‘The Pato and Josef Show:’ An IndyCar rivalry with on-track respect and onstage ribbing

LONG BEACH, Calif. – On the same night that the ballyhooed “100 Days to Indy” premiered, so did the impromptu debut of “The Pato and Josef Comedy Revue.”

The long-awaited docuseries about the NTT IndyCar Series was screened Wednesday in a glitzy, Hollywood-style red carpet event ahead of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, and the first of six episodes focused heavily on Josef Newgarden (and especially the two-time champion’s highly sculpted abs).

But in the extended and loose Q&A with five drivers on stage, the star clearly was Pato O’Ward, who playfully made Newgarden his favorite target. The IndyCar points leader is a foodie who keeps a list of his favorite restaurants in the notes app on his phone that he proudly shares.

LONG BEACH PRIMER: Details, schedules for watching IndyCar this weekend

“Now it’s in the hands of a lot of people,” O’Ward said, gesturing toward Indy 500 winner Marcus Ericsson before a devilish pause. “Josef, do you have it?”

A few minutes later, O’Ward turned an innocuous question (“Was there anything in this first episode that surprised any of you?”) from host Kevin Frazier of “Entertainment Tonight” into another gleeful laser beam at the driver who barely beat him two weeks ago at Texas Motor Speedway.

“Josef, I just want to know: What do I have to do to look like you?” O’Ward asked, prompting guffaws from the crowd.

“Too heavy,” Newgarden quipped back. “I’ve got to lose weight.”

There was no offense taken at being in the crosshairs of charismatic IndyCar points leader, who was “built for cameras and this show.

“I’m so excited to see Pato in (‘100 Days to Indy’),” Newgarden said. “I feel like you’ve had a fascinating life that none of us really fully know about. I really want to see it. I’m so