2-Time IndyCar Champ Driver Josef Newgarden Uses HYROX to Train
Over the past few years, HYROX has attracted not only professionals and everyday gym-goers but also celebrities looking to test their skills in competitive hybrid fitness.
The Conjuring’s Patrick Wilson raced at the New York HYROX last year. Leading up to the event, Wilson was quoted in a press release praising the race:
- “Fitness has always been an integral part of my life, but when my trainer Ayo told me about HYROX in 2023, I was intrigued. The idea of combining my two passions of running and functional fitness immediately hooked me. Keeping my mental health in check through physical activity is how I function best.”
He continued, “HYROX keeps me focused, grounded, and strong. It pushes me to keep striving. I’m so excited to be part of the HYROX community again this year, and to help bring the sport to a wider audience.”
While Thor’s Chris Hemsworth hasn’t yet logged a race, he founded Centr in 2019 – yes, the same “Centr” emblazoned on the equipment used at every HYROX race worldwide. It began as a fitness and wellness app offering programs for all fitness levels. The brand then partnered with HYROX in 2023.
Another celebrity involved in the sport is two-time IndyCar champion and two-time Indy 500 winner, Josef Newgarden. He took on multiple HYROX events to test his fitness ahead of the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series. His best time so far was in January in Phoenix, where he finished in 1:04 in the Pro Division.
In a recent interview, Newgarden shared that he learned about the event a year and a half ago and picked it up for multiple reasons.
- “I kind of go nuts when I don’t have something to fixate on. My wife knows this firsthand – I need to be able to really fixate on something and conquer it. And we have a long off-season; it’s the opposite of the NFL. We have five to six months and … you don’t have the racing to fully fixate on for a while, and I’m like, ‘I gotta be doing something.’ And this HYROX competition, I was like, ‘I can focus on that; I already have to train,” he said.
Newgarden continued, “Indy cars are super physical. The more physically prepared you are, the more of an edge that you have. So it’s like, I’m already doing this. I could compete in this and feel a sense of accomplishment trying to get to the top of that sport.”
That’s how it started, he explained, but he added that training for HYROX turned out to be the best formula for training for Indy cars. It involves building a cardiovascular base and muscular endurance, and balancing the two for an hour to an hour and a half.
- “It’s the most akin thing that I’ve found to driving an IndyCar in a race,” Newgarden said.
Prior to finding HYROX, he shared his training plan, which involved farmer carries and rowing. It’s no surprise that he found alignment with the event.
