Team Penske is currently under intense scrutiny in the IndyCar world following a recent controversy involving the use of the push-to-pass system. The issue came to light after the season-opening race in St. Petersburg, Florida, where Josef Newgarden was stripped of his victory and Scott McLaughlin was disqualified despite finishing third.
Will Power, a driver for Team Penske, has denied any knowledge of the manipulations to the push-to-pass system until after the recent race at Long Beach. Power emphasized that he did not illegally use the mechanism during the St. Petersburg race and was unaware of the situation until it was brought to his attention.
IndyCar penalized Power and his teammates, docking points and imposing fines on all three Penske drivers. The team explained that the push-to-pass system was mistakenly left on their cars after a test session for upcoming hybrid engines, leading to the controversy.
While Power accepted the penalty, he maintained his innocence, stating that he followed the rules and did not utilize the push-to-pass capabilities during any start or restart at St. Petersburg. McLaughlin also admitted to briefly using the system but claimed it was unintentional.
IndyCar prohibits the use of push-to-pass on starts and restarts, and the issue was discovered in California when a glitch affected all cars except the Penske entries. The governing body deemed the systems illegal and forced the team to correct them before the race.
Team owner Roger Penske expressed embarrassment over the scandal, and Newgarden, the affected driver, is set to address the issue in a news conference. The disqualification dropped Newgarden from first to 11th in points, impacting his contract negotiations with Penske.
Despite the controversy, Pato O'Ward was named the winner of the St. Petersburg race, marking Arrow McLaren's first victory since 2022. The situation has added a layer of complexity to the ongoing IndyCar season, with fans eagerly awaiting further developments in this unfolding saga.
