Team Penske came into the Iowa Speedway doubleheader needing a strong weekend. Instead, they left with their worst-case scenario fully realized. All three of their drivers — Will Power, Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin — were officially eliminated from the 2025 IndyCar championship race. And while the math confirmed it, anyone watching already knew it was coming.
This was supposed to be their turning point. Iowa has long been Penske territory. Newgarden had won six times on the short oval. The team had claimed eight of the last nine races there. If there was ever a place where they could stop the bleeding and salvage the season, it was here.
In Race 1, it almost looked like they might.
Newgarden dominated most of Saturday’s (July 12) race and looked like his old self. McLaughlin started last after a crash in qualifying but carved his way through the field to finish fourth. Power stayed clean and competitive. All three Penske drivers finished in the top four. But it still was not enough. Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward snatched the win with a better-timed final pit stop. For a team like Penske, coming so close only made it more painful.
Race 2 was a complete collapse.
McLaughlin did not make it past the first lap. He was caught in a multi-car incident, ending his weekend immediately. Power had to retire again due to a mechanical failure. That was his third in four races. Newgarden, who once dominated at Iowa, had terrible timing. He pitted just before a caution came out, not once but twice, which dropped him to the back of the lead lap both times. He managed to fight back toward the front on both occasions but ultimately finished a frustrating 10th.
That kind of weekend is hard for any team. But for Team Penske, it is especially difficult. This is not a team that aims for top 10s. This is a team that expects to win. The fact that all three of their cars are now out of the championship with five races left is not just disappointing. It is historic.
Even worse, they did not get eliminated while chasing wins or taking big chances. They were beaten by strategy issues, poor reliability, bad timing, and a lack of execution. On a track they once dominated, they looked average at best.
Right now, Power is their highest-placed driver in the standings, sitting eighth. He is more than 270 points behind Alex Palou. McLaughlin and Newgarden are further back and both trail drivers from A. J. Foyt Enterprises. That is not just a rough weekend. That is a serious problem.
Iowa did not just confirm these eliminations. It confirmed what many have already been thinking for weeks. Team Penske is not in a slump. They are no longer relevant. And while they will almost certainly come back stronger in the future, this past weekend will be remembered as the moment their 2025 season officially came to an end.
