"I know how Roger Penske operates": Helio Castroneves gets honest about Team Penske's Indy 500 'mistake'

Four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves has weighed in on the recent controversy surrounding Roger Penske's IndyCar team. Team Penske was found guilty of technical illegalities during day two of Indy 500 qualifying.

Josef Newgarden and Will Power's No. 2 and No. 12 cars were pulled out of Fast 12 because of a "body fit violation on the rear attenuator." They were provisionally pushed to the last of the Top 12 before IndyCar announced stricter penalties on Monday, May 19.

The strategists of the No. 2 and No. 12 cars were suspended, and Newgarden and Power were pushed to the back of the grid, in P32 and P33, for the 109th Indy 500 on May 25.

Helio Castroneves, who raced for Team Penske for over 20 years and won three Indy 500s with them, has addressed the matter. He strongly defended his former boss, Roger Penske, who also owns IndyCar, saying (via ASAP Sports):

"I believe they did something to look good. I don't think that little lip is going to make them three miles an hour faster, to be honest. I know how Roger operates. He wants to make everything beautiful, perfect, shiny. I believe it was, again, a mistake, touching an area they're not supposed to."

"In the rule book, they're not supposed to touch. I believe what the series is doing is right. But they don't need anything like that to go fast. Yeah, no, I don't see this as a situation that people are creating and making a big deal. But yes, in terms of performance, I don't think it would have changed anything," he added.

Tim Cindric, the president of Team Penske's IndyCar arm and Newgarden's suspended strategist, had clearly highlighted how the illegal car part didn't give them an aerodynamic advantage. Nonetheless, modification of a spec part was against IndyCar's regulations.

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IndyCar President Doug Boles defends Roger Penske in the face of Indy 500 controversy

IndyCar and IMS President Doug Boles at the 103rd Indianapolis 500 - Legends Day - Source: Getty

IndyCar and IMS President Doug Boles held a press conference at the IMS on Monday to speak about Team Penske's controversy. He condemned the team's technical infraction and promised to uphold the prestige of the Indy 500.

In the comprehensive interaction with the media, Boles was asked if IndyCar needed to have a separate governing body to avoid a conflict of interest arising as a result of Roger Penske owning the series and also Team Penske.

"I've known Roger Penske for an awful long time, and I've gotten to know him really well since November 2019. I don't think Roger Penske understands some of the things that might be going on," Boles said in response.

"There are things that happen that don't ever get to Roger. I can tell you that Roger Penske would not condone this. In fact, I had a chance to talk to Roger, and I can tell that this is devastating to him," he added.

This is the second time in two seasons that Penske is at the center of an IndyCar controversy. The team was found guilty of running an illegal push-to-pass system in the first race of 2024 in St. Petersburg. IndyCar had stripped Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin of their P1 and P3 results.