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Pato O’Ward Vindicated As IndyCar Hands Down Penalty To Team Penske Cars After Indy 500 Cheating Scandal

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© Gary Mook/For IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn


The IndyCar series vindicated the claims of Arrow McLaren star Pato O’Ward on Monday, handing down a stiff penalty to  Team Penske drivers Josef Newgarden and Will Power after they were disqualified from the final round of qualifying for the Indy 500 on Sunday. O’Ward, who qualified third for the race, claimed that the team should face severe penalties for illegally modifying a part prior to making its final qualifying runs.

“They weren’t accidentally doing it because they had the blowtorch right there in order to get it out,” O’Ward said. “Honestly, I feel for [Jacob] Abel and for everybody that did the disqualifications or the last chance qualifying. Those (Penske) cars weren’t in regulations.”


Why Pato O’Ward Called For Stricter Punishment Of Team Penske At Indy 500

Newgarden, Power and teammate Scott McLaughlin all qualified for Sunday’s pole shootout by qualifying in the top 12 of Saturday’s session. McLaughlin then crashed in the practice session for Sunday’s pole shootout, while Power and Newgarden failed inspection. Team Penske crews were found to have modified the attenuator on the cars, a safety device designed to reduce the force of impacts, particularly rear impacts on ovals.

Witnesses observed Team Penske crews sealing a seam between the attenuator and the body. Theoretically, doing so would reduce drag and increase top speeds for qualifying. However, IndyCar rules state that you are not allowed to modify the part.

Initially, IndyCar stated that Power and Newgarden would start 11th and 12th, as they had already qualified for the top 12 the day before. The series stated that any additional penalties would come after the race.

However, O’Ward and others suggested that the part was likely illegally modified for Saturday’s session, meaning their initial qualifying times should be thrown out. On Monday morning, IndyCar changed its stance. The series announced that Newgarden and Power will be sent to the back of the grid for Sunday’s race. Additionally, the strategists for both Newgarden and Power were suspended for the rest of the event.

But that’s where things get interesting. It marks the second time in as many years that Team Penske was caught cheating. Last year, the series handed down several suspensions to Team Penske after  Newgarden and McLaughlin were found to have used illegal software to gain an advantage in the season-opening race in St. Petersburg.

To make matters worse, team owner Roger Penske also owns the IndyCar Series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Ultimately, the penalties and conflicts of interest put a black cloud over an otherwise storied race.