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INDIANAPOLIS — Pato O’Ward will have his first unobstructed view coming across the bricks when the green flag drops Sunday for the 109th Indianapolis 500 as, unlike last year, there will be nobody from Team Penske out front, or in the second or third rows.
And, O’Ward said, they shouldn’t be in the fourth row, either. Josef Newgarden’s No. 2 failed the qualifying tech inspection and Will Power’s No. 12, which passed with the same modification, was pulled back by Penske, team president Tim Cindric said. Neither ran in Fast 12, which means two-time reigning champion Newgarden will start 11th and 2018 champion Power in 12th as decided by Saturday’s qualifying times.
That Newgarden was caught with a body fit violation on the rear attenuator, and Power had the same outfit, leads to questions about Saturday’s qualifying rounds, O’Ward said.
“They weren’t accidentally doing it because they had the blowtorch right there in order to get it out,” he said. “Honestly, I feel for Abel and for everybody that did the disqualifications or the last chance qualifying. Those cars weren’t in regulations.
“I’m not an engineer, so I can’t tell you what they were doing, how much speed that it is or if it is any speed. Obviously it’s not in regulation. The rule is pretty black and white. Those cars should have been in the last chance qualifier. Like, those cars should have never — obviously they didn’t do anything in the Fast 12, but they should have been brought into the LCQ because they had that yesterday, I guarantee you. Until someone pointed it out today. Those cars, if they’re disqualified today, they should have been disqualified yesterday.
“It’s a shame really because they don’t need to be doing that stuff. They’re a great team. They have got great drivers. Why are doing that? It makes no sense.”
O’Ward will start third after running his four-lap Fast 6 qualifying in 232.098 mph. With cooler track temperatures Saturday, Newgarden sat third in 233.004 mph Power sat 10th in 232.144 mph.
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