Penske focused on moving forward after firings from cheating scandal - ESPN

INDIANAPOLIS — Roger Penske personally told Will Power about the firings of Team Penske's top three executives — a decision Power said his boss made after a sleepless night contemplating how to handle a cheating scandal ahead of the Indianapolis 500.

«I know it was very tough for him. He said that. He said he didn't sleep the night before because he had to make a very hard decision,» Power said Thursday, one day after the shocking dismissals of team president Tim Cindric, IndyCar managing director Ron Ruzewski and IndyCar general manager Kyle Moyer.

Penske cleaned house after the cars for both Power and two-time defending Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden failed inspection ahead of Sunday's final round of qualifying. The cars were found to have modified a spec part — the rear attenuator is a safety part and IndyCar said it has found no evidence the Team Penske filling a seam on it provided a competitive advantage.

But, it was the second major technical violation for Team Penske in just over a year. The team last year was found to have illegal access to its push-to-pass system at times the drivers should not have been able to gain the additional boost of horsepower. Newgarden was stripped of last year's season-opening victory once IndyCar discovered the team was illegally using the software.

Power expressed sympathy for Penske, who owns the three-car race team, IndyCar, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500. Penske confirmed to new television partner Fox Sports that IndyCar is exploring an independent governing body that does not consist of Penske employees.

«I feel bad for him. He's in a very tough spot in that situation,» Power said of Penske. «You could tell it was heavy on him. Tough, tough