INDYCAR cites Rule 9.3.3; Ganassi's Simpson demoted to 20th after Arlington Race

INDYCAR issued a post-Race avoidable-contact penalty after the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington, citing Rule 9.3.3 and placing primary responsibility on the overtaking competitor. Officials ruled Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyffin Simpson (No. 8 Sunoco Honda) initiated a maneuver on the final restart that caused contact with Arrow McLaren’s Nolan Siegel and led to Siegel crashing into Dale Coyne Racing’s Romain Grosjean; INDYCAR reclassified Simpson to the tail end of the lead lap and officially scored him 20th in the revised results. The series said the decision did not change the race winner or the podium.

The Simpson penalty followed an earlier post-Race adjustment 10 days prior that had penalized Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist for an illegal overtake of Team Penske’s David Malukas and dropped Rosenqvist from sixth to the last lead-lap position. With Simpson’s avoidable-contact sanction, Rosenqvist was elevated to 19th in the amended finishing order. Grosjean and Siegel were recorded two laps down in the revised classification (Grosjean 23rd, Siegel 24th), and officials said stewarding decisions altered midpack points and standings.

Series officials said the points swing moved Simpson from a three-way tie for 15th to 17th in the championship standings, while Rosenqvist remained 14th and recovered one of the 18 points he initially lost, leaving a 15-point net loss relative to a hypothetical seventh-place outcome. INDYCAR’s formal announcement was published from race control with no additional sanctions or appeals described; the next NTT IndyCar Series round is scheduled for Sunday, March 29 at 1 p.m. ET at Barber Motorsports Park on FOX.