When race teams have multiple drivers fighting for the championship, they often need to worry about keeping them from tearing each other limb from limb. But it seems like Simon Pagenaud and Josef Newgarden get along so well that Team Penske has more reason to be concerned that they’ll make each other lose focus.
That’s exactly what happened when IndyCar positioned the two racers next to each other during the autograph session ahead of Saturday’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500. IndyCar tweeted a video of the two drivers goofing off at Gateway Motorsports Park, and things got a little weird.
Pagenaud’s hyperactivity was on display first when he gave his best “Josef Newgarden” impression. But then, Newgarden put on a fan’s American flag aviators, which for some reason inspired him to go full-on Batman.
Considering we’re used to seeing Pagenaud sing while hool-hooping, the Frenchman’s antics at Gateway aren’t all that surprising. But Newgarden’s shenanigans — and fascination with the French word for champion, “champion” — caught us a bit off guard.
