Chevrolet denied on Friday any knowledge of the IndyCar cheating scandal within Team Penske and said it hired an independent law firm to investigate whether
IndyCar nearly two months later discovered that the push-to-pass software system on all three Penske cars had been manipulated to override series rules and allow the drivers to utilize the boost of horsepower during restarts.
IndyCar has not released the data, but reigning
Will Power, fined because his car had the same software but not accused of any wrongdoing, said he never touched the button on starts or restarts because he knew it was against the rules. Team Penske was only discovered during the morning warm-up ahead of the
Newgarden has offered his reasoning as incorrectly believing there had been a rule change; Team Penske maintains the newer software was used in August for hybrid engine testing and its removal for the 2024 race cars was overlooked. The hybrid systems won't be introduced for competition until after the Indy 500.
Penske rivals have said they are insulted by the team's unbelievable explanations, they firmly believe that Newgarden's team was cheating all along, and that far too much data exists for no one at Penske or Chevrolet to have noticed the software was wrong.
Reuss said Friday that “Chevrolet engaged a third-party law firm to conduct a thorough review of the matter, and they found no evidence that any Chevrolet employee had any knowledge of or involvement in the matter.”
Reuss added that Chevy will work with IndyCar and its partner teams to assist in aiding the integrity of the series.
IndyCar is owned by
Newgarden, a two-time series champion, is in a contract year with Penske. He is scheduled to be feted Saturday at the
___
© 2024 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved., source