wrap up their season, as they try and attain both the team and manufacturer championships,” said Vanthoor.

“I feel like my experience at the track will help, and working closely with Nick, Mathieu and the entire team will help myself gain even more perspective of the overall organization as we wrap up the WEC season in Bahrain at the beginning of November.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John