INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The only laps two-time defending Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden turned during qualifying Sunday were on foot after Team Penske was disqualified from making a run at the pole.
Scott McLaughlin crashed, Newgarden and Will Power failed inspection, and the three Penske drivers who swept the front row for last year’s 500 will now start in the fourth row. It was a devastating blow to the team owned by Roger Penske, who also owns IndyCar, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy 500, which he has won a record 20 times.
The day got off to a horrible start when McLaughlin, last year’s pole-sitter, and Team Penske decided it wouldn’t even bother sending him out for the fast 12 shootout and just accept the 12th starting spot in the field.
Then, moments before the shootout began, rival team owner Chip Ganassi was among a chorus of competitors who accused Team Penske of cheating. Others said they noticed the modification during Saturday’s first day of qualifying.
Right after Ganassi was seen complaining to a Penske executive, the cars for Newgarden and Power returned to the garage. IndyCar announced the two cars had failed inspection and would not be allowed to qualify.
IndyCar technical director Kevin Blanch said Newgarden’s and Power’s cars had “a body fit violation on the rear attenuator.” It is assumed that the modification was an attempt to gain an aerodynamic advantage.
The rear attenuator is a safety device designed to absorb and reduce the force of impacts. It is a spec part that is not allowed to be modified. Team Penske filled a seam to close off airflow over the attenuator in an attempt to reduce drag — which could potentially improve straight-line speed.
Tim Cindric, president of Penske’s IndyCar program, said Power passed inspection but officials flagged Newgarden’s car. He also said the modification was not on McLaughlin’s car.
“It was a bit of randomness internally there that we need to sort out,” Cindric said. He said IndyCar initially was going to allow modifications and Team Penske crew members were seen on pit road making adjustments.
But, Cindric acknowledged that modifications are not permitted after inspection and he also understood if other teams complained about the Penske cars.
“It’s a shame we didn’t give our guys a chance to go for it,” Cindric said.
Newgarden, who is trying to become the first driver in 109 years to win three consecutive Indy 500s, was a contender to win the pole and was seen running off his anger in the infield of the speedway as another qualifying session roared on around him.
Pato O’Ward, who drives for rival Arrow McLaren Racing, felt IndyCar should have penalized the Penske cars and made them run in last chance qualifying to re-earn spots in the 33-car field.
“They weren’t accidentally doing it because they had the blowtorch there in order to get it out,” said O’Ward, who expressed sympathy for the four drivers who had to with Jacob Abel missing the race.
“I feel bad for Abel and everybody who did the last-chance qualifying. Those cars weren’t in regulation,” O’Ward said. “Those cars should have been in the last-chance qualifier ... because they had that yesterday, I guarantee you. Until someone pointed it out today. If they were disqualified today, they should have been disqualified yesterday.”
He also openly wondered why Team Penske continues to push the envelope on rules.
“It’s a shame. They don’t need to be doing that stuff,” O’Ward said. “They’re a great team. They have great drivers. Why are you doing that? It makes no sense.”
The only punishment for Team Penske now was that they were dropped from the fast 12 shootout and now the front row from last year will start side-by-side-by-side in the fourth row in 10th, 11th and 12th.
Doug Boles, president of both IndyCar and the speedway, said any further penalties will be announced after the Indy 500.
“It’s not something that we deal with in the middle of a racing weekend and likely here we won’t deal with it in the middle of the race,” Boles said. “We’ll deal with it following the Indianapolis 500.”
A year ago, Team Penske was caught in a push-to-pass scandal in which Newgarden was found to have access to the additional boost of horsepower when he should not have. He was stripped of his season-opening victory and , which included the Indy 500.
Also suspended was team managing director Ron Ruzewski, Newgarden engineer Luke Mason and senior data engineer Robbie Atkinson.
The fast 12 was also reduced to just nine cars attempting to advance to the final qualifying round, when six drivers compete for the pole for the May 25 race. The six to advance were Felix Rosenqvist, Pato O’Ward, rookie Robert Shwartzman, Scott Dixon, Alex Palou and Takuma Sato.
Shwartzman as the first Israeli driver to make the Indy 500 and the first rookie to win the pole since 1983.
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