On Tuesday morning, Team Penske announced suspensions of key personnel within the team’s IndyCar crew over the Push to Pass cheat that was uncovered in the preceding weeks.
The team conducted a comprehensive internal investigation, and found “significant failures in our processes and internal communications.”
As a result of those findings, four personnel have been suspended for the next two races, which includes the Sonsio Grand Prix and the 108th Indianapolis 500.
Tim Cindric is the most high profile suspension, with the President of Team Penske having accountability across all of the team’s operations.
Managing Director Ron Ruzewski is also suspended, as are the #2 crew’s race engineer Luke Mason and Senior Data Engineer Robbie Atkinson.
The statement stopped short of admitting there was an intentional effort to circumvent IndyCar’s rules, but made no attempt to excuse the actions of the team.
Roger Penske was quoted in the team’s press release, where he apologized for what his team’s actions have done to the image of the series.
“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,” said Penske.
“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.”
IndyCar already levied its penalty after the cheat was discovered, disqualifying Josef Newgarden from his St. Pete win and Scott McLaughlin from his podium finish. Will Power was also docked 10 championship points.
In addition, all three teams were fined $25,000 and were forced to forfeit all prize money associated with the opening round of the season.
Team Penske having its management suspended during the Indy 500, which is the crown jewel of IndyCar, is among the most severe punishments that could have been levied short of outright termination.
It was not announced how the team will be restructured during the Month of May, or who will step in to fill the open positions for the next two rounds of the championship.
Discussion about this post