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The Indy 500 Masters Josef Newgarden and Will Power were hit with a larger penalty less than a week before the green flag falls to the race.
The Hold -Pensk drivers are forced to start the back of the field over modified dampers, the Indycar series announced on Monday. The team strategists for both drivers were suspended for the race.
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Will Power, from Australia, runs through the first trip during the exercise to the Indianapolis 500 Auto Race at Indianapoli Motor Speedway in Indianapolis on Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
“The integrity of the Indianapolis 500 is most important and this violation of the Indycar rule against changing this part and using it ‘as delivered’ is clear,” Indycar President J. Douglas Boles said in a statement. “The penalty should be more than just starting, where the cars may have qualified anyway if they get the opportunity. The cars belong in the field as two of the fastest 33; it is the appropriate punishment in this case to start the field in the field.”
Indycar said Newgarden and Power will lose qualifying points and they were fine of $ 100,000.
“The positive momentum around the NTT Indycar series and Indianapolis 500 has been on a steep crescendo for the past several months, and we want it to be clear that our intention is to maintain this momentum and discourage teams from putting Indycar in positions, calling for the integrity of our official and the level of the game field,” added Boles.
Will Power, Left and Josef Newgarden were moved to the back of the package. (AP)
Rookie Indy 500 Driver Robert Shwartzman celebrates Historic Pole Victory
“When we look at the rest of the week and run this weekend, we will do everything we can to make it clear that this is not only the best racing on the planet, but racing, where the best victory under fully fair relationship.”
Indycar said, according to Fox Sports, an illegal filling was found in the seaman’s nail.
Team Penske President Tim Cindric said on Sunday that the change was made to make the vehicles slim and not to give it an advantage.
“In our eyes it is not a performance advantage, but at the end of the day, if they do not like the seam being filled, they do not like the seam being filled,” Cindric said via Fox Sports. “You have to do what the inspection process is and abide by it.”
Newgarden won the Indy 500 in 2023 and 2024. Power won the race in 2018.
Each driver now has to pull off a fantastic racing to get to the front and possibly win the race.
Indy 500 will be released on May 25 on Fox with pre-coverage, which starts at 1 p.m. 10 et. It will also be available to stream live on Foxsports.com and the Fox Sports app.
