Alex Palou and Chip Ganassi Racing's outing in the 2026 Indy 500 was turned upside down when the governing body found them violating the regulations after post-race technical inspection. Palou's No. 10 entry, which started from pole and finished seventh, was docked five points, and CGR was fined $10,000 for the violation.

IndyCar's statement stated that the issue was an unintentional modification when assembling the front wing. It violated Rule 14.7.6.7.1., according to which "the front wing must not measure less than 8.300 inches when set at any angle, while installed on the INDYCAR technical inspection fixture."

Chip Ganassi Racing accepted the penalty and chose not to contest it. In a statement on X, the team said:

"During technical inspection following Sunday's Indianapolis 500, a part failure was discovered in the front wing assembly of the No. 10 car. The failure caused the wing to fall out of compliance with INDYCAR's technical parameters post-race, resulting in a $10,000 fine and a 5-point penalty in the championship standings."

Making their intentions clear, the statement added, "Chip Ganassi Racing did not attempt to gain an unfair advantage in the race, and accepts this penalty."

Despite the penalty, Alex Palou keeps leading the championship with 273 points and has a 37-point advantage over Team Penske's David Malukas, who finished second in the race. Kyle Kirkwood is at third with 224 points after seven races.

Alex Palou Felt Helpless During Final Indy 500 Stages

Alex Palou, having started from pole, was consistently part of the leading pack in the 110th Indy 500 on Sunday. He led a field-high 59 laps, but the caution periods in the second half of the 200-lap event got the better of him and CGR's strategy.

Following the conclusion of the race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Palou opened up about his day. Speaking about how he tried his best to defend his Indy 500 crown, he admitted in the post-race interview that he could not do much in the latter stages of the race.

"I tried everything, but we didn’t really have much. I tried to get a good restart, but I think it was (Rinus) Veekay who jumped the start a little. He did, like he completely nailed it, and I got stuck behind him. Couldn’t really do much. I was hoping for a good restart on my side, but it wasn't enough today," Palou said.

Felix Rosenqvist of Meyer Shank Racing won the Indy 500 in the race's closest finish ever, ahead of Team Penske's David Malukas. The latter's Team Penske teammate, Scott McLaughlin, finished on the final step of the podium, while Pato O'Ward and Marcus Armstrong wrapped up the top five.

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Written by

Sabyasachi Biswas

Edited by

Yask Kotak