Team Penske President Tim Cindric and three others have been suspended for two races – including the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 _ in the aftermath of a cheating scandal.
(Photo by Joe Skibinski | IMS Photo)

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio

INDYCAR chairman and team-owner Roger S. Penske has suspended Team Penske President Tim Cindric and three others for two races – including the 108^th running of the Indianapolis 500 – in the aftermath of the cheating scandal hovering over the sport as it rolls into the all-important “Month of May” at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden – the reigning Indy 500 champion – had his victory in the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg disqualified last month for illegal use of the series’ push-to-pass regulations. Teammate Scott McLaughlin’s result in the March 10 Florida street race also was DQed, while Will Power was assessed a 10-point penalty.

Penske said in an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press that a review conducted by his general counsel found no “malicious intent by anyone” within the team, attributing the incident to a breakdown in internal processes and miscommunication.

“We’re the same company we have been for 50 years and I’m going to hold my head high,” Penske told The Associated Press. “This is an unfortunate situation and when you’re the leader, you have to take action. We’ve done that and we’re going to move on. I am not trying to run a popularity contest.”

Penske Entertainment Corp., a subsidiary of Penske Corporation, acquired the NTT IndyCar Series, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IMS Productions in January 2020.

As president of Penske Performance, Cindric oversees all of the open-wheel organization’s operations as well as serving as Newgarden’s race-day strategist. Also suspended was Team Penske Managing Director Ron Ruzewski, Newgarden engineer Luke Mason and senior data engineer Robbie Atkinson.

Penske told The AP that Cindric and Ruzewski “raised their hands as the team leaders” to accept responsibility for the scandal.

An extensive INDYCAR review of data from the race on the Streets of St. Pete revealed Team Penske manipulated the overtake system so that Newgarden’s No. 2 Chevrolet, McLaughlin’s No. 3 Chevrolet and Power’s No. 12 Chevy had the ability to use push-to-pass on starts and restarts. According to the INDYCAR rulebook, use of overtake is not available during championship races until the car reaches the alternate start/finish line.

It was determined the No. 2 and the No. 3 cars gained a competitive advantage by using push-to-pass on restarts while the No. 12 did not. Additionally, all three entries were fined $25,000 and forfeited all prize money associated with the Florida race.

In addition to the Indy 500 on May 26, the suspensions include Saturday’s Sonsio Grand Prix on the 2.439-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course. That event will lead into a week of practice and qualifying for the Indy 500 on the famed 2.5-mile oval. Team Penske will try to win “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” a record-extending 20^th time.

Penske told The AP the suspensions at IMS were “a big deal, a significant impact to the team, to the individuals involved. I talked to all of them and the goal was, ‘How can we move forward and be competitive and win? Win the next two races?’ That was the feeling I had when I left the meeting.”

Cindric, regarded as Penske’s “right-hand man” and heir-apparent to his 87-year-old boss, clearly is the biggest name slapped with suspension.

“For Ron and I as leaders of this team, it’s not about what we did, it’s about what we didn’t do,” Cindric said in a statement. “It is our responsibility to provide the team and all our drivers with the right processes to ensure something like this can’t happen. For that, I apologize to Roger, our team and everyone that supports us. Our No. 1 job is to protect and enhance the reputation of our brand and that of those that support us.

“In that regard, as the overall leader, I failed, and I must raise my hand and be accountable with the others. This is a team, and in my position, it’s the right thing to do.”

Ruzewski and Atkinson both work on Power’s No. 12 Chevrolet, with Ruzewski serving as the two-time series champion’s strategist. Power, a native of Australia, is the only Penske driver not accused of wrongdoing in the push-to-pass scandal. Penske acknowledged that fact and said the suspensions to his crew members were based solely upon their roles within the team.

None of native New Zealander McLaughlin’s team members were punished.

When asked what Newgarden needed to do to regain the respect of his competitors, Penske told The AP, “He’s got to do it on the racetrack. I think he understands the gravity of this thing and I need to support him.”

Penske also said he remains committed to Newgarden, a two-time series champion, and is trying to sign him to a contract extension. Penske said negotiations with the 33-year-old Newgarden are ongoing, but “for sure I do” want to re-sign him.

NTT IndyCar Series Point Standings _ 1, Colton Herta, Andretti Global, 101; 2, Will Power, Team Penske, 100; 3, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 98; 4, Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 94; 5, Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 87; 6, Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, 71; 7, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, 67; 8, Linus Lundqvist, Chip Ganassi Racing, 62; 9, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, 59; 10, Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, 58;

11, Alexander Rossi, Arrow McLaren, 53; 12, Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing, 53; 13, Romain Grosjean, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 50; 14, Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global, 49; 15, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 48; 16, Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 48; 17, Christian Lundgaard, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 48; 18, Marcus Armstrong, Chip Ganassi Racing, 45; 19, Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, 45; 20, Augustin Canapino, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 39;

21, Jack Harvey, Dale Coyne Racing, 35; 22, Tom Blomqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 34; 23, Pietro Fittipaldi, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 28; 24, Theo Pourchaire, Arrow McLaren, 27; 25, Sting Ray Robb, A.J. Foyt Racing, 23; 26, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, 22; 27, Callum Ilott, Arrow McLaren, 19; 28, Colin Braun, Dale Coyne Racing, 10; 29, Nolan Siegel, Dale Coyne Racing, 10; 30, Luca Ghiotto, Dale Coyne Racing, 9.