Kenny Wallace commends NASCAR reporter Jamie Little hours after “world class” interview with Roger Penske on Indy 500 scandal

Ex-NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace praised Roger Penske for addressing the major shakeup in Team Penske’s Indy 500 lineup. IndyCar found two of the team’s cars running with illegal rear attenuators during last Saturday’s qualifyings and thus, levied heavy penalties.

As per reports, there were fines and suspensions, besides the demotion of Will Power and two-time IndyCar Series champion Josef Newgarden to 32nd and 33rd on this year’s starting grid. Team Penske responded to it on Wednesday by firing Team President Tim Cindric, Managing Director Ron Ruzewski, and General Manager Kyle Moyer with immediate effect.

Needless to say, it caused major unrest within the organization. However, Wallace was impressed by Roger Penske’s diligence and how reporter Jamie Little covered every major aspect of the scandal during her recent interview with the automotive tycoon.

Wallace shared the interview through X, with the following caption:

“You hit every controversial topic @JamieLittleTV . Well done and a world class interview. Also, This is why, Roger Penske is THE MAN. He owned up to everything and addressed everything.”

While some people demand that Team Penske make Newgarden and Power sit out this year, Roger Penske doesn’t agree to that notion. He feels that the cars performed quite well during the qualifyings and, despite all the commotion that followed, earned the right to be in the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500.

“Those cars went through inspection on Saturday, got the sticker, they performed in the top 12 and were available to run on Sunday," Penske told Little. “From that point on, there was a question about our cars on Sunday. We actually pulled the cars and did not make a run because of the question from the officials”

Roger Penske owns the IndyCar Series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which happens to be the home to the series itself. During his exclusive interview with Little, Penske further revealed that there have been talks about setting up a new, independent officiating body for IndyCar.

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“It hurts me in my gut”- Roger Penske reflects on the Indy 500 infraction

Roger Penske was devastated to hear about the infractions and the penalties that came along. To him, nothing is more important than the integrity of his teams and the sport in general.

Reflecting on the same, the 88-year-old motorsports veteran said in a statement (via FOX),

“Believe me, it hurts me in my gut when you think about it. But I look at it this way: There's a certain amount of credibility you have to have — it's integrity, individually and collectively, our team and the sport.”

“I think we let people down. I made some management changes that we announced today and I think we'll move on. Our goal is to win the race this upcoming weekend,” he added.

Team Penske made its official Indy 500 debut in 1969 and have delivered a record 20 wins since then. Flaunting 244 wins, 17 championships, and 305 poles, the Team Penske has been one of the most successful organizations in the history of the IndyCar Series.