All 3 Penskes shockingly out as Felix Rosenqvist leads Indy 500 Fast 12

With the first day of qualifications under the bag for the Indy 500, the fastest dozen drivers took on the Top 12 session for the second day of qualification (May 18). The session was filled with drama and shockers as the Team Penske trio was ruled out of the session, with the underdog of Felix Rosenqvist securing the top position as the last car put in its run.

The 2025 Indy 500 marks the 109th running of the fabled race, which makes the event a lucrative one for any driver to take the victory at. However, to win the race, drivers want to pre-expose themselves to be in the best spot to take the race win and hope to take pole position.

While Scott McLaughlin is the reigning pole sitter at the track, the New Zealander will not retain the pole this year as he crashed his No. 3 Team Penske in the Top 12 practice. This left only Josef Newgarden and Will Power to bear the Mooresville-based team's flag during qualifying.

However, the other two Penskes did not fare well in the session. Even before they had a chance to get on the track and put on a laptime, they failed the technical inspection, calling it a day for the squad. This showcased a fall from the sky for the team, as last year Team Penske had locked out the front row, and this year, all three drivers were unable to put a time on the leaderboard in the Top 12 session.

With the three Team Penske cars out, the relegation zone only had to claim three more victims. This gave some hope to the smaller teams of making it into the Fast 6 for the Indy 500.

Though many reckoned PREMA Racing might only have one car making it into the Indy 500 race, the team has both cars through into the top-30, with rookie Robert Shwartzman setting the timing board alight in the Top-12. He earned the team and himself a maiden Fast 6 entry in the IndyCar championship.

On the other hand, many were centered on the heavy giants' performance during qualifying, but Meyer Shank Racing's Felix Rosenqvist went on to top the session. So, let's take a look at the rankings after the Top-12 session was over:

1. #60 Felix Rosenqvist: 232.523mph
2. #5 Pato O'Ward: 232.186mph
3. #83 Robert Shwartzman-R: 232.008mph
4. #9 Scott Dixon: 231.971mph
5. #10 Alex Palou: 231.800mph
6. #75 Takuma Sato: 231.686mph
7. #4 David Malukas: 231.599mph
8. #7 Christian Lundgaard: 231.360mph
9. #28 Marcus Ericsson: 231.014mph
10. #12 Will Power: Failed technical inspection
11. #3 Scott McLaughlin: Withdrawn
12. #2 Josef Newgarden: Failed technical inspection

Alex Palou was the last car to put in its run, and he flirted with the knockout zone in his first two laps before pulling out the average needed to qualify. This helped Chip Ganassi Racing become the only team to have two cars in the Fast 6.

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Chip Ganassi Racing reportedly emerged as the whistleblowers in Team Penske Indy 500 qualifying saga

The 108th Running of the Indy 500 - Source: Getty

During the stream, the commentators revealed how the rear attenuators had been the root cause of the Team Penske charters' failing the technical inspection. Its crews soon engaged in getting the issue resolved, but rival teams were unhappy with the sight of a team working on its car in the pit lane.

Word in the paddock revealed that Chip Ganassi Racing had been the team to point it out to the stewards, per AP's Jenna Fryer. Though this left the Mooresville-based outfit dejected, rules are rules, and CGR apparently aced it to gain a competitive advantage.

Moreover, if both Team Penske cars had been part of the session, there is a high chance Palou would have been knocked out with his laptime. This might have saved the day for the Spaniard in his bid to bag the Indy 500 pole later on in the evening.