Fired Team Penske president breaks silence following cheating-related dismissal
Tim Cindric, former president of Team Penske, has spoken out as the scandal sent shockwaves through the racing community.
Outbound Team Penske team president Tim Cindric has broken his silence following his dismissal from his duties in the wake of a cheating scandal which erupted in the lead up to the Indianapolis 500.
The father of NASCAR racer Austin Cindric has been removed from his post alongside two other leading figures. The 57-year-old, who has been President of Penske Racing Inc. for a quarter of a century, was fired along with IndyCar managing director Ron Ruzewski and IndyCar general manager Kyle Moyer. This came after Penske was hit with two major violations heading into the Indianapolis 500.
While Josef Newgarden emerged victorious in the 2024 edition of the world-famous event, he and colleague Will Power's cars were ruled to have been illegally modified prior to upcoming 'Greatest Spectacle in Racing'. As a result, both drivers are set to start the 2025 edition in 32nd and 33rd place on the grid following qualifying.
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After his dismissal following the scandal, fired Penske team president Cindric broke his silence on the matter on X, saying: "It’s been an amazing ride! While my conscience remains clear through all of the noise and accusations, I’m grateful to have so many great people to draw strength from in times like this. Still standing tall!"
Team owner Roger Penske addressed the fallout from the affair as he reinforced his commitment to ensuring the "integrity" of his teams as well as the sport in general. His statement read: "Nothing is more important than the integrity of our sport and our race teams.
"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.
"The integrity of the Indianapolis 500 is paramount, and this violation of the INDYCAR rule against modification to this part and using it 'as supplied' is clear."
IndyCar president J. Douglas Boles added: "The penalty should be more than simply starting where the cars might have qualified anyway, if given the opportunity. The cars belong in the field as two of the fastest 33. However, starting on the tail of the field is the appropriate penalty in this instance."
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Arrow McLaren team principal Tony Kanaan also gave his verdict on Penske parting ways with three leading figures in the aftermath of this scandal. He told The Associated Press: "What he did in firing three people is a big deal.
"I think everyone recognized how big of a deal this is to Roger and now it's just a question of how to move on and how to make sure tech doesn't miss these things again."
Helio Castroneves added: "I believe they did something to look good. I don't think that little (adjusted) lip is going to make them three miles an hour faster. I know how Roger operates. He wants to make everything beautiful, perfect, shiny. I believe it was, again, a mistake, touching an area they're not supposed to."
