Roger Penske has announced significant personnel changes at Team Penske, dismissing three senior figures in the wake of a cheating scandal connected to the Indianapolis 500. Those departing are team president Tim Cindric, IndyCar managing director Ron Ruzewski, and IndyCar general manager Kyle Moyer.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Penske underscored the critical importance of integrity within motorsport and his racing operations. He acknowledged “organizational failures” occurring over the past two years, stating that these measures were essential. Penske conveyed his apologies to fans, partners, and members of the organization for falling short.
The controversy originated when an unauthorized modification was discovered on a part of the cars driven by two-time reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Josef Newgarden and his teammate Will Power. This finding occurred just ahead of the final qualifying round for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.
Consequently, both drivers were prohibited from participating in qualifying. Following the review, they were placed at the rear of the starting grid for the race, set to start from positions 32 and 33.
Competitor teams have expressed opinions that the penalties applied were insufficient, especially as this represents the team`s second cheating incident in as many seasons. There are also concerns that the presence of illegally modified cars may have unfairly prevented Jacob Abel from Dale Coyne Racing from qualifying for the race.
It should be noted that Cindric and Ruzewski had already received suspensions from IndyCar for the Indianapolis 500 race itself, along with fines of $100,000. This is the second consecutive year they have been suspended from this prestigious event.
The issue with the cars emerged prior to Sunday`s `fast 12` qualifying session. Several competitors, notably team owner Chip Ganassi, were among those raising suspicions. They observed unapproved alterations to the rear attenuator, a safety device designed to absorb impact forces. The modifications were believed to grant the affected Team Penske cars an aerodynamic benefit during their qualifying runs over four laps.
This latest incident follows a previous controversy from one year prior, involving a `push-to-pass` system. Newgarden was found to have used an unauthorized boost of horsepower during the season-opening race, leading to his victory being rescinded. At that time, Roger Penske, who holds ownership of both IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, suspended Cindric for two races, including the previous year`s Indy 500.
Tim Cindric is arguably the most prominent figure affected by these recent dismissals. He is an inductee into the Team Penske Hall of Fame and has a long history with the organization, joining in 2000 as President of Penske Racing Inc. His role expanded in 2005 when he became President of Penske Performance, where he effectively oversaw the daily operations of all of Penske`s various racing programs until earlier this year.
Often regarded as Penske`s key executive, Cindric saw a significant reduction in his overall leadership duties in February, a change he publicly stated was a personal decision to step back. However, he did retain the specific role of president for the IndyCar program until his dismissal this week.
Gilbert Pendleton 
Wesley Dunham