Today · 8:45 PM UTC

Kubota Gateway Dirt Nationals

  Today · 3:45 PM UTC

Snowball Derby at Five Flags

  Today · 3:00 PM UTC

Snowbird Outlaw Nationals at Bradenton

  Nov 30-May 30, 8:00 AM UTC

FloRacing 24/7

Dec 11, 3:00 PM UTC

USAC PRI Show

Dec 12-13, TBD

Snocross National at Mt. Zion

Dec 12, 11:00 PM UTC

PDRA Banquet

Dec 13, 12:00 AM UTC

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Banquet

Dec 20-21, TBD

Hartford Snocross Rounds 1 & 2

Dec 20, 11:30 PM UTC

CARS Tour West at Kern

Dec 28-30, TBD

High Limit Racing at Perth Motorplex

Dec 30-Jan 3, 11:05 PM UTC

Tulsa Shootout

Jan 3-4, 2026, TBD

Hartford Snocross Rounds 3 & 4

Jan 3-17, 2026, TBD

The Dakar Rally

NOT AVAILABLE IN YOUR AREA
Jan 8-11, 2026, TBD

Vintage World Champ Snowmobile Derby

2025 Indianapolis 500 Coverage

Industry Reacts To Penske's Major Indy 500 Penalties: 'This Is Devastating'

Industry Reacts To Penske's Major Indy 500 Penalties: 'This Is Devastating'

See the reactions to Team Penske's major penalty from drivers, owners and more at the Indianapolis 500.

May 19, 2025 by Kyle McFadden
Industry Reacts To Penske's Major Indy 500 Penalties: 'This Is Devastating'

Massive penalties levied on Team Penske from the NTT INDYCAR Series at the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge has uncorked a wave of strong remarks and opinions from various drivers, owners and key figures across the industry and motorsports in general.

To summarize what's going on: Penske drivers Josef Newgarden and Will Power will start 32nd and 33rd in May 25's Indy 500 due to technical violations involving modified attenuators that were found prior to Sunday's Top 12 qualifying.

IndyCar discovered the illegal modifications after IndyCar team owner Chip Ganassi pointed out to officials that something didn't seem quite right on Newgarden's and Power's race machines while staging for Top 12 qualifying on Sunday.

As it turned out, Team Penske Nos. 2 and 12 teams filled seams in the attenuators to potentially gain an aerodynamic advantage for Top 12 qualifying.

Initially, the cars were excluded from the Fast 12 session, set to start 11th and 12th. But upon further review, IndyCar announced Monday that both cars would be relegated to the back of the grid, starting 32nd (Newgarden) and 33rd (Power).

Additional penalties included suspending the team strategists for both cars for the remainder of the Indy 500, fining each entry $100,000, forfeiting all qualifying points, and losing their pit position selections.

Scott McLaughlin’s No. 3 car, which crashed during Sunday's pre-Top 12 qualifying practice, was found compliant and retained its 10th starting spot. IndyCar President Doug Boles emphasized the need to maintain the event’s integrity, citing the series’ commitment to a level playing field. This marks the second consecutive year Team Penske has faced siginificant penalties, following a push-to-pass scandal in last year's series opener at St. Petersburg that saw Newgarden cross the finish line first, but ultimately fail tech.

These series of events have sparked outraged within the IndyCar paddock because Roger Penske owns IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway while operating his three-car IndyCar team. 

Penske acquired IndyCar and IMS in 2019, becoming the steward of the series while continuing to operate Team Penske, one of the most successful teams in IndyCar history with 20 Indy 500 wins.

In the wake of another infraction, calls for an independent governing body have grown louder, with some in the paddock advocating for structural changes to ensure impartiality. That said, here's a compliation of reactions from drivers, car owners, media members and those in the know around the industry.

Newgarden's 2024 Indy 500 Win Called Into Question

Veteran journalist Marshall Pruett, who by the way is an engineer himself, found Josef Newgarden's race-winning Indy 500 car with similarly tampered attenuators in the rear-end of his No. 2 machine that's on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Musuem.

While Pruett emphasizes "I can't say if the illegally blended attenuator was on the 2024 Indy 500 race-winning car when it crossed the finish line," it's still "on the winning car currently on display in the IMS Museum."

When one X user commented on Pruett's revealing post pleading for 2024 runner-up Pato O'Ward to be awarded the victory, the veteran reporter made his case why that shouldn't be the case.

"No. I wouldn’t want that for him. He wouldn’t want that," Pruett replied on X. "And this race is too important to us to overturn a victory from a year ago because this was potentially missed."

Further digging into the attenuator drama and whether or not Newgarden's team modified the rear-end of the car in their second straight Indy 500 win, Pruett found archived photos reflecting the same shiny, dark-black seam he saw at the IMS Museum.

Pato O'Ward Slams Team Penske: 'It's A Shame'

Pato O’Ward was outspoken during a Sunday evening press conference, criticizing the leniency of the initial penalties.

He argued that Penske’s cars should have been sent to the last-chance qualifier and called out the deliberate nature of the modifications: "They weren’t accidentally doing it because they had the blowtorch right there to get it out."

O’Ward expressed sympathy for Jacob Abel, the one driver who missed the Indy 500 on speed, and questioned why a team of Penske’s caliber would risk such violations.

“It’s a shame. They’re a great team," O'Ward said. "They have great drivers. Why are you doing that? It makes no sense.”

Chip Ganassi Reacts To Team Penske Penalties

Five-time Indy 500-winning car owner Chip Ganassi criticized Team Penske for modifying the attenuator that should've been used "as supplied."

Ganassi emphasized the importance of upholding the integrity of the sport, particularly for a team like Penske, which has a significant history and influence in motorsports, including investments at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and in the IndyCar series

Helio Castroneves Believes Penske 'Was Not Cheating'

Four-time Indy 500 champ Helio Castroneves, as reported by the AP's Jenna Fryer, "firmly believes Team Penske was not cheating."

Castroneves did race for Team Penske from 2000 to 2020, winning three Indy 500s in 2001, 2002 and 2009.

His comments suggest he views the modifications as minor or unintentional, possibly echoing Team Penske’s narrative that the changes were for aesthetic purposes rather than performance gains. 

INDYCAR President Doug Boles Addresses Penalties

Doug Boles, president of IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, addressed concerns about the governance of IndyCar regulations, from the controversy around Roger Penske's series ownership as Team Penske suffers its second major infraction in a year.

Boles defends Penske's character, stating he does not believe Penske would condone the violations, which he describes as devastating to Penske given his love for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy 500.

'lol': Teams Poke Fun At Team Penske's Infractions

Ed Carpenter Racing on X posted a succinct “lol” with an image poking fun at Team Penske’s violations, perhaps reflecting a broader paddock sentiment of disbelief and amusement at Penske’s rule-breaking.

Alexander Rossi Says 'The List Keeps Getting Longer'

2016 Indy 500 champ Alexander Rossi posted a more cryptic reaction on X, saying "the list keeps getting longer lol" when it comes to discussions on his podcast, Off Track with Hinch and Rossi. Former IndyCar driver and current FOX Sports analyst James Hinchcliffe is his co-host.

More Team Penske Reactions Around IndyCar