Graham Rahal doesn’t mince words against Team Penske’s ‘silly’ pattern of disregarding IndyCar rules

Graham Rahal has openly criticized Team Penske for what he believes is a repeated pattern of breaking IndyCar rules. His comments came after the team was hit with major penalties ahead of the 2025 Indianapolis 500. Drivers Josef Newgarden and Will Power were dropped to the last row of the grid after their cars were found with illegal modifications during qualifying.

The issue began during Sunday’s (May 18) Fast 12 session when Newgarden’s car was flagged for a problem with its rear attenuator, a piece of the car’s safety equipment. Officials later found the same problem on Power’s car. Team Penske’s crew tried to make changes in the pit lane, but these adjustments were not allowed under IndyCar rules.

Both drivers were pulled from the session and denied a chance to fight for pole position. Rookie Robert Shwartzman ended up taking pole. After missing the Fast 12 session, Newgarden was set to start 11th, and Power 12th. But other teams protested the situation. On Monday, May 19, IndyCar confirmed both drivers would start at the back, Newgarden in 32nd and Power in 33rd.

IndyCar also fined each entry $100,000 and suspended the team strategists involved. Penske will lose all qualifying points for both cars. Reacting to the controversy, Graham Rahal, who drives the No. 15 RHL Hinda, didn’t hold back, saying (via Anthony Calhoun on X):

"I don't say this alone, I'll say this for every other owner, I'll say this for every other driver, there’s a pattern now, there’s a pattern. They did it last year, and they got caught. They did it again this year, they got caught. But apparently, if you look back at the photos from last year's race-winning car, it had the same modifications, so it was illegal. That's a concern, right? There's a pattern to this."

"And I think that's what bothers most people, because we're all competitors, we're out here fighting. They are already the biggest and most powerful team, they don't need to do these things," the RHL driver added. "I thought Pato O'Ward said it best, 'They don't need to do that, it's silly to do it.' But ultimately they chose to do it, they're gonna pay the price, at least with two of their cars on Sunday."

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In 2024, Newgarden was caught using extra push-to-pass power in the season's opening round. He lost his win, and Roger Penske suspended team president Tim Cindric for two races, including the Indy 500.

Scott McLaughlin, Penske’s third driver, will keep his 10th-place starting spot. His car was found to be legal, even though he crashed before qualifying and missed the Fast 12.

"We are in the show": Graham Rahal is confident for the Indy 500 after a disappointing qualifying result

Graham Rahal is staying positive despite a tough qualifying run for the 109th running of the Indy 500. The Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver ended up 30th fastest during the first qualifying runs on Saturday, May 17. His four-lap average was 229.863 mph, which wasn’t enough to make it into the Fast 12.

Despite the disappointment, Rahal is confident of a stronger performance in the race. Also, thanks to the penalties handed to Team Penske, the #15 driver will move up two places and start 28th in the race.

After qualifying, Graham Rahal said he was proud of the work done by his team.

“I shouldn't be happy to say this, but we are in the show. My guys did a wonderful job today, they stayed calm, they kept their cool...we found a lot, we improved the car, we found a couple of things that have been holding us back. I am happy for them (Rahal Letterman Lanigan crew),” Graham Rahal shared via his X profile.