The oval masters of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES

It is not often you find a dominance so clinical it feels like a mathematical certainty, but that is exactly what Josef Newgarden has built on ovals. Since the 2021 season, Newgarden has turned these high-speed arenas into his own personal playground, securing 13 victories in his last 30 starts. That is a 43 percent strike rate—a staggering number that leaves the rest of the field struggling to find an answer. His current streak is even more fascinating; his last 10 wins in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES have all come on oval tracks.

Make no mistake, this is a different animal from road or street course racing. On an oval, you are trapped in a high-speed chess match, inches from the wall at speeds exceeding 200 mph, constantly managing the invisible variables of dirty air and shifting track conditions. One lift of the throttle or a split-second misjudgment in traffic is the difference between glory and a wrecked machine. Newgarden, the driver of the No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet, has mastered these variables like few others in the history of the sport.

The only man who consistently stands in his shadow is Pato O'Ward. Since joining the series in 2020, the duo has finished first and second nine times, with seven of those duels occurring on ovals. While Newgarden has enjoyed a historic run, O'Ward remains his most potent threat, with four victories, nine runner-up finishes, and 24 top-five finishes in 34 oval starts. On short ovals measuring 1.5 miles or less, the gap remains wide: Newgarden has collected 12 wins since 2019, while O'Ward follows with three.

Of course, experience carries immense weight here. Scott Dixon continues to be a force with 25 career oval victories, though the current oval standings tell a slightly different story regarding team hierarchy. David Malukas, currently in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, leads the 2026 oval standings with 116 points, despite chasing his first career win. Newgarden trails him by just nine points, while Scott McLaughlin and Felix Rosenqvist sit tied for third with 94 points.

This concentration of talent within Team Penske is no accident. The organization holds a record 130 oval victories, creating a daunting standard for the rest of the paddock. As we look at the standings, it is clear that while challengers like Marcus Armstrong, currently sixth, are putting together impressive campaigns, the crown for oval supremacy remains firmly in the hands of the veterans and the powerhouse teams.