Team Penske driver Newgarden led for 341 laps of the 500, scoring his fifth and sixth career victories at the 7/8-mile short-track oval.
That puts him in an elite group of having six or more IndyCar wins at a single venue, which includes AJ Foyt, Mario and Michael Andretti, Bobby Unser, Al Unser Sr and Jr, and Scott Dixon.
It was his fifth straight victory on ovals – adding to his success at Gateway in 2022, and at Texas and the Indianapolis 500 this season – but he doesn’t feel Iowa wins rank any higher, despite his level of success here.
“I don't really feel differently about it than any other track, to be honest,” he said. “My goal is to be strong everywhere. It doesn't matter the discipline or the track type.
“I want to be good everywhere we show up. If there's a place we're not good, it's number one on my list to figure out. Why aren't we good here? Why can't we win this race?
“Anything is possible for us and our team, and we need to approach it that way. So just in short, it doesn't feel different to me, whether it's Iowa or it's Toronto or it's Detroit or Road America. They all matter. You take great pride in being able to work with the team and put a victory together. They're all difficult.
“It's not easy to win a race in this series, so they all feel the same.”
Newgarden is now 80 points behind series dominator Alex Palou, who scored a surprise podium finish in the second race for Chip Ganassi Racing after struggling to a lapped eighth place on Saturday.
His brace of wins were seen as vital to keeping his championship hopes alive, but Newgarden said the pressure to perform here was only the same as other tracks in what he labels a “really tough year”.
“There's a pressure that's on us, I know, when we show up here,” said Newgarden. “It's that assumption. It's the assumption that we're going to be great just because we should be. We're the #2 car. We should be really good here.
“That's okay because I think there's always a pressure that exists. You show up to Indianapolis and there's only one place that people accept as okay for Team Penske, and that's winning the race. We deal with those pressures. It's not like it's something new.
“But I think, more than anything, it's just honestly been a really tough year, like we've had some good moments, there's no doubt. Obviously the 500 was just the best moment for everybody this year. Other than that, it's been a really tough season – really, really tough. It just feels like one of those grinders again. We grinded last year.
“I want to figure out how to get us in a place where we're not grinding and try to figure it out week to week. I've got all the confidence in the world.
“The tough thing for me is I know the potential of the team, I really do. It's there. It's always been there, and I just want us to realize it more.
“We're continually working on that. For me, I'm just a perfectionist, and I think working towards that potential and maximizing it is what you're seeing from me.”
