Current:Home > ContactIndyCar disqualifies Josef Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin from St. Pete podium finishes -InvestPioneer
IndyCar disqualifies Josef Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin from St. Pete podium finishes
Charles H. Sloan View
Date:2025-04-11 10:49:44
Team Penske's pair of podium finishers from the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg have been disqualified − with its third entry docked 10 points − after IndyCar officials deemed the team to have violated rules around the use of its push-to-pass system for the race held 45 days ago.
Josef Newgarden, who led 92 of 100 laps to win from the pole, and Scott McLaughlin, who finished third, have free-fallen out of the top-10 in IndyCar's early title race after the penalties, which gave Pato O'Ward and Arrow McLaren the victory − the driver and team's first since July 2022 at Iowa.
IndyCar says it first discovered a possible rules violation during Sunday morning's warmup for the Grand Prix of Long Beach, which led to a deeper investigation.
"An extensive review of data from the race on the Streets of St. Petersburg revealed that Team Penske manipulated the overtake system so that the No. 2, 3 and 12 cars had the ability to use Push to Pass on starts and restarts," the series' release Wednesday morning read. "According to the IndyCar rulebook, use of overtake is not available during championship races until the car reaches the alternate start-finish line."
In a statement posted to X, Team Penske president Tim Cindric explained that the team had not removed the push-to-pass software it had been using during preseason hybrid testing ahead of the season-opener that allowed for early deployment, leading to the rules violation. During the $1 Million Challenge at The Thermal Club two weeks after St. Pete, drivers were allowed to engage push-to-pass immediately upon starts and restarts, so after the violation wasn't detected at St. Pete, Long Beach would've been the next logical chance for IndyCar's technical inspection crew to discover the inequity.
IndyCar's review determined that Newgarden and McLaughlin both gained a competitive advantage from early use of push-to-pass during starts and restarts at St. Pete, while Will Power did not − leading to his No. 12 entry only being docked 10 points, from a championship standpoint. Interestingly, with Power moving up two spots from fourth to second (and gaining eight points in the process), he only lost two points in totality, compared to where he was sitting post-Long Beach.
"Team Penske accepts the penalties applied by IndyCar," the end of Cindric's statement read.
The team's namesake, Roger Penske, owns the IndyCar series.
veryGood! (5)
Related
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- Disappointed Democrats stick with Biden after rough debate performance
- Louisville Finally Takes Stock of Abandoned Waste Dump Inside a Preserved Forest
- Evacuation orders lifted for some Arizona residents forced from their homes days ago by a wildfire
- The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
- Martin Mull, scene-stealing actor from 'Roseanne', 'Arrested Development', dies at 80
- Florida Panthers celebrate Stanley Cup with parade, ceremony in rainy Fort Lauderdale
- Inside the Real Love Lives of Bridgerton Stars
- Trump's 'stop
- Baseball Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda dies at 86
Ranking
- Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
- The Latest | Polls are open in France’s early legislative election
- Terry Dubrow and Heather Dubrow's Family Photos Are Just What the Doctor Ordered
- Yung Miami Leaves Little to the Imagination on 2024 BET Awards Red Carpet
- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
- LeBron James intends to sign a new deal with the Lakers, AP source says
- Horoscopes Today, June 28, 2024
- Colorado couple rescued from camper after thief stole truck while they slept inside
Recommendation
South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
Olivia Culpo Marries Christian McCaffrey in Rhode Island Wedding Ceremony
Yung Miami Leaves Little to the Imagination on 2024 BET Awards Red Carpet
Looking forward and back as the Civil Rights Act turns 60
Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
Will Smith Flips the Switch With New Song at BET Awards 2024
Detroit cops overhaul facial recognition policies after rotten arrest
US wants Boeing to plead guilty to fraud over fatal crashes, lawyers say