PENSKE STILL AIMING TO WIN

Roger Penske is still intent on winning the 2025 Indianapolis 500 despite the biggest cheating scandal in the history of his team.

'The Captain' has fired three of his longest-serving lieutenants and publicly apologised for the behaviour of Team Penske during the lead-up to this year's Indy 500, which followed a 'push to pass' controversy during the 2024 IndyCar sales.

Even so, there are ongoing calls for proper transparency from the man who owns everything in IndyCar – the series, the benchmark team and the Brickyard itself.

Rumours out of Indianapolis suggest the rear-end problem with the attenuator on the back of the Team Penske cars was highlighted by a whistle-blower – possibly rival team boss Chip Ganassi.

In any case, Penske is trying to park the problems until this year's race is run and won and went so far as addressing the drama during an exclusive interview with Jamie Little on the Fox network in the USA.

"Believe me, it hurts me in my gut," Penske said.

"We have had an organisational failure two times. Not once, two times.

"I think we let people down. I look at it this way: there is a certain amount of credibility you have to have. It's integrity, collectively and individually."

He highlighted his response to the Indy drama, including the firing of Tim Cindric, a 26-year veteran of Team Penske and one of the key players in the successful Supercars assault with DJR Team Penske.

"I made some management changes . . . and I think we'll move on. Our goal is to win the race this coming weekend," Penske said.

Cindric had been set to run strategy for Josef Newgarten in this year's race and has not taken any responsibility for the Team Penske dramas.

“While my conscience remains clear through all of the noise and accusations, I’m grateful to have so many great people to draw strength from in times like this," he said on social media.

"Still standing tall. It’s been an amazing ride,” Cindric wrote.

Scott McLaughlin, whose car was not implicated in the scandal and will start from position 10 while his team mates Newgarten and Will Power will be on the back row of the traditional 33-car field, it's still about the race.

"Looking back only gives ya a sore neck. Big motivation heading into the weekend. This one means more," McLaughlin said.

For Penske, it's all about the race despite calls to punt his cars out of the field.

"As far as I'm concerned, they earned the right to be in the 109th running of the Indy 500," he told Fox.

He also spoke about the turmoil surrounding events at Indy and his plan for the future of his team and the series.

"I can look myself in the mirror and say 'I have done the right thing'," he began.

"People have come to me and said 'You're supposed to be a leader'. I've got to earn back that credibility. The last thing I want to do is tarnish it.

"My thinking is we've got to make it better. I've got to help do that."