Josef Newgarden gets tattoo of Ryan Blaney's face after friendly championship bet

When Josef Newgarden says he’s going to do something, he means it. Now, he has a Ryan Blaney tattoo on his thigh. The two-time IndyCar champion and 2023 Indy 500 winner followed through on his bet with his Team Penske counterpart in NASCAR.

I really wasn’t sure if we would see this or not. Of course, Ryan Blaney has a few tattoos of his own, which are largely covered up by his firesuit most of the year. I’m not sure if Newgarden had ever gotten a tattoo before this week, but now he does.

Clean-shaven Blaney was able to take in the art featuring his championship beard and trophy. Let’s hope this isn’t a temporary tattoo and is the real deal, just because that would be great.

.@Blaney pic.twitter.com/1ZNMzSnFAZ

— Josef Newgarden (@josefnewgarden) December 1, 2023

Now, I’ll be honest, I’m not sure if it is a temporary tattoo or not. He didn’t get it done yesterday, it doesn’t look raw and red enough.

However, the point is that Ryan Blaney’s face is now on Josef Newgarden’s body. And that’s what we all wanted to see, right? The friendship between these two drivers is fun to see. They will hopefully be competing for a long time in their respective sports.

But what if we could see them on the same track? In the same race?

Ryan Blaney nudges Roger Penske about Indy 500 start

So, we know that Kyle Larson is suiting up in the 2024 Indy 500. That is going to be an amazing feat for the NASCAR driver as he races at Indianapolis as well as Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.

Well, Ryan Blaney wants a ride in the Indy 500, too. Really, most racers in America (and the world) would like a ride in the 500. However, Blaney now has a NASCAR championship to add to his resume and prove that he deserves at least a rookie orientation.

The Captain, Roger Penske, isn’t so sure.

For Penske, he wants to see what the Larson experiment does for ticket sales at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, then he’ll talk to Blaney. Now, it isn’t going to be 2024, but let’s make this happen Mr. Penske. Blaney and Newgarden are a duo that needs to be highlighted and they’d make great teammates for the lead-up to the Indy 500.

Ryan Blaney isn’t considered the multi-faceted driver that Larson is by many. They both have a championship to their names now. Also, let’s not forget that open-wheel stuff has been in Blaney’s blood for years, granted on the dirt.

Here’s my point – I’m not sure which NASCAR drivers would excel in IndyCar – but the ones who are asking for it like Blaney, Larson, and even Kyle Busch. If they believe they can do it, I say, get them a ride and see what happens.