For the second straight race, Penske’s two-time champion Newgarden will suffer a grid penalty, this time for running his fifth engine of the season.
In the streets of his home city of Nashville, Newgarden crashed in the dying moments of the second stage of qualifying, which automatically incurs a loss of fastest lap for disrupting the final flying laps by rivals.
That dropped him to 12th on the grid, but after suffering damage on the opening lap and dropping as low as 20th after also being wrong-footed by the limping car of eventual winner Marcus Ericsson, Newgarden still clawed his way up to 10th at the finish.
IndyCar’s official statement is that Penske violated Rule 16.2.3.2: “A fifth engine is eligible to earn engine manufacturer points if a full season entrant has completed the full season entrant engine mileage with its first four (4) engines.
“Otherwise, a fifth or more engine does not earn engine manufacturer points and will be considered an unapproved engine change-out.”
The rulebook stipulates that the penalty for such a change comes at the series’ next event on 14 August, IndyCar’s second visit to the Indy road course this year.
Newgarden currently lies fourth in the championship, behind Chip Ganassi Racing-Honda duo Alex Palou and Scott Dixon, and Arrow McLaren SP-Chevrolet’s Pato O’Ward.
The 30-year-old, who won the second of three races held on the Indy road course last year, is 75 points behind points leader Palou.
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