J. Douglas Boles addresses ‘separation of church and state’ suggestion for Roger Penske-owned IndyCar

IndyCar President J. Douglas Boles recently gave his take on the ongoing debacle involving Roger Penske's Team Penske (also the owner of IndyCar and IMS) and the need for an independent governing body. Yesterday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Mooresville-based team was found in violation of Rule 14.7.8.16.

The outfit's #2 and #12 cars had modified attenuators that go against the IndyCar rule book. A lot has already been said regarding the whole saga by various esteemed personalities, and in line with this, Doug Boles has also given his take.

During a recent press conference, he was asked about having an independent body looking after the regulations in IndyCar.

"Is it time for the separation of church and state? Having the owner of the series now twice in 13 months, having their cars be found to be illegal, this conflict from a competition standpoint. Something needs to change," asked the reporter (0:17 onwards).

Boles responded:

"I wanna say one thing first. I've known Roger Penske for an awful long time. 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. So, and I get the optics challenge, and its definitely something we should think about." (0:49 onwards)

"A lot of these challenges, while they would roll up to Roger at the end of the day, I think they would certainly be below him and there are things that don't get to Roger Penske. I can tell you that Roger Penske won't condone this. I had a chance to talk to Roger and I can tell that it's devastating him. Nothing means more to Roger Penske than the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500 ," he added.

Roger Penske has owned IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway under Penske Corporation since 4 November 2019. Back then, he bought them from the Hulman-George family for an undisclosed amount.

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IndyCar determined to maintain 'momentum' amid Roger Penske-led team's violations

IndyCar has been on the upswing in terms of popularity among the masses in the ongoing 2025 season. The sport has witnessed some exciting races and has also seen the stands getting packed with spectators.

Amid its positive trajectory, the recent Team Penske debacle has come up as a bit of a roadblock in the sport's growth. However, despite this, J. Douglas Boles has insisted that everyone at IndyCar is focused on maintaining the 2025 momentum.

"The positive momentum around the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and the Indianapolis 500 has been on a steep crescendo over the last several months, and we want it to be clear that our intent is to maintain that momentum and discourage teams from putting INDYCAR in positions where it calls into the integrity of our officiating and the levelness of the playing field," Boles said via IndyCar.

The 2025 IndyCar season is five rounds down, and this week's Indy 500 is the sixth installment on the 17-race calendar. Interestingly, Roger Penske's team has had the upper hand in the 200-lap event in the last two years.

Two-time IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden won back-to-back Indy 500s in 2023 and 2024. Moreover, this year, he has the chance of achieving the unprecedented feat of amassing three consecutive victories. However, Newgarden will start this year's Indy 500 from the south end of the grid following the penalties he conceded during qualifying.

Four different sessions remain at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway until the main race for the Indy 500 on Sunday: Practice 8 (May 19), Carb Day Final Practice (May 23), Pit Stop Competition (May 23), Pre-race (May 25).