"It's just simple, don't cheat": Pato O'Ward's blunt message to Roger Penske after Indy 500 scandal surfaces

Pato O'Ward had a blunt reaction to Team Penske's 2025 Indy 500 scandal, which has now come to light in season 3 of the IndyCar docuseries, 100 Days to Indy. The Arrow McLaren driver called out Roger Penske after his team got caught 'cheating' during the Indy 500 qualifying.

The No. 2 and No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolets of Josef Newgarden and Will Power were found to have illegally modified rear attenuators. Though the part wasn't a performance enhancer, the team had to pull its cars out of Fast 12. The next day, IndyCar announced that the two entries were fined $100,000 each, demoted to the back of the 33-car grid for the race, and the strategists on both cars were suspended.

It was the second time in less than 15 months that Team Penske was found guilty of a technical infraction after its 2024 push-to-pass scandal in St. Pete. Roger Penske was 'devastated' upon learning about the happening and fired the top brass of his organization's IndyCar arm.

Pato O'Ward had heavily criticized Team Penske in the aftermath of the scandal. A new set of his comments has now surfaced in S3 E3 of 100 Days to Indy, which was recently released on the Indycarlive platform.

"No (IndyCar isn't short of drama), and it always seems to be the same people," O'Ward said. "The same people with the same scandal in less than a year. It's not a good feeling, it's not a good look, it's not good for anybody."

The Mexican driver directed his frustration at Roger Penske, who owns IndyCar and also a team that competes in the series, which had added to the controversy.

"Changes have to happen. Otherwise, the series is at risk of losing a lot of trust within the paddock. The guy that owns the series, his team is the one that keeps getting caught by cheating. It's just simple - don't cheat. And if you're gonna cheat, don't get caught, especially when you own the series. Like, come on!" Pato O'Ward added.

IndyCar listened to all the criticism after the scandal and began working on creating an independent governing body from 2026 onwards to solve the 'optics challenge' that arose as a result of Roger Penske owning and governing the series and also having a team that competes in it. An update on that front is expected soon.

Pato O'Ward defended Team Penske drivers after Indy 500 scandal

Pato O'Ward at the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 - Carb Day - Source: Getty

While Pato O'Ward was highly critical of Team Penske, he defended Josef Newgarden and Will Power. The Arrow McLaren driver claimed that drivers aren't aware of every minute technical detail on their car, and the controversy was a result of the team's doing.

"I don't think Josef knew," O'Ward said. "I don't think the drivers know, because I wouldn't know... if my car was illegal, I would have no idea. The driver can't be worrying about that. That's why you rely on your team. You rely on your team to give you tools in order to fight, but you hope that they're within regulation."

The closest Pato O'Ward came to winning the Indy 500 was in 2024. He was leading the race in the closing stages, but Josef Newgarden overtook him on the final lap to secure his second consecutive victory at the Greatest Spectacle of Racing.

In the aftermath of the 2025 Indy 500 scandal, it was found that Newgarden's 2024 Indy 500-winning car, which was on display at the IMS museum, also had illegally modified rear attenuators. However, there was no way to go back in time and reverse the decision, especially when the cars had made it past technical inspection last year. O'Ward had the same perspective, admitting that Newgarden had won the race on merit.