Chevrolet has conducted and concluded an independent investigation into whether General Motors/Ilmor employees were aware of that the push-to-pass system hold had been bypassed by Team Penske at the season opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
It concluded no such awareness.
Josef Newgarden had his victory in the event stripped, alongside third-place finisher Scott McLaughlin, with teammate Will Power also receiving a 10-point penalty for having the override but not using it during the race.
General Motors President Mark Reuss issued a statement detailing the process and expressing support for the punitive actions taken by the sanctioning body last week.
“We respect the decision and actions of IndyCar as well as Team Penske’s commitment to improve their processes and controls,” Reuss said. “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. Chevy looks forward to engaging with IndyCar and our partner race teams to assist in any enhancements that further support the integrity of IndyCar competition.”
This was the first time IndyCar had a win stripped away since Al Unser, Jr. was disqualified at Portland International Raceway on June 26, 1995. Unser had his victory re-instated after winning on appeal. Team Penske has accepted its penalty and will not appeal.
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.