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Indy 500 champions Josef Newgarden and Will Power were hit with a major penalty less than a week before the green flag drops for the race.
The Team Penske drivers will be forced to start in the rear of the field over modified attenuators, the IndyCar Series announced on Monday. The team strategists for both drivers were suspended for the race.
“The integrity of the Indianapolis 500 is paramount, and this violation of the INDYCAR rule against modification to this part and using it ‘as supplied’ is clear,” IndyCar President J. Douglas Boles said in a statement. “The penalty should be more than simply starting where the cars might have qualified anyway, if given the opportunity. The cars belong in the field as two of the fastest 33; however, starting on the tail of the field is the appropriate penalty in this instance.”
IndyCar said Newgarden and Power will forfeit qualification points, and they were fined $100,000.
“The positive momentum around the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and the Indianapolis 500 has been on a steep crescendo over the last several months, and we want it to be clear that our intent is to maintain that momentum and discourage teams from putting INDYCAR in positions where it calls into the integrity of our officiating and the levelness of the playing field,” Boles added.
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“As we look to the remainder of the week and the race this weekend, we will do everything we can to make it clear that this is not only the best racing on the planet but racing where the best win under completely fair conditions.”
IndyCar said an illegal filling was found in the seams of the attenuator, according to FOX Sports.
Team Penske President Tim Cindric said Sunday the modification was performed to make the vehicles sleek and not to give it an advantage.
“In our eyes, it’s not a performance advantage but at the end of the day, if they don’t like the seam being filled, they don’t like the seam being filled,” Cindric said via FOX Sports. “You’ve got to do what the inspection process is and conform to that.”
Newgarden won the Indy 500 in 2023 and 2024. Power won the race in 2018.
Each driver will now have to pull off stunning racing to get to the front and possibly win the race.
The Indy 500 will be broadcast May 25 on FOX with pre-coverage starting at 10 a.m. ET. It will also be available to stream live on FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports app.
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