IndyCar points leader Palou to suffer grid penalty in Nashville

The penalty is for an unapproved engine change following the 10-car test at Portland International Raceway last week.

IndyCar revealed that the team was in violation of Rule 16.2.3.2 – “A fifth (5^th) Engine is eligible to earn Engine Manufacturer points if a Full Season Entrant has completed the Full Season Entrant Engine Mileage with its first four (4) Engines. Otherwise, a fifth (5^th) or more Engine does not earn Engine Manufacturer points and will be considered an Unapproved Engine change-out."

According to the rulebook, the penalty for such a change comes at the series’ next event.

This is the second such penalty for the #10 Ganassi-Honda. His car required a new engine after Carb Day’s final practice for the Indianapolis 500 – by which time all race engines for the 500 had been fitted – when Honda Performance Development spotted an unspecified problem.

That meant for Race 1 at Belle Isle, Detroit, he lost six places on the grid, and after a qualifying session where he struggled anyway, that left him starting 25^th. He went on to finish 15^th in the race.

Palou currently heads the NTT IndyCar Series table by 39 points, ahead of Pato O’Ward of Arrow McLaren SP-Chevrolet. These are the only drivers in 2021 to rack up two wins over the course of the first 10 races.