Team Penske, one of IndyCar’s most successful team – and a strong contender this season – finds itself in the eye of the storm, yet again, this time at the Indy 500. After last season’s scandal, the team is once more embroiled in a significant controversy.
During the 2025 Indy 500 qualifying, Team Penske drivers Josef Newgarden and Will Power were found to have illegal modifications on their cars’ rear attenuators. Both drivers were therefore penalized and moved to the back of the starting grid. Power and Newgarden also each suffered a $100,000 fine. In response, team owner Roger Penske dismissed several high-ranking members of the team.
Conflict of interest or impartiality?
Team owner Roger Penske is part of his very own unrelated controversy. As the owner of Team Penske, the IndyCar Series, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Penske is sometimes accused of a conflict of interest. In an interview with FOX, the series owner defended his stance and reiterated his commitment to neutrality.
“Well, I’ve heard the word used, optics, and I would say this, that as I look at my response to that and what my MO has been over the last four and a half years, I’ve not been on a pit box, I’ve not been in race control, I’m not in inspection, I have nothing to do with officiating and especially the rules.
“So, number one, I can look myself in the mirror and say I’ve done the right thing.”
Uncovering the Penske qualifying scandal ahead of the Indy 500
Referring back to the most recent affair, Penske recognized that the illegal car modifications uncovered last Saturday in the qualifying sessions for Indy 500 – by Penske’s officiating body – highlight a lack of thoroughness on his end. He acknowledges that it is paramount to maintain the impartiality in the series to preserve its credibility.
“Obviously, we have not done a good job in the optics for people outside this.
“And these two violations, you would call them, certainly show the fact that I need to be more diligent and where we’re going as a team. And certainly I would challenge, if we go back and look at what we’ve tried to accomplish and what we have, we made a lot of progress.
“But I think this independency is very important as we go forward for the credibility of the series, the teams, and everyone else, the fans that follow IndyCar.”
Steps towards IndyCar’s future
The IndyCar series’ management has been considering implementing an independent officiating body for a while, explained Roger Penske. The team owner anticipates definite changes in that area.
“Well, it’s amazing that you’d ask that question. For probably the last six months, we’ve talked internally as IndyCar, Mark Miles, and now, of course, Doug Boles, and some outside input on how we could become more independent from the operational side of the racing, inspection, race control, etc.
“So, we certainly expect, and I would expect, that the team at IndyCar and PE will take a look at that and will take some action as we go forward.”
As Team Penske works to rebuild trust and IndyCar moves toward greater independence, the sport’s future will depend on transparency and fairness. This is crucial to maintaining the confidence of teams, drivers, and fans alike.
