What to know about the Penske scandal that has rocked IndyCar

Roger Penske took a tough stance this week by suspending two senior leaders and two engineers ahead of the Indianapolis 500 as punishment for a cheating scandal that has engulfed his IndyCar team.

The issue centers on Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden’s illegal use of his car’s push-to-pass system in his March 10 season-opening victory at St. Petersburg, Florida. IndyCar stripped Newgarden of the win and teammate Scott McLaughlin of his third-place finish, docking both and fellow Penske driver Will Power 10 points each and hitting all three with $25,000 fines.

The Penske suspensions are the latest fallout from an incident that is unusual for IndyCar (first disqualification in 29 years) and for Penske, the IndyCar series owner and motorsports giant whose image has generally been considered one of the most impeccable in auto racing.