Will Power calls Penske dismissals 'a pity,' Josef Newgarden tight-lipped

INDIANAPOLIS — Josef Newgarden wouldn’t say much about the drama surrounding his attempt at a third consecutive Indianapolis 500 victory, as Newgarden and teammate Will Power attempt to rally from the rear of the field on Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Newgarden views his challenge as a "mountain" that he "absolutely" can win after upheaval in the Team Penske organization.

"Right now, I'm trying to remain — what's the way to put this — trying to remain happy," Newgarden said. "This is the Indy 500. I look forward to this time of year every season.

"I can't wait. ... To see all the people that show up and make this what it is, I look forward to that. That's how I feel right now. I'm ready to go racing."

INDYCAR officials found the Newgarden and Power cars had attenuators with the seams filled (considered an illegal modification) prior to the qualifying session Sunday for the top-12 cars from qualifying Saturday. Newgarden and Power were eventually moved to the rear of the field, their strategists were suspended for the 500 and their teams were fined $100,000.

Those penalties were issued on Monday morning by INDYCAR and about 48 hours later, Roger Penske announced he had dismissed three main members of the organization’s INDYCAR executive team – president Tim Cindric, managing director, Ron Ruzewski and general manager Kyle Moyer. In addition to their executive duties, they also served as team strategists for each of the Penske drivers.

"I don't want to disappoint or offend anybody," Newgarden said during his Indianapolis 500 media day news conference. "I'm here to talk about the race."

The talk the last few days has extended back to the 2024 Indianapolis 500 when Newgarden passed Pato O'Ward on the final lap.