Josef Newgarden 'cheating' scandal, explained: What to know about Team Penkse's Indy 500 controversy

Ahead of the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 this weekend, a scandal has rocked the race involving the defending champion.

Josef Newgarden, who has won each of the last two Indy 500s, is one of two Team Penske drivers who were penalized after failing inspection in qualifying over the weekend. Team Penske, the winningest team in Indy 500 history, has had its share of controversy over the past few years.

As a result, Penske took matters into its own hands by making changes to its leadership just days ahead of the biggest race of the year. Two of Penske's three drivers during the race will be forced to start the race from the back of the pack.

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Here's a breakdown of what happened ahead of this weekend's Indy 500.

Josef Newgarden cheating scandal

During Indy 500 qualifying last weekend, Penske drivers Josef Newgarden and Will Power used illegally modified spec parts on their cars during the races. The cars were found with unapproved changes to their rear attenuators, which gave them advantages during the race.

Initially, Power's car passed inspection, but after Newgarden's car was flagged, officials failed both cars and dropped them to the back of the lineup for the Indy 500. Scott McLaughlin, the third Penske driver in the race, passed inspection and will start at the No. 10 spot despite crashing during qualifying practice.

"This violation of the IndyCar rule against modification to this part and using it 'as supplied’ is clear," IndyCar president Doug Boles said. "The penalty should be more than simply starting where the cars might have qualified anyway, if given the opportunity. The cars belong in the field as two of the fastest 33, however, starting on the tail of the field is the appropriate penalty in this instance."

MORE: Did Kyle Larson qualify for Indy 500? 

What is an attenuator?

An attenuator is a device used to absorb and reduce the impacts of forces during a race. Modifying the attenuator can give the cars an "aerodynamic" advantage in the race.

Team Penske firings

After Newgarden and Power were found to have violated the IndyCar rules, Team Penske fired president Tim Cindric, IndyCar managing director Ron Ruzewski and IndyCar general manager Kyle Moyer on Wednesday.

"Nothing is more important than the integrity of our sport and our race teams," Roger Penske said, via ESPN. "We have had organizational failures during the last two years, and we had to make necessary changes. I apologize to our fans, our partners and our organization for letting them down."

Penske made that decision after holding meetings with other team owners regarding the scandal. In the end, Penske decided to hold the team accountable for the incident.

MORE: Full results from Indy 500 qualifying

Who is Tim Cindric?

Tim Cindric was Penske's team president since 2006, and he has been with Penske since 1999. The 57-year-old was in hot water last year in a push-to-pass scandal during a race in Long Beach, and had recently taken a step back from his responsibilities as a result.

Indy 500 starting grid

This is how the drivers will line up on Sunday.

Josef Newgarden Indy 500 wins

Newgarden is the two-time defending champion at the Indy 500, having won both the 2023 and 2024 races.

The American has two of Penske's record 20 wins in the Indy 500, winning the races at starting position No. 17 in 2023 and position No. 3 in 2024.

He looks to become the first-ever three-peat winner at the Indy 500 in 2025.