Josef Newgarden – January Turns Into a Waiting Game

Written by Team USA. Posted in Driver Blogs, Josef Newgarden

Published on January 31, 2009 with No Comments

Hendersonville, Tenn. (January 31, 2009) – After closing out 2008 amid tremendous optimism I was surprised my January turned into such a difficult month that tested my skills of patience and focus. My plans to relocate full-time to the UK and compete in the British Formula Ford Duratec series for 2009 are still on track, just not finalized. It turns out there is a whole lot more than I ever anticipated to planning a full season of professional racing. Finalizing contract negotiations and multiple sponsor meetings on top of relocating to live on my own for the first time has definitely been a challenge. One thing I’ve learned for sure is getting a three- to five-year plan in place as well as a financial plan to make it happen is where I want to be next year at this time. In 2009, next to my goals for racing well, finishing up front consistently, winning races and staying physically and mentally fit, business and financial planning will be among my biggest priorities.

I do anticipate making an announcement in the next few weeks with a press release outlining my 2009 racing plans along with details on my UK race team and 2009 sponsors. In the meantime I plan on continuing what has occupied the majority of my time over the last two months. Finishing the last few credits of my senior year in high school which I will complete online with UMOHS (University of Miami Online High School). If things go well, I will only have two classes left by the time I leave in late February and I should be done with all my studies by the end of May. In addition to rigorous school studies, my physical workout regimen has been dramatically ramped up. I am now currently working out up to five times per week plus plenty of action on the Ping-pong court which keeps my Robo-Pong sponsor happy. Then if there’s any time left over, I try to put in some laps in on upcoming UK tracks via my racing simulator and even have a good battle now and then online. This weekend I’ll probably get some good time in watching the 43rd Super Bowl too!

One thing’s for sure, the time I spent in the UK representing the Team USA Scholarship has really opened a lot of doors for me. I’ll never forget the experience I had and I am looking forward to achieving the same kind of success that so many of my predecessors have done before me. It’s been almost two months since I’ve been in a race car and I really have a lot of desire to get back on track and do some testing, racing, or whatever it takes to get me back in the seat. I’ll be sure to keep everyone posted.

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