Roger Penske’s team cheating scandal forces IndyCar to take a huge step 

IndyCar is exploring the creation of an independent governing body in the wake of controversy related to Roger Penske's Team Penske. The proposed body would operate without any employees linked to series owner Roger Penske, according to IndyCar President Doug Boles.

The American open-wheel racing series was recently rocked by a cheating scandal after two Team Penske drivers, Josef Newgarden and Will Power, were disqualified from qualifying during the Indy 500 qualifying weekend. Both drivers had their cars fail technical inspections, with further details emerging about the rear attenuator of their cars being modified.

This troubling incident, which cast a shadow over the qualifying weekend of the Indy 500, has led to growing concerns about a potential conflict of interest, particularly considering that the series is owned by Roger Penske. The 88-year-old not only owns the series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway but also fields a team with three cars.

Roger Penske has responded to the controversy by relieving three of his high-ranking officials on the IndyCar team of their duties. IndyCar president Doug Boles has detailed that the series is exploring the establishment of a new officiating body independent of team ownership influence. The motorsports executive, sharing his thoughts with the media via the Associated Press, stated:

“We want to ensure that we have an officiating entity that has no ability for folks to say it’s got influence from Roger Penske. We have been working very, very hard to create an entity—an officiating entity—and by officiating, I mean race control and tech inspection, and an entity that is completely removed from anything that has to do with Penske Entertainment, or Roger Penske, or the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the IndyCar Series.”

Penske completed the takeover of the American open-wheel series in 2019, and despite the fact that his ownership has coincided with cutting-edge growth in IndyCar, several other teams have often expressed concerns about what they consider preferential treatment given to his team. What the new officiating body of the IndyCar Series will comprise remains to be seen and will be closely watched.

Roger Penske issues statement on the Indy 500 controversy

Roger Penske issued a statement following the controversy his team courted during the qualifying weekend of the Indy 500. The motorsports chief witnessed his IndyCar team thrust into the spotlight for a far-from-pleasant incident regarding two of their cars.

The Mooresville-based outfit saw the cars of Josef Newgarden and Will Power fail a body fit test on the rear attenuator, which prevented both drivers from qualifying during the Brickyard event. Reacting to the slew of discussions that have followed the incident, the Penske team chief issued a statement on X via the Penske team account. It read:

"Nothing is more important than the integrity of our sport and our race teams. We have had organizational failures during the last two years, and we had to make necessary changes. I apologize to our fans, our partners, and our organization for letting them down."

The controversy surrounding the Penske team at the Indy 500 means both Newgarden and Power will start the race at the back of the field. Third driver Scott McLaughlin will start in 10th place after suffering a heavy crash during the final practice session leading up to the qualifying rounds.