Back-to-back Indy 500 winner, Josef Newgarden, might not have an opportunity to make it three wins in a row after the latest Team Penske debacle. Just before the fast 12 shootout, the Chip Ganassi Racing team complained about the adjustments made to the No. 2 Penske Chevrolet. The officials intervened and parked the car. They noticed unapproved changes had been made to the rear attenuator, this was the case with Will Powers’ car as well. The officials cited the reason behind the suspension was that tampering with the attenuator would’ve created an aerodynamic advantage for the Penske cars during the qualifying runs. Initially, the two drivers were given the starting positions of 11th and 12th in Row 4, but that changed the next day.
IndyCar officials ruled with an iron fist and sent the two Penske cars to the rear for the start of the 109th running of the Indy 500. This came along with the ejection of the race strategists and a fine of $100,000 for the two teams. Team Penske hasn’t even recovered fully from last year’s push-to-pass scandal, and they are now in deep waters again. They could do nothing but take these penalties on the chin. “We are disappointed by the results and the impact it has on our organization,” they released a statement. But, with the rumor mills working overtime, it seems as if Newgarden’s last year’s Indy 500 win was a bit fishy, and his car from the race has similar modifications to this year.
The 2024 Indy 500 by Team Penske is under the scanner
The rear attenuator on Newgarden’s car from this year looks to be the same when compared to his last year’s machine. Well, back then, these modifications weren’t under scrutiny because the series was dealing with a push-to-pass scandal from the St. Petersburg race. These claims came to light when Nathan Brown from IndyStar revealed the images of Newgarden’s car, which is sitting in the IMS museum.
“Clearly has the seam between the parts of the attenuator filled and smoothed. Not aware of any rule change that would’ve allowed that to have been legal a year ago.” Brown shared this post on X. Neither IndyCar nor Team Penske has released statements after this revelation, and given the streak of controversy that the Penske camp has found themselves in, this will only add to their troubles.
Photos of both sides of the attenuator on Josef Newgarden’s 2024 Indy 500-winning car inside the IMS Museum.
Clearly has the seam between the parts of the attenuator filled and smoothed.
Not aware of any rule change that would’ve allowed that to have been legal a year ago. pic.twitter.com/KRk2dpQATg
— Nathan Brown (@By_NathanBrown) May 19, 2025
It might seem like Roger Penske is using his muscle as he owns the IndyCar Series and the team as well. And things are looking tricky for them. But, going by the IndyCar President Doug Boles’ admission, Penske is not involved in this process, and he wishes the best for the Series and the Indy 500 event. “While (issues) roll up to Roger at the end of the day, I think they are certainly below him. There are things that happen that don’t ever get to Roger. Nothing means more to Roger Penske than the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500. This is something that I think he’s going to have to address at some point in time.”
But it seems like not everyone is content with the punishment that has been levied against the two Penske cars. McLaren’s Pato O’Ward, in particular, didn’t pull any punches.
Pato O’Ward feels that Penske cars should’ve been sent to LCQ
Now, Ward didn’t know what was going on behind the closed doors after he completed his qualifying rounds. Starting the race in third place on the front row, he called out IndyCar officials for giving the Penske cars a starting position in Row 4. “They weren’t accidentally doing it because they had the blowtorch right there in order to get it out,” said O’Ward. “Honestly, I feel for [Jacob] Abel and for everybody that did the last chance qualifying. Those (Penske) cars weren’t in regulations.”
While the two cars are starting in the rear, they are still in contention for the Indy 500, whereas Jacob Abel, who wasn’t able to qualify, will be sitting out. Two cars that have illegal modifications, direct links to the Series owner, and leniency in the punishment, this might turn out to be another big scandal that shakes up IndyCar. Especially if Newgarden miraculously goes on to win his third in a row.
“It’s a shame really because they don’t need to be doing that stuff. They’re a great team. They have got great drivers. Why are doing that? It makes no sense.” Ward concluded. It will be interesting to see how Roger Penske deals with this situation and his response to these allegations about similar misconduct in last year’s race car.
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