He won the pole with Italian team Prema Racing, a dominant European organization that this season expanded to IndyCar. Shwartzman has never before raced on an oval and will start alongside two-time winner Takuma Sato and Pato O’Ward, who lost to Newgarden on the last lap year.

Josef Newgarden is gunning for the first-ever Indy 500 three-peat, but his attempt has been overshadowed by the discovery that his car was one of two illegal Team Penske cars. Penske is a powerhouse racing organization and a 20-time Indy 500 winner,

Roger Penske’s credibility was tested this week and he fired the top three executives of his IndyCar team because the cars of two-time defending race winner Josef Newgarden and Will Power failed inspection.

Agajanian driver Hélio Castroneves (06) speaks Saturday, May 24, 2025, during the drivers meeting on Legends Day ahead of the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Drivers look at their rings Saturday,

After all the drama at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this month, nothing seems too farfetched for the 109th Indy 500