When the green flag drops next Sunday for the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500, the most successful team in IndyCar history will be among the favorites. Team Penske looks to rebound after what was a forgettable 2025, a year that included a high-profile cheating scandal that sent shockwaves through the sport. Two of Penske’s cars were sent to the back of the grid, one of which was two-time Indy 500 champion Josef Newgarden. Roger Penske’s team arrives at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a series-leading 20 victories in the Indy 500, but also a point to prove.
Newgarden leads the charge in his 15th Indy 500. The 35-year-old is entering his 10th season for Team Penske, sporting his signature Shell No. 2. Newgarden won back-to-back in 2023 and 2024, becoming just the sixth driver in 110 years of racing to go consecutive, but his 2025 title defense unraveled before the race even began. He began the race from the rear and made quick work of the field, reaching sixth position before being forced to retire due to mechanical failures. Newgarden currently has 32 career wins, the most out of any active American driver in IndyCar, but he knows something is different about this race.
“I love trying to win this race,” he said Friday. “We've got a great group of people constantly pushing each other forward.”
A win in next Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 would mean Newgarden has won three of the last four Indy 500s, a feat that hasn’t been done since Wilbur Shaw won in 1937, 1939 and 1940.
Scott McLaughlin is also carrying some unfinished business into the next two weeks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After qualifying on pole in 2024, McLaughlin had a difficult run in the 2025 Indianapolis 500. The New Zealander crashed on the pace lap in 2025, ending his race before it started. McLaughlin has been trying relentlessly to right the wrongs of last year.
“I'd be lying if I said it now that this is something that I want more than anything in the world,” McLaughlin said. “I'd love to win this race, and I'm working really hard to do that.”
Finally, one of the most intriguing storylines of the entire race might be David Malukas. Malukas is in his first year at Team Penske and is gearing up to run in his fourth Indy 500. The Chicago native is currently third in the IndyCar championship standings, and finished runner-up in the Sonsio Grand Prix earlier this month.
“Being a part of Team Penske has always been a dream come true," Malukas said. "I can show 110% of myself.”
The Penske cars have been fast in practice all week, and look to make Roger Penske happy next Sunday for the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500.
