A.J. Foyt gives honest take on Team Penske's cheating scandal in IndyCar

Apr 28, 2024; Birmingham, Alabama, USA; Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin (3) of New Zealand on the back stretch at Barber Motorsports Park. Mandatory Credit: Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports

Team Penske has been the main topic in the NTT IndyCar Series paddock since penalties from St. Petersburg were revealed. Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin were disqualified, while Will Power was docked 10 points as Team Penske manipulated the Push to Pass parameters. McLaughlin went on to win at Barber Motorsports Park, but this story isn’t going away.

In fact, IndyCar team owner A.J. Foyt spoke to the Associated Press’ Jenna Fryer and gave an honest take on the “cheating scandal.” Despite most people attacking Team Penske, Foyt took a different approach and defended them.

“I think the drivers thought they could use the [system] at a certain time, and it turned out they couldn’t, so I think it was all just a big misunderstanding,” Foyt said. “I have known [Roger Penske] longer than anyone in my career. He is straight up. He’s not a B-plus guy, he’s an A-plus guy. He doesn’t need to cheat for his cars to win races and I really respect him for standing up to the owners and offering his side.”

Team Penske either made a mistake like Foyt suggested, or the team and drivers are playing dumb about the situation. Either way, it isn’t great that IndyCar has to deal with its drama, especially when the organization owns the series. Team Penske will try to move forward, but this story isn’t going away, as many questions remain unanswered.

This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: A.J. Foyt gives honest take on Team Penske’s cheating scandal in IndyCar