INDIANAPOLIS — Back-to-back Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Josef Newgarden celebrated Southwest Airlines’ first nonstop flight from Indianapolis to Nashville when he unveiled the ticket for the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Thursday at Indianapolis Int’l Airport.
Newgarden earned his second victory in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” last May and became just the sixth driver to win the Indianapolis 500 in consecutive years. He powered the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet to the back-to-back victory with another last-lap pass.
One of the many honors bestowed upon the winner is unveiling the ticket for the next year’s race. Featuring the winning driver on the next year’s “500” ticket dates to Mauri Rose’s appearance in 1948.
Nashville native Newgarden pushed a button to unveil a larger-than-life digital rendering of the colorful ticket in Civic Plaza. From there, Newgarden and INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles engaged with Southwest passengers and race fans at the gate as they boarded the flight from Indianapolis to Nashville, taking the celebration to Newgarden’s hometown.
Designed in house by Senior Art Director Mandy Walsh, the ticket celebrates the back-to-back wins with full-color images, including Newgarden’s Victory Podium celebrations and his almost identical liveries. Vibrant images from 2024 are shadowed by similar images from 2023.
“It’s very cool to be here in the Indianapolis International Airport,” Newgarden said. “Indiana and Tennessee are my two homes, so the fact we have the Indianapolis 500 in Indiana and the (NTT IndyCar Series) championship finale in Tennessee is a great parallel. To top it all off is seeing this beautiful ticket from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Indy 500. It’s an incredible-looking ticket.
“To see my likeness on there, to see our team represented, it’s a very special feeling. You don’t know if that day will ever come when you drive into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The fact we’ve been able to pull it off twice, back-to-back, and that it’s been celebrated on this ticket, I’m super, super thankful.”
Once arriving in Nashville, Newgarden and Boles will visit Indianapolis 500 ticketholders and media in Nashville and conclude the day with a Fan Event at Big Machine Distillery and Tavern, where the 2025 Indianapolis 500 ticket and the Borg-Warner Trophy will be on display.
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