Penske Fires IndyCar Team Executives In Wake Of Indy 500 Rule Violation Scandal

Team Penske’s IndyCar team has let three executives go after two of its cars were penalized for technical violations during Indy 500 qualifying.

Team President Tim Cindric, Managing Director Ron Ruzewski and General Manager Kyle Moyer have left the organization, it was announced on Wednesday.

“Nothing is more important than the integrity of our sport and our race teams,” team owner Roger Penske said in a press release. “We have had organizational failures during the last two years, and we had to make necessary changes. I apologize to our fans, our partners and our organization for letting them down.”

Two of Penske’s cars were also disqualified from the 2024 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg for different violations.

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The situation is particularly awkward as Roger Penske owns the IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway along with Team Penske, although he has distanced himself from day-to-day operations and race strategy with the team.

The cars of Josef Newgarden and Will Power initially passed through tech inspection, but were pulled out of Fast 12 qualifying on Sunday, reportedly after other teams noted an issue with their cars.

IndyCar was going to allow them to start in 11th and 12th position, but later moved them to the back of the field in the 32nd and 33rd spots amid much outcry over the initial decision.