INDYCAR: Newgarden to wave the flag at Penske

What made sense all along is going to become a reality. RACER can report that Josef Newgarden will be joining Team Penske in 2017.

A source inside Roger Penske's operation confirmed to RACER.com on Tuesday that the 25-year-old native of Tennessee will be replacing Juan Pablo Montoya to join Simon Pagenaud, Will Power and Helio Castroneves on the most successful team in IndyCar history.

Newgarden is on vacation and couldn't be reached for comment, but has spent the past several weeks wisely saying nothing except he "hopes he's got a ride in IndyCar next year."

Asked over the weekend if he'd already signed Newgarden, Penske president Tim Cindric smiled and said: "I don't think he's available," referring to the fact Ed Carpenter's contract with Newgarden had not yet expired and there's a 10-day period for ECR to match any offer.

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Joey Newgarden told RACER at Watkins Glen that Carpenter had made his son a very impressive offer to stay.

"Josef hasn't said no to our offer," declared Carpenter last Saturday at Sonoma. But the only owner/driver in IndyCar is covering his bases and already has met with Montoya about driving the Fuzzy's Chevy in 2017.

When Montoya, who won the 2015 Indy 500 for The Captain, first expressed concern last July he wouldn't be retained as a full-time IndyCar driver for The Captain in 2017, the immediate response from everyone in the IndyCar paddock was that Newgarden was the "Penske perfect" replacement in terms of age, talent, personality, popularity and availability.

With great chemistry between engineer Jeremy Milless and Newgarden plus improved pit stops, ECR has become one of the Tiny Terrible Three (along with Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan and Schmidt-Peterson) that's challenged and beaten the Big 2 of Ganassi and Penske the past two years.

But when Roger Penske calls.....