Josef Newgarden's IndyCar win disqualified; Pato O'Ward named winner - ESPN

Team Penske was dealt a humiliating disqualification Wednesday when reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden was stripped of his victory in the IndyCar season-opening race for manipulating his push-to-pass system.

Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin, who finished third in the opener on the downtown streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, also was disqualified. Will Power, who finished fourth at St. Pete, was not disqualified, but he was docked 10 points.

Additionally, all three Penske entries were fined $25,000 and forfeited all prize money associated with the race. Power has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

Roger Penske owns the race team, the IndyCar Series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, host of the Indy 500.

«Very disappointing,» Penske said in a text message to The Associated Press. «I am embarrassed.»

The reverberations were immediate throughout the paddock.

«I've emulated Roger Penske for many years on and off the track, so today's news is quite a disappointment for me,» rival team owner Chip Ganassi told the AP. «This is a blemish on his team, their organization and the series. Very disappointing as a fellow owner and competitor in the series.»

The disqualifications gave the victory to Pato O'Ward, who finished second. It is the first win for McLaren's IndyCar team since 2022.

Although Newgarden is accused of cheating in the March 10 opener, IndyCar said the manipulation wasn't discovered until Sunday morning's warmup in Long Beach, California — nearly two months later.

«The integrity of the IndyCar Series championship is critical to everything we do,» IndyCar president Jay Frye said. «While the violation went undetected at St. Petersburg, IndyCar discovered the manipulation during Sunday's warmup in Long