INDIANAPOLIS — (AP) — Two-time defending Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden and teammate Will Power will start from the final two spots on the grid Sunday after their teams were penalized for violating the rules during qualifying weekend in the second controversy to embroil Team Penske's IndyCar program in just over a year.
IndyCar also announced Monday that the team strategists for the Nos. 2 and 12 have been suspended for the race; the cars will forfeit their qualification points and pit box selections; and each of the entries has been fined $100,000.
“We need our biggest stakeholders, the people that are investing in our sport, to believe that it’s a level playing field," IndyCar president Doug Boles said before Monday's practice at the speedway, "and that they have every chance as anybody else does to win the Indianapolis 500, so we’re all singing from the same songbook.
“I think this is a clear indication, I hope, to the paddock that we take this seriously," Boles added, "that this is not something that we’re going to continue to allow to happen. We are going to make sure that the cars on the racetrack are evenly prepared.”
Team Penske said in a statement that “we accept the penalties issued today by the IndyCar Series."
“We are disappointed by the results and the impact it has on our organization,” the statement read. “We will make further announcements later this week related to personnel for the upcoming Indianapolis 500.”
The trouble for Team Penske began before the fast 12 shootout Sunday, when rival team owner Chip Ganassi was among a chorus of competitors who accused it of cheating. They noticed unapproved changes had been made to the rear attenuator, a safety device designed to absorb and reduce the force of impacts, and the assumption was the modifications would have given the two Team Penske cars an aerodynamic advantage in their four-lap qualifying runs.
Tim Cindric, the president of Penske’s IndyCar program, said Power passed inspection but officials had flagged Newgarden’s car, and he was told neither would pass inspection after making their runs. So, the cars were pulled from the lineup altogether.
Boles initially said late Sunday that Newgarden and Power would join teammate Scott McLaughlin — who had crashed in practice on Sunday and was unable to make a qualifying run — in the fourth row for the race. But after the series gathered more facts and considered the case, the decision was made to put Newgarden in the 32nd starting spot and Power in the 33rd.
McLaughlin will keep the 10th starting spot because his wrecked car was found to have used a legal attenuator.
“This violation of the IndyCar rule against modification to this part and using it ‘as supplied’ is clear,” Boles said. "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.”
One year ago, Team Penske was caught in a push-to-pass scandal in which Newgarden was found to have access to an additional boost of horsepower when he should not have at the season-opener. He was stripped of his win and team owner Roger Penske — who also owns IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway — suspended Cindric for two races, including the Indy 500.
Also suspended were managing director Ron Ruzewski, Newgarden engineer Luke Mason and data engineer Robbie Atkinson.
Cindric and Ruzewski will now miss their second consecutive Indy 500.
“As far as I'm concerned, this case is closed,” Boles said.
Newgarden, who is trying to become the first driver to win three consecutive Indy 500s, was a contender to capture the pole. He was seen running off his anger around the speedway Sunday as another qualifying session roared on.
Pato O’Ward, who drives for rival Arrow McLaren, said after qualifying on the front row that IndyCar should have penalized the two Penske cars by making them run in a last-chance qualifier to re-earn spots on the grid. He also wondered why the powerful Team Penske continues to push the envelope when it comes to the rules.
“It’s a shame,” O'Ward said. “They’re a great team. They have great drivers. Why are you doing that? It makes no sense.”
O'Ward expressed sympathy for the four drivers who had to compete for the final three spots in the last-chance qualifier. Jacob Abel, an IndyCar rookie who had been fast in practice, ended up missing the race.
“I do see all the comments. I do appreciate everyone's support and everything, saying we should be in the race because we were legal,” Abel said. “At the end of the day, we knew what we needed to do on Saturday, we knew what we needed to do on Sunday, and unfortunately we came up short. ... I don't want to be there on a technicality. I want to deserve to be there.”
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AP Auto Racing Writer Jenna Fryer contributed to this report.
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