IndyCar president Boles gives update on Team Penske cars
IndyCar president Doug Boles shares update on the two Team Penske cars getting pulled from qualifying.
INDIANAPOLIS — IndyCar has moved the Nos. 2 and 12 cars of Josef Newgarden and Will Power to the 32nd and 33rd spots on the grid for Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 following Team Penske’s violations during pre-Fast 12 qualifying tech inspection, where IndyCar technical director Kevin Blanch found the team had illegally modified seams in the cars’ attenuators by filling in gaps that may have given them an aerodynamic advantage.
After not logging attempts during Sunday’s Fast 12, Newgarden and Power were initially set to start 11th and 12th on Sunday’s grid, respectively.
“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 Doug Boles said in a news release. “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.”
Since the incident, IndyCar officials investigated whether the No. 3 of Scott McLaughlin, which crashed during early afternoon practice and failed to make a qualifying attempt in the Fast 12, also had a legally prepared attenuator. IndyCar impounded the car’s attenuator and deemed it to have been legal and unmodified. Therefore, the series said, the No. 3 will maintain it’s 10th-place starting spot on the grid.
IndyCar has also suspended the team strategists for the Nos. 2 and 12 entries for the remainder of Indy 500 activities, and both cars will forfeit their points earned in qualifying. Both entries have also been fined $100,000. Both cars will also forfeit their pit positions and will select their pit boxes for the race after the remainder of the field has had the opportunity to adjust their picks.
“The positive momentum around the 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 question the integrity of our officiating and the levelness of the playing field,” Boles said in a release. “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.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated to correct the status of McLaughlin’s attenuator.
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