Penske suspends 4, including team president Tim Cindric, for IndyCar cheating scandal
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The fallout from Team Penske’s IndyCar cheating scandal continued Tuesday with the suspension of several key team members, including president Tim Cindric.
“After a full and comprehensive analysis of the information, Team Penske has determined that there were significant failures in our processes and internal communications,” the team said in a statement.
In late April, IndyCar officials disqualified winner Josef Newgarden and Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin from the March 10 season opener at St. Petersburg after discovering the push-to-pass software system on all three Penske cars had been manipulated to allow the drivers to use the technology on starts and restarts.
As a result, four team members have been suspended for the next two IndyCar races, including the Indianapolis 500:
- Tim Cindric, President of Team Penske
- Ron Ruzewski, Managing Director – Team Penske IndyCar
- Luke Mason, race engineer for Josef Newgarden
- Robbie Atkinson, senior data engineer
Team owner Roger Penske, who also owns the NTT IndyCar Series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, apologized for his team’s actions.
“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. 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.”
Team Penske later issued a statement from Cindric, who it says “has accountability for all of the team’s operations.”
“For Ron and I as leaders of this team, it’s not about what we did, it’s about what we didn’t do. 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 number one 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.”
Team Penske IndyCar engine provider Chevrolet on Friday denied any knowledge of the cheating scandal and said it hired an independent law firm to investigate whether GM employees were involved.