---
title: "The IndyCar Autograph Battle Escalates"
description: "Both IndyCar drivers for Team Penske are locked in a heated war that's escalating to new, hilarious heigths."
date: "2018-04-13"
modified: "2018-04-13"
authors:
  - name: "Jerry Perez"
    job_title: "Deputy Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/20093/the-indycar-autograph-battle-escalates"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "Grand Prix of Long Beach"
  - "Indycar Series"
  - "Josef Newgarden"
  - "racing"
  - "Racing News"
  - "simon pagenaud"
  - "team penske"
---

# The IndyCar Autograph Battle Escalates

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/04/16c0587-1.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

It's often said that a racing driver's teammate is their first and biggest enemy, the one they have to beat before moving on to the rest of the grid. That couldn't be any more true for[ IndyCar's Team Penske](<https://www.thedrive.com/video/18826/heres-what-the-2018-indycar-body-kit-looks-like-up-close>) teammates Simon Pagenaud and Josef Newgarden, who are currently caught up in the middle of a heated and hilarious war. An autograph war, that is.

In what seems to resemble a comical rivalry out of *Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby*, Frenchman Pagenaud and the [reigning IndyCar champion](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/19660/the-casual-fans-2018-indycar-spotters-guide>) Newgarden have engaged in a legit autograph war that's taken over social media by storm—and even the drivers' respective helmets, racing suits, race cars, and even their homes.

https://twitter.com/_/status/978448235349069824

The duos' duel peaked ahead of the [2018 IndyCar Grand Prix of Phoenix](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/19976/indycar-phoenix-grand-prix-drivers-post-race-reactions-on-social-media>) when both race-winning drivers pledged to continue their ink-based vandalism into the racing weekend, and that's exactly what happened. The morning before the Saturday night race in Phoenix, Newgarden revealed that he had taken his pristine Sharpie skills to the bottom of Pagenaud's Chevy-powered IndyCar without him knowing. Low and behold, when Pagenaud looked at the carbon fiber undertray located below his seat, Newgarden's autograph was plastered all over it.

https://twitter.com/_/status/982655913231339521

But don't think that's where the feud concluded, because then it was Pagenaud's turn to reveal his move from days prior. Pagenaud waited until a nationally televised pre-race interview to reveal that he had actually autographed the inside of Newgarden's racing suit. In fact, he had done so to all of Newgarden's racing suits, not just the one the Tennessee-native was wearing that day.

In a funky turn of events, [Newgarden went on to win the 250-lap night race](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/19974/penskes-ace-pit-strategy-earns-newgarden-2018-indycar-grand-prix-of-phoenix-victory>) for Team Penske while Pagenaud only managed to finish 10th. As a result, Pagenaud now claims that he will "sign all of Newgarden's racing suites from now on in order to wish him good luck."

Previously, *The Drive* had the chance to [catch up with Pagenaud](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/19783/indycars-simon-pagenaud-and-josef-newgarden-involved-in-legit-autograph-war>) to hear his side of this funny story, so it was only fair that we allowed Newgarden to explain himself this time.

https://twitter.com/_/status/982783408358113280

“Both Simon and I are extremely competitive people, so it’s not abnormal for that competition to happen away from the racetrack as well," Newgarden told *The Drive*. "This little autograph war is something we are both having fun with, but just like on the race track, we both want to get the best of one another. All I can say is that I don’t see it ending anytime soon," he added.

Well, there you have it. It seems like the shenanigans will continue at the 2018 IndyCar Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

## Author
Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/drive_jerry/>)