O’Ward Calls Out Penske Violations: “They Should Have Been Disqualified Yesterday”

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief

Pato O’Ward has no sympathy for Team Penske.

Team Penske, who have a record 20 victories in the Indianapolis 500 that include the last two years with Josef Newgarden, were unable to qualify for the 109th edition of the historic race after cars for both Newgarden and Power failed pre-qualifying inspection. Scott McLaughlin, last year’s pole-sitter, crashed in practice ahead of the Fast 12 time trials and was unable to compete.

The infractions against the cars of Newgarden and Power, the 2018 Indy 500 winner, were busted due to manipulation to the attenuator.

Moments after O’Ward firmly planted his No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet on the outside of the front row with a third-place qualifying spot, he was asked during the post-qualifying press conference about his thoughts on the Penske violations.

“They weren’t accidentally doing it because they had the blowtorch right there in order to get it out,” said O’Ward, runner-up in two of the last two Indy 500s.

O’Ward then expressed sympathy for Dale Coyne Racing’s rookie, Jacob Abel, who was bumped from the Field of 33, and suggested the Penske cars should have been the ones battling in Last Chance Qualifying.

“Honestly, I feel for Abel and for everybody that did the disqualifications or the last chance qualifying,” O’Ward said. “Those [Penske] cars weren’t in regulations.

“I’m not an engineer, so I can’t tell you what they were doing, how much speed that it is or if it is any speed. Obviously it’s not in regulation. The rule is pretty black and white.”

And O’Ward went even further, noting that although the issues were found ahead of the fight for pole, the Team Penske cars were likely not in compliance with regulations on Saturday, the opening day of Indy 500 qualifying that locks in the top 30 in the field; the LCQ being a battle among four drivers for the final three spots on Sunday ahead of the pole fight.

“Those cars should have been in the last chance qualifier,” O’Ward said. “Like, those cars should have never — obviously they didn’t do anything in the Fast 12, but they should have been brought into the LCQ because they had that yesterday, I guarantee you. Until someone pointed it out today. Those cars, if they’re disqualified today, they should have been disqualified yesterday.

“It’s a shame really because they don’t need to be doing that stuff. They’re a great team. They have got great drivers. Why are doing that? It makes no sense.”