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Roger Penske apologizes for errors that resulted in the disqualification of two of his drivers at the opening of the IndyCar season in St. Petersburg. As a result, several team members, including the team president in charge of operations and Josef Newgarden’s engineer, were suspended. Penske conducted a review of the incident and found that the drivers were able to use the “push to pass” on restarts, which goes against IndyCar rules. Team president Tim Cindric explained that the issue occurred because a line of code was accidentally left in the car’s software from a hybrid test. Luke Mason, who was recently promoted to Newgarden’s lead engineer, was also suspended for two races. Team administrative director Ron Ruzewski and Newgarden’s senior data engineer Robbie Atkinson were also suspended for two races. The affected races will be the Indianapolis road course and the Indy 500. Roger Penske expressed regret and apologized for the mistakes made, acknowledging the impact it had on the sport. The team admitted there were significant failures in their internal processes and communications. Despite the explanation, Team Penske faced criticism from various sources, with many in the paddock doubting their explanation about the code left in the car. Pato O’Ward was promoted to victory after Newgarden’s disqualification, ending McLaren’s winless streak in IndyCar since 2022. Will Power, who did not use the “push to pass,” was fined 10 points in the championship due to Penske’s error. The fact that Roger Penske’s companies own both IndyCar and the racing team has been a target of criticism. The disqualifications had a greater impact on McLaughlin and Newgarden, who currently hold the ninth and 15th positions in the standings, respectively. Chevrolet, Penske’s engine supplier, also faced criticism for not noticing the use of “push to pass” between St. Petersburg and Long Beach. General Motors conducted a thorough review and found no evidence of any Chevrolet employee’s involvement in the matter.
