Team Penske has announced the immediate departure of its IndyCar Team President, Managing Director and General Manager in the wake of its Indy 500 qualifying disqualification.
The IndyCar paddock was rocked during qualifying for the Indy 500. The Team Penske cars of Josef Newgarden and Will Power were suddenly withdrawn after failing technical inspection.
The reason for the failure was a severe one – the team had attempted to filled in the seams of the attenuator at the rear of the car. In a sport where every inch of aerodynamic gain can make all the difference during qualifying, this was a clear illegal move.
Team Penske suffered severe ramifications for its technical infringement. Team President, Tim Cindric, Managing Director, Ron Ruzewski and were suspended for the rest of the 2025 Indy 500. The team itself was fined a hefty $100,000.
Indycar confirmed on Monday that both cars will start from the final row in Sunday’s race, having been penalised for the severity of the infringement.
Action from Team Penske
In response to the decisions taken by IndyCar, Penske has taken its own, decisive action. In a brief statement released on its website and social media, the team announced the departure of Cindric, Ruzewski, and General Manager Kyle Moyer.
“Team Penske announced today the departures of INDYCAR Team President, Tim Cindric, INDYCAR Managing Director, Ron Ruzewski and INDYCAR General Manager Kyle Moyer from the organization. Team Penske will have further announcements this week related to personnel and replacements for this weekend’s Indianapolis 500.“
Team owner Roger Penske also released a statement, highlighting what he called ‘organizational failures” at Team Penske.
“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.”
Remaining Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin has been exempted from punishment. He crashed heavily before the Fast 12 session, destroying his car.
IndyCar officials examined his car, and found it to be within regulations. He starts 10th, the highest placed Team Penske car on the 2025 Indy 500 grid.
