Penske's Newgarden, Power dropped to rear of Indianapolis 500 grid - ESPN

Two-time defending Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden and Team Penske teammate Will Power will have to start from the final two spots on the grid Sunday after their teams were penalized for violating the rules during qualifying weekend.

IndyCar also announced Monday that the team strategists for the Nos. 2 and 12 have been suspended for the race; the cars will forfeit their qualification points and pit box selections; and each of the entries has been fined $100,000.

It's the second time in just over a year that Team Penske's IndyCar program has been embroiled in controversy.

«The integrity of the Indianapolis 500 is paramount,» IndyCar president Doug Boles said. «As we look to the remainder of the week and race 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 win under completely fair conditions.»

The trouble for Team Penske began before the fast 12 shootout Sunday, when rival team owner Chip Ganassi was among a chorus of competitors who accused it of cheating. They noticed unapproved changes had been made to the rear attenuator, a safety device designed to absorb and deduce the force of impacts, and the assumption was the modifications would have given the two Team Penske cars an aerodynamic advantage in their four-lap qualifying runs.

Tim Cindric, the president of Penske's IndyCar program, said Power passed inspection but officials had flagged Newgarden's car, and he was told neither would pass inspection after making their runs. So, the cars were pulled from the lineup altogether.

Boles initially said late Sunday that Newgarden and Power would join teammate Scott McLaughlin — who had crashed in practice on Sunday and was unable to