INDIANAPOLIS – IndyCar Officiating has dished out a pair of post-qualifying penalties for the Indianapolis 500.
Car No. 4, driven by AJ Foyt Racing’s Caio Collet, and car No. 24, driven by Dreyer & Reinbold Racing’s Jack Harvey, failed post-race technical inspections. Collet was slated to start 10th, but will now start 32nd. Harvey will move from 29th to 33rd.
IndyCar Officiating found that both cars made modifications to the Dallara-supplied Energy Management System (EMS) covers and over-to-A-arm mounting points with unapproved hardware. Per IndyCar’s rulebook, EMS must be used as supplied by Dallara and approved by IndyCar and EMS covers may only be attached with the supplied hardware and Helicopter Tape.
Collet was charting to be the runaway favorite for Rookie of the Year ahead of Mick Schumacher and Dennis Hauger, but he will now be behind both to start the race. Harvey, driving DRR’s one-off entry, will start his ninth Indy 500 from the very back.
EMS covers are carbon fiber that enclose a car’s wheel tethers. These are not allowed to be altered, as doing so can enhance a car’s aerodynamic efficiency.
After last year’s Indy 500, two Andretti cars — driven by Marcus Ericsson and Kyle Kirkwood — failed their post-race tech inspections for similarly altering Dallara’s EMS cover. Ericsson finished second on track but was dropped to 31st, while Kirkwood went from sixth to 32nd.
For the second year in a row, drivers have failed their tech inspections following qualifying for the Indy 500. Last year, it was Team Penske’s three cars failing their inspections for driving with modified attenuators. Now, it’s Harvey and Collet, who race for different teams, being found to have illegal EMS covers.
Following Team Penske’s failed tech inspections and the failed tech inspections of Andretti Global and Prema Racing after last year’s Indy 500, IndyCar sought out a new officiating group that was independent of IndyCar and Penske Entertainment. In December, IndyCar created IndyCar Officiating and the Independent Officiating Board (IOB). Scot Elkins, the managing director of officiating (MDO), began overseeing the IOB six days ago.
Although no cars had failed tech inspections after a race or qualifying this year until now, IndyCar Officiating has been under a microscope following its past two races, the Grand Prix of Long Beach and Sonsio Grand Prix.
In Long Beach, it was found that 12 drivers illegally used push to pass, which gives cars a horsepower boost on road and street courses, on a restart. Rather than penalize those drivers, IndyCar Officiating undid the rule, allowing for push to pass usage on restarts going forward.
At the Sonsio Grand Prix, IndyCar race control was under fire for not deploying a full-course caution when Alexander Rossi’s engine failed on the IMS front straightaway, the fastest part of the track. The decision drew the ire of Rossi and ultimately affected the outcome of the race, which Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard won.
Now ahead of the biggest race of the year, IndyCar Officiating remains a primary storyline.
Zion Brown is IndyStar’s motorsports reporter. Follow him at @z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to the YouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Caio Collet, Jack Harvey fail tech inspections after Indy 500 qualifying; what it means
Reporting by Zion Brown, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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