ST. PETERSBURG — At some point last year, Josef Newgarden’s dream job began to feel like work.

Maybe it was toward the end of the IndyCar Series season when he flamed out in three of the final four races. Or maybe it was the way he spread himself too thin across all his responsibilities.

Whatever the reason, it wasn’t fun — or anything like what the two-time series champion experienced Sunday during a dominant, season-opening victory at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

“I feel really happy, I feel really motivated,” Newgarden said. “I’m kind of getting back to that point.”

It’s hard not to feel happy with results like the ones the 33-year-old Tennessee native posted in front of another vibrant, massive crowd spread across the downtown, 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street course.

On Saturday, he won the pole in his No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet. It ended his 27-race drought of qualifying first.

On Sunday, he felt comfortable from the green flag and was barely challenged. He led 92 of the 100 laps and clocked the fastest lap in race history (60.6795 seconds).

He pulled ahead and away from Felix Rosenqvist at the start. Newgarden only lost the lead on pit cycles, including one from a caution at lap 27.

“As soon as we restarted, I’m like, ‘I’m going past these guys — I don’t care if I wreck it,’” Newgarden said. “‘I’m going to the front.’”

Two laps later, he was indeed back in front after navigating around Rosenqvist and Colton Herta. Newgarden then cruised to his 30th career IndyCar win, finishing 7.9 seconds ahead of runnerup Pato O’Ward. It was the third-largest victory in Grand Prix history (including the 2003 CART race).

Newgarden was a fitting victor to celebrate the event’s 20th consecutive running. His team, Penske, is a perennial power here; Sunday marked its 12th win in St. Petersburg. Newgarden now has three of those victories (he also won here in 2019 and ‘20), tying former Penske driver Helio Castroneves for the most in race history.

And that was just the start of Penske’s dominant day. Former Grand Prix winner Scott McLaughlin took the other spot on the podium by finishing third, just ahead of teammate Will Power.

McLaughlin and Power provided some of the only drama near the front of the field. After the third and final restart on lap 72, McLaughlin and Power both scooted around Herta, a former Belleair resident.

It wasn’t a bounce-back performance for the team, exactly. But it was a statement after Penske compiled a relatively unimpressive 2023 (by its sky-high standards). Though Newgarden won the Indianapolis 500, McLaughlin was the only driver to finish in the top four in points. Power went winless for the first time in 17 years.

The subpar results led to honest offseason conversations and changes that, clearly, showed up on the track.

“I think the Penskes were just too strong for us today,” O’Ward said.

The growth wasn’t just limited to Penske. Chevrolet played a role, too.

The engine manufacturer won only five of last season’s 17 races. Just one of those victories was at a road or street course (McLaughlin’s win at Barber Motorsports Park).

O’Ward was among the two dozen Arrow McLaren team members who met with Chevrolet around a large table in London this offseason. Penske had a similar meeting. The honest conversations led to more work and improvements across the board.

“They delivered — in spades,” Newgarden said.

That was evident by the results: four Chevy engines in the top four spots before the first car by rival Honda (driven by Herta). Honda took two of the podium spots here last year and powered six of the top 10 cars.

Everything, then, seemed to break right for Newgarden as he started his 13th IndyCar season. His power team acted like a power again. His engine manufacturer found the speed and fuel efficiency to make up lost ground. And Newgarden himself rediscovered his winning mentality — a mix of general comfort and well-timed aggression.

“It all just came together (Sunday),” Newgarden said.

With a performance that was one of the most impressive the Grand Prix has ever seen.

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