NASCAR driver Kyle Larson attended the seventh day of practice for the Indy 500 on Monday, May 19, while preparing to attempt the double at the event. When asked about the recent Team Penske scandal involving the withdrawal of Josef Newgarden’s and Will Power’s cars from qualifying, Larson chose not to comment, instead focusing on his own performance.
The controversy arose after inspections found unauthorized modifications to Team Penske’s Chevrolet attenuators. As a result, the #2 car driven by Newgarden and the #12 car driven by Power were withdrawn from the Top 12 qualifying session. The team opted to pull both cars to avoid further penalties.
The following day, IndyCar officials announced that both Penske entries would be moved to the back of the starting grid and fined $100,000 each for the violation. Despite the significant repercussions for Team Penske, Larson, who qualified just outside the top 20, declined to engage with questions about the incident during a press conference after the Day 7 practice session.
“No. I really don’t have, like, an opinion on it. I don’t. Even in the NASCAR side of it, Buescher got hit with his penalty, but I don’t even know what it was and don’t really care. It doesn’t affect me in our team, so… I don’t really get too involved when it’s other teams,” Kyle Larson said.
Limited NASCAR driver reactions to Larson’s Indy 500 qualifying showing
Kyle Larson secured 21st place in Saturday’s qualifying for the 2025 Indy 500, which improved to 19th following the penalties handed to two Team Penske cars. Immediately afterward, Larson traveled to North Wilkesboro Speedway for the NASCAR All-Star Race.
When reporters asked if other drivers from the NASCAR Cup Series had shown interest or made comments about his Indy 500 qualifying run, Larson revealed minimal interactions.
“No, I only talked to a couple of guys there that were curious about what’s going on here. It was a really fun race. I really enjoyed it. That’s by far the best short track we have in NASCAR. It’s really racy. We have grip, can run multiple lines. Yeah, it was fun. We were running third after taking two tires. Was just starting to rip the top really fast and got loose in and smashed the wall, ended our race,” Kyle Larson said.
During the All-Star Race, Larson had been running among the leaders until his #5 Hendrick Motorsports car lost control, resulting in a collision with the wall that pushed him toward the back of the pack.
Implications of Larson’s focus and Team Penske’s penalties
Kyle Larson’s decision to stay silent on the Team Penske Indy 500 scandal underscores his intent to prioritize his own racing goals amid the ongoing controversy. The penalties inflicted on Team Penske have disrupted qualifying and shuffled the starting grid, impacting the competitive landscape of the race.
Larson’s performance and mindset reflect a focus on personal execution rather than the controversies surrounding his competitors. Moving forward, his position just outside the top 20, combined with the shifting grid order, will shape his strategy as the Indy 500 progresses. Meanwhile, Team Penske faces heightened scrutiny and potential challenges after the inspection violations and their consequent penalties.
