Chip Ganassi: Team Penske needs to be held to ‘higher standard to protect the sport’

On Sunday, in the course of the second day of qualifying for the 109th working of “The Best Spectacle in Racing,” it was found that the vehicles of Group Penske’s Josef Newgarden and Will Energy had an illegally modified part.

They have been disqualified from making a four-lap run, and INDYCAR a day later hammered the group: Newgarden, the two-time defending race winner, was dropped to thirty second within the area and Energy was moved to final for this weekend’s Indy 500.

Chip Ganassi, the CEO of Chip Ganassi Racing, was considered one of many who complained to INDYCAR inspectors and Penske executives that the vehicles have been unlawful on Sunday. The following day, he remained disillusioned within the drama that’s now overshadowing the largest race on the planet, one that’s offered out for the primary time since 2016.

“I feel all groups have a sure accountability to uphold the integrity of the game, in any sequence, and no group greater than group Penske,” Ganassi mentioned on an episode of “Kevin Harvick’s Joyful Hour” set to be launched Thursday.

“They’ve had a lot success over time, and it’s a group that everyone has heard of, and so they have success all over the world in plenty of completely different sequence, in order that they have to be held to the next commonplace to guard the game, particularly with the funding that Roger Penske has on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and within the INDYCAR Collection and his enterprise, for that matter,” Ganassi added.

Newgarden is making an attempt to develop into the primary driver to win the Indy 500 in three consecutive years, however no driver has received after beginning on the final row. Energy, in the meantime, is in a contract 12 months and Group Penske has maintained it would not start discussions on an extension till after the five hundred. Requested final week about Energy’s future with the group, Cindric advised AP: “Nicely, if he wins the five hundred, that will make for a a lot simpler dialog.”

Now, Newgarden and Energy are in deep holes regardless of having nothing to do with the state of affairs.

“They’ve a accountability to guard the game — all of us do,” Ganassi advised Harvick. “Everybody that’s in it wants to guard the game, and it’s definitely an issue when the pursuit of successful compromises the integrity and sportsmanship. That’s what you might have.”

The Related Press contributed to this story.

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