Days after Indy 500 spree, IndyCar set to make major inspection changes

IndyCar's 2025 Indy 500 was a significant event, with a total of five cars getting hit with major setbacks. Two were disqualified (modified attenuators on Team Penske cars) ahead of the final round of qualifying, whereas three were disqualified (technical irregularities) following the end of the 200-lap race.

In line with this, it has come to light that the decision-makers at IndyCar are planning to introduce a specific scanning process to the sport. This has been made known by President Doug Boles ahead of the 2025 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.

"Each team provided their Indianapolis 500 cars for us to use this week for scanning verification. This was extra work for their crews after a very busy weekend and I appreciate their support. We learned quite a bit in the exercise and are targeting at least two more events this year where we can validate the process and our learnings and continue to advance our technical inspection process in the future," Boles said via The Race.

While talking to The Race, Boles also commented on the work being done on a "new project that will ultimately help us implement partial scanning of our cars in the near future". This is aimed at bringing IndyCar closer to the Formula 1 and NASCAR’s methods of ensuring compliance.

The 2025 Indy 500 was won by Chip Ganassi Racing's Alex Palou, with David Malukas and Pato O'Ward finishing in second and third place.

Andretti Global's Marcus Ericsson had initially ended his outing in P2, but was disqualified post-race because of technical irregularities on his #28 car (P31). The same was the fate of his teammate, Kyle Kirkwood (who had initially finished in P5).

2025 IndyCar season has belonged to Alex Palou

109th Running Of The Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

Amid all the chaos that ensued during IndyCar's two-week Indy 500 event, there was one name that was consistent in terms of performance. Chip Ganassi Racing's Alex Palou did not put a foot wrong during the overall running at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Firstly, he secured a solid P6 (second-row) starting position for the race, and then during the 200-lap event, he steadily moved up in the race to ultimately amass his maiden Indy 500 win.

Following the end of his sensational outing, he was understandably upbeat. In line with this, he added the following:

"Best milk I’ve ever tasted. It tastes so good. What an amazing feeling," Palou said via IndyCar.

The three-time champion further added:

"It’s amazing to win. There were some moments that I felt really good in the race, but at the end I didn’t know if I was going to able to pass Marcus or not, but I made it happen. First oval win. What a better place?"

While most of the other top teams have faced their fair share of issues in the first six rounds of the 2025 season, Alex Palou has just been cruising at the front of the field. After the Indy 500, the 28-year-old has already put on board five Grand Prix wins.

Moreover, he is sitting pretty at the top of the drivers' standings with an impressive 306 points. Next up on the race calendar is the upcoming Sunday's Detroit Grand Prix (June 1).