Note: This series gathers the Inside Line panel to discuss the major storyline surrounding each NTT INDYCAR SERIES team entering the 2027 season. An installment on each team will appear at INDYCAR.com on Fridays.
Curt Cavin: See if this question sounds familiar: What is Josef Newgarden’s future with Roger Penske’s organization? It’s been a lingering topic, one that hasn’t had clarity due to the very private nature not only of Newgarden (photo, top) but also Team Penske. Yes, Newgarden is on a streak of 12 consecutive winning seasons – 10 in the No. 2 car – but he dealt with significant drama in 2025, and his two lowest season finishes with Team Penske have come in the past two years. The sport is better with Newgarden regularly challenging for race wins and the championship, and doing those things will go a long way to keeping him where deserves to be. Here’s my prediction for next season: Newgarden wins three races, including Indy, and signs a contract extension to make my contribution to this question seem silly.
Eric Smith: I’m looking at Team Penske as a whole and wondering whether it can reclaim its place not only as Chevrolet’s top team but as the top dog in the series. One could argue Penske was the fourth-best team in 2026, trailing champions Chip Ganassi Racing, Andretti Global, which produced the second-place points finisher and combined for three wins between Kyle Kirkwood and Marcus Ericsson, and Chevrolet rival Arrow McLaren, which placed two drivers in the top four in points and collected five combined victories. Three of Team Penske’s past five victories have come from Josef Newgarden on short ovals. Can Penske become a consistent threat across all track types? For the second consecutive season, the team won the season finale, but can its victory at Laguna Seca serve as a springboard toward a stronger overall campaign? Scott McLaughlin (photo, above) snapped a 35-race winless drought and finished 2026 as hot as anyone, putting together three consecutive top-five finishes. Newgarden, meanwhile, finished eighth in the standings. His last road course victory came at Road America in 2022. The two-time champion (2017 and 2019) will need to rediscover that form if Penske hopes to contend consistently beyond the ovals. David Malukas emerged as the team's highest-ranked driver, finishing fifth in the standings, but remains winless in his INDYCAR SERIES career.
Arni Sribhen: Team Penske isn’t used to being second to anyone, but they were second among Chevrolet teams in 2026 and fourth among all teams based on the results. The storyline for 2027 is a return to prominence for the team and improvement from all three of the team’s drivers. Three wins – two on ovals by Josef Newgarden – isn’t what Roger Penske expects. The pressure will be on the team’s leadership of Jonathan Diuguid (photo, above) and Travis Law to get the most out of Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin as well as upping the game of David Malukas in his second season with the team. Obviously, being healthy can only help, as both Newgarden and Malukas dealt with injuries that affected their performances during the season.
Paul Kelly: David Malukas surprised me with his performance during his first season with Team Penske in 2026. I did not think he would emerge as the highest points-earner in a lineup that also included two-time series champion Josef Newgarden and multiple race winner Scott McLaughlin. Can Malukas (photo, above) continue to prevail over his teammates in 2027? And will he emerge as a true championship contender for the entire season? There are two weak spots Malukas must fortify if he has a chance to lift the Astor Challenge Cup. One is obvious, and a fact I’m sure he’s sick of hearing: He must convert at least one or two of his four runner-up finishes from 2026 into victory in 2027. But he also needs better results on street circuits, as all six of his podium finishes last season came on ovals or road courses. His best street-race finish was sixth at Arlington, and he faded badly in concrete jungles at the end of the year, with finishes of 17th at Markham and 24th at Washington. Continued healing of his lingering wrist injury should help. But he must clean up his street-race performance to have any chance at a title.
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