Team Penske Releases Statement After Indy 500 Suspensions And Fines
Team Penske has released a statement following the hefty penalties issued to the No. 2 and No. 12 entries for the upcoming Indy 500.
Following an investigation, the No. 2 and No. 12 cars of Josef Newgarden and Will Power were found to have modified attenuators.
As a result, the two drivers were relegated to the back of the grid, the team strategists were handed suspensions from the Indy 500, the cars lost all qualification points, and they were handed a $100,000 fines.
The Roger Penske-owned team shared to social media:
Owner Roger Penske of Penske motorsports looks on during qualifying for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring at Sebring International Raceway on March 14, 2025 in Sebring, Florida.
Owner Roger Penske of Penske motorsports looks on during qualifying for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring at Sebring International Raceway on March 14, 2025 in Sebring, Florida."We accept the penalties issued today by the IndyCar Series which are due to a 'body fit' violation that occurred prior to the qualifying session yesterday.
"We are disappointed by the results and the impact it has on our organization.
"We will make further announcements later this week related to personnel for the upcoming Indianapolis 500."
Team Penske statement in response to recent INDYCAR penalties: pic.twitter.com/Mqgz0yuIlO — Team Penske (@Team_Penske) May 19, 2025
The official statement from IndyCar explained:
"Yesterday, INDYCAR's focus was ensuring that the series had all the facts related to the discovery of the modified attenuators on the Team Penske entries of Nos. 2 and 12 to verify they were in violation of INDYCAR Rule 14.7.8.16. After the series confirmed the technical infraction, by rule, the violating cars were placed in the last positions of the qualifying session for which they qualified.
"Upon further review last night and early this morning, INDYCAR will be moving cars No. 2 and 12 to the 32nd and 33rd starting positions for this year's Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. They will start in order based upon their qualifying times from Saturday.
"'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. '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.'
"Car No. 3 did not attempt to qualify Sunday in the Top 12 because of an accident in the earlier afternoon's practice. Upon review of the car, and INDYCAR impounding the No. 3 attenuator, INDYCAR found that the car was in fact using a legal and unmodified attenuator. Therefore, car No. 3 will start in the 10th spot – the final spot of those who had qualified to participate in the Top 12.
"Additionally, INDYCAR is suspending the team strategists for the Nos. 2 and 12 for the remainder of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, both cars will forfeit Indianapolis 500 qualification points and each entry has been fined $100,000.
"Car Nos. 2 and 12 also will forfeit their pit positions and will select their pit boxes after the remainder of the field has an opportunity to adjust accordingly.
"'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 said. '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.'"
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Kyle Kirkwood's Honda Indy Car Sponsored By Honda At Mid-Ohio
Kyle Kirkwood's No. 27 Honda that will compete in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio NTT IndyCar Series ... More race. This weekend's Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio will mark the one-year anniversary of the Hybrid Assist Unit that was designed to add a boost of electrification to the internal combustion engine used in the NTT IndyCar Series. Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) pushed that initiative and collaborated with Ilmor (Chevrolet's engine partner) and IndyCar on the Hybrid Assist project. To mark the one-year anniversary, Andretti Global driver Kyle Kirkwood's No. 27 Honda will carry full Honda sponsorship in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio July 4-6 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Kirkwood will be attempting to win his fourth IndyCar Series race this season as Honda attempts to win its 10th straight IndyCar Series race to open the 2025 season. The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is considered Honda's 'home track' because it has a large manufacturing facility in nearby Marysville, Ohio, located 60 miles away. Also, the East Liberty Auto Plants as well as Honda Research & Development are located near the permanent road course. More than 400,000 Honda and Acura automobiles are made in Ohio each year, as well as research and design on components for Honda products from lawnmowers to the HondaJet. "Honda has been a phenomenal partner, and their performance this season speaks for itself,' said Andretti Global President Jill Gregory. 'We are proud to have played a key role in their dominance so far. 'Mid-Ohio is a big weekend for both of us, and so we're honored to run a special livery that celebrates everything we've accomplished together. We're looking forward to delivering a result that reflects the strength of this partnership." Kyle Kirkwood's No. 27 Honda Andretti and Honda share more than 20 years of celebrated history, going back to 1997 when the team was known as Team Green. Together, Honda and Andretti Global have earned three NTT IndyCar Series championships, including Tony Kanaan (2004), Dan Wheldon (2005) and Dario Franchitti (2007), as well as five Indianapolis 500 victories with Dan Wheldon (2005), Dario Franchitti (2007), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014), Alexander Rossi (2016), and Takuma Sato (2017). Kirkwood enters the weekend second in the championship with three race wins—one of only two drivers to win a race this season. He hopes to add a victory at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course to his previous wins this year at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, Detroit Grand Prix and World Wide Technology Raceway. Kirkwood Knows How To Win At Mid-Ohio Kirkwood has an impressive history at Mid-Ohio, scoring nine straight victories at the circuit in junior formula between 2017 and 2021. Kirkwood hopes to add a win at Mid-Ohio to his five-career IndyCar victories and bring Honda's streak to 10 wins in 10 races in 2025. "We are thrilled to have Honda represented on the No. 27 Andretti Global machine of Kyle Kirkwood this weekend,' said Chuck Schifsky, Manager, Honda & Acura Motorsports. 'We've had a long partnership with the Andretti organization, and when the chance came up to have Kyle run a Honda-branded car here at the Honda race at Mid-Ohio, we jumped at it. 'It's a great opportunity to bring awareness to all parts of the Honda brands, from planes, motorcycles and power products to road cars and our hybrid-powered Indy cars, especially on this one-year anniversary of IndyCar going hybrid. 'We have thousands of Honda associates from our five Ohio manufacturing plants and the North American R&D center coming to watch the race and seeing that Kyle is one of only two drivers to win so far this year, and all nine races have been won by Honda, we're hoping we can continue that streak and put on a great show for them.' Honda has produced automobiles in Ohio for over 40 years, beginning in November 1982 with the start of automobile production at the Marysville Auto Plant. Honda established U.S. manufacturing operations in Marysville in 1979 with the start of motorcycle production. Today, over 12,000 associates support Honda manufacturing in Ohio, with five plants that represent a total capital investment of $13 billion and the capacity to produce 460,000 Honda and Acura automobiles, 1.18 million automobile engines, and over 1 million automobile transmissions and two-motor hybrid systems, using domestic and globally sourced parts. The company's five Ohio manufacturing facilities include three auto plants, the Marysville Auto Plant, East Liberty Auto Plant and Performance Manufacturing Center, as well as the Anna Engine Plant and transmission plant in Russells Point. The company has invested more than $1.4 billion in these facilities over the past six years, continually modernizing equipment and adopting new technologies to advance quality and efficiency for Honda and Acura customers here and around the world. Honda is establishing a new EV Hub for the start of EV production in the U.S. including an investment of over $1 billion to re-tool its existing auto and powertrain plants in Ohio for production of electric vehicles, as well as $3.5 billion with LG Energy Solution to establish a joint venture EV battery plant in Fayette County, Ohio. North American Auto Development Center The North American Auto Development Center (ADC), part of Honda Development & Manufacturing of America (HDMA), is responsible for complete product development including engineering and testing of Honda vehicles such as the current Honda Pilot, Passport, Odyssey and Ridgeline, and the Acura TLX, TLX Type S, RDX, MDX, and MDX Type S. The Automotive Safety Research Facility within ADC houses one of the world's most sophisticated high-resolution crash test barrier blocks, the world's first pitching crash test simulator, a scale wind tunnel, along with other advanced safety research and testing labs. Honda Automotive Labs of Ohio (HALO) Honda Automotive Labs of Ohio (HALO) is the world's most advanced wind tunnel, with three separate state-of-the art testing functions: aerodynamics, aeroacoustics, and racing — in one location. The wind tunnel facility is used to test Honda and Acura products, as well as the company's race vehicles. The $124 million HALO facility, located at the independent Transportation Research Center Inc. (TRC) in Central Ohio, opened in March 2022. A front view of Kyle Kirkwood's No. 27 Honda that will compete in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio NTT ... More IndyCar Series race July 4-6, 2025.
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Chip Ganassi Racing Announces OpenAI As Mid-Ohio IndyCar Sponsor
Alex Palou's No. 10 OpenAI Honda that will compete in the July 6 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. Alex Palou's historic season at Chip Ganassi Racing will include a ground-breaking primary sponsorship for this weekend's Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio IndyCar Series race. OpenAI, one of the world's leading artificial intelligence organizations, will be the primary partner on the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) Honda driven by three-time NTT IndyCar Series champion and 2025 Indianapolis 500 winner Alex Palou at Mid-Ohio. Winner of six of the first nine races in 2025, OpenAI has made the trip to victory lane with Palou and CGR but will be looking for the first time as the primary partner. Palou's No. 10 Honda will feature a matte black livery. "Partnering with OpenAI has been a game-changer for our organization,' team owner Chip Ganassi said. 'Whether it's gaining insights in the front office or unlocking performance on the racetrack, their technology is helping us think faster, move smarter, and stay at the forefront of innovation.' What began in February as a strategic research collaboration has evolved into a powerful marketing and innovation platform. Throughout the 2025 season, the partnership between OpenAI and Chip Ganassi Racing has deepened, delivering real-world applications both on the racetrack and in the front office, enhancing efficiency, automation and performance across the organization. 'At its core, this collaboration is about curiosity, and how human skill and AI can push each other further,' said Sarah Russell, Head of Integrated Marketing, Open AI. 'We're proud to be represented at Mid-Ohio with Chip Ganassi Racing as part of our ongoing effort to explore how AI can complement human expertise and help advance performance.' Palou is already on track for a historic season. Winning six of the first nine races in 2025, he and the No. 10 team are tied for the most wins in a season since open wheel reunification in 2008 (Scott Dixon, 2008; Will Power, 2011) and are four wins away from the overall record of 10 (A.J. Foyt, 1964; Al Unser, 1970). Through 90 career races, Palou has 17 wins and 50 top 5 finishes. CGR is tied for the most team wins in IndyCar history at Mid-Ohio with 12. Palou has finished on the podium in every start with CGR at the track, including a win in 2023 and a pole position and runner-up finish in 2024. Coverage of the race begins at 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, July 6, live on FOX. Alex Palou's No. 10 OpenAI Honda Indy car.
USA Today
6 hours ago
- USA Today
Joey Chestnut revs up for Indy 500 of competitive eating: Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
What does the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest have in common with the Indianapolis 500? A lot if you're Joey Chestnut, the 16-time Nathan's champion set to return to the contest Friday after a one-year ban over a contractual dispute. 'If you're an IndyCar racer, you want to be (in the) Indy 500,'' Chestnut told USA TODAY Sports this week. 'There might be other eating contests all throughout the year and there might be other races throughout the year. But if you're any car driver, you should be at the 500. That's the way I felt about Fourth of July. If you're a competitive eater, you should be at the Fourth of July hot dog contest.'' Yet last year, Nathan's refused to let the fastest car in competitive eating onto the track. So Chestnut ended up competing at Fort Bliss, the Army base in El Paso, Texas, without the ESPN crew that televises the Nathan's spectacle from Coney Island, New York. Chestnut, who holds the all-time Nathan's record for hot dogs consumed — 76 hot dogs and buns during the 10-minute contest in 2021 — is aiming for more than the checkered flag. This week it was clear Chestnut was, well, revved up for the competition. 'I'm going to let loose,'' he said. What needed to be repaired? For almost a year, Chestnut said, his absence from the Nathan's contest was inescapable. Especially while competing at other events. 'I could almost read people's facial expressions when they're going to tell me how they used to watch me on the Fourth of July,'' he said. 'And eventually it was going to come to, 'Oh, I'm sorry you didn't compete last year.' "I told people I was going to try really hard to get back, but I couldn't guarantee it.'' In early June, Chestnut told USA TODAY Sports he was exploring other possibilities for the Fourth of July. That included competing under the Gateway Arch in St. Louis with his own field of eaters. But on June 16, Chestnut announced he had signed a three-year deal with Nathan's and the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE) Inc., which runs the Nathan's competition. Chestnut said the terms of the deal call for him to endorse only Nathan's hot dogs. That required him to stop endorsing hot dogs for Impossible Foods, although Chestnut said he still endorses other Impossible Foods products. Though he attributes his return to Nathan's in part to the fans, he also said it hinged on his relationship with Nathan's. 'I wasn't sure if we could repair it,'' he said, 'and it took a long time.''
