Roger Penske, the owner of IndyCar, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), and Team Penske, has experienced sleepless nights following the recent controversy involving Team Penske’s violations at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. According to AP Sports journalist Jenna Fryer, Penske struggled to sleep the night before making the difficult decision to fire key members of his organization, including Team President Tim Cindric, IndyCar Managing Director Ron Ruzewski, and IndyCar General Manager Kyle Moyer.

Team Penske driver Will Power shared insight into Penske’s emotional state, stating, “I know it was very tough for him. He said that. He said he didn’t sleep the night before because he had to make a very hard decision”. This turmoil comes ahead of the 2025 Indy 500, where both Power and fellow Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden will start from the back of the grid—Power in 33rd position and Newgarden in 32nd. Both are former winners of the prestigious race.

Roger Penske, who purchased the sport and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from the Hulman family in 2019, has been a central figure in IndyCar’s recent development. Reflecting on the current situation, Penske expressed deep disappointment, particularly with the outcome of the recent events. In an exclusive interview with FOX, he stated, “I would say that I’m totally disappointed with the outcome, certainly on Sunday. I really have to go back four and a half years ago when we bought the Speedway, and I said, number one, that I would invest capital, I’d get the best people, and we’d take the series, and certainly Indianapolis Motor Speedway to higher levels. I think we’ve done that”.

However, Penske also acknowledged significant organizational failures within Team Penske, noting, “Then I look at my right hand and say, what about Team Penske? And when I think about Team Penske, we really have had an organization failure two times, not once, but two times. And believe me, it hurts me in my gut when you think about it”.

Despite the controversy, Team Penske has enjoyed considerable success at the Indy 500 in recent years. Josef Newgarden, the team’s star driver, won the race in both 2023 and 2024 and was aiming to become the first driver ever to win the Indianapolis Motor Speedway event three consecutive times in 2025. However, starting from 32nd position this year will make that feat extremely challenging.

In a surprising turn, IndyCar rookie Robert Shwartzman earned the pole position for the 2025 Indy 500 after a shock performance in the final qualifying round, setting the stage for an unpredictable race ahead.