In a major move to help restore integrity to his racing operation and business empire, Roger Penske has issued some severe penalties to four key members of management at Team Penske ahead of the 108thIndianapolis 500.
Team President Tim Cindric and managing director Ron Ruzewski will not be traveling with the team to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Both have been suspended for the next two IndyCar Series races including the 108th Indianapolis 500.
Cindric is the race strategist for Josef Newgarden, the defending Indianapolis 500 winning driver.
Also, Luke Mason (No. 2 Race Engineer) and Robbie Atkinson (Senior Data Engineer) will be suspended from Team Penske for the next two IndyCar races.
All four were part of the IndyCar push-to-pass scandal when it was revealed that March 10 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg winner Josef Newgarden and third-place finisher Scott McLaughlin’s Chevrolets had a manipulated push-to-pass system that allowed them to use it on starts and restarts. Newgarden and McLaughlin were both disqualified, and Arrow McLaren driver Pato O’Ward was awarded the victory.
Will Power’s Chevrolet also had the manipulated system, but the driver did not use it on starts and restarts. He was penalized, but not disqualified.
The decision was announced at 7:30 a.m. Eastern Time and is in response to the push-to-pass scandal from the March 10 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
According to the team, an internal review was held and after a full and comprehensive analysis of information, there were “significant failures in our processes and internal communications.”
“I recognize the magnitude of what occurred and the impact it continues to have on the sport to which I’ve dedicated so many decades,” team owner Roger Penske said. “Everyone at Team Penske along with our fans and business partners should know that I apologize for the errors that were made and I deeply regret them.”
Penske also owns IndyCar, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the Indianapolis 500.