Boss Roger Penske ‘Cleans House’ as He Fires Cup Star’s Father & Many Amidst Indy 500 Scandal

In 2024, Team Penske found itself at the heart of an ugly controversy in the IndyCar world. Josef Newgarden, the team’s star driver, had won the season opener in St. Petersburg. Shortly after, officials discovered that he had illegally accessed the push-to-pass system. He gained extra horsepower while others couldn’t. The system, installed well before the race, immediately raised red flags. Roger Penske was quick to act, suspending top team executives.

He called the violation an “organizational failure” and took full responsibility, stating, “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. This is an unfortunate situation, and when you’re the leader, you have to take action.” The fallout was huge. Michael Andretti slammed Penske’s response, saying, “None of the stories matched up… They knew exactly what they had.” The scandal stirred debates across the IndyCar paddock, particularly since Penske owns not only the racing team but also the series and the track itself. Some said, integrity was on the line.

But what seemed like a one-time failure has now returned dramatically. Just one year after the push-to-pass mess, Team Penske is in the firing line once again. This time, it wasn’t about software but physical parts, that too ahead of the Indy 500. Illegal modifications to the cars led to disqualifications and the removal of key figures from within Penske’s ranks. Among those shown the door, shockingly, was Tim Cindric, the father of NASCAR Cup driver Austin Cindric. The team president and Penske’s closest racing aide is gone. The message is loud and clear: Roger Penske is cleaning house.

Sport integrity and competition are above team ownership for Roger Penske

It all blew up during Indy 500 qualifying. Just before the Fast 12 session, rival teams spotted something strange on the rear of Team Penske’s cars. Josef Newgarden and Will Power had unapproved modifications to their rear attenuators. These devices are meant for safety, but the changes gave an aerodynamic edge. The breach was obvious, and the consequences came fast. IndyCar stripped both cars from qualifying.

Officials sent Newgarden and Power to the back of the 33-car grid, fined each team $100,000, and suspended their race strategists. The controversy escalated when fans discovered that Newgarden’s 2024 winning car, now on display in the museum, featured the same illegal modification. Even the car shown at the White House visit had it. Photos and videos surfaced, raising deep concerns about how long this cheating had been going on. Now, Penske, who’s facing the ire of the racing community decided to make his move, and he dropped the hammer.

In the initial fallout, Penske fired his NASCAR Cup driver, Austin Cindric’s father, and IndyCar Team President, Tim Cindric. IndyCar removed Managing Director Ron Ruzewski, General Manager Kyle Moyer, and him. In a strong statement, Penske said: “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 have had to make necessary changes. I apologize to our fans, our partners, and our organization for letting them down.”

Team Penske statement and Roger Penske quote on Team Penske INDYCAR personnel changes: pic.twitter.com/EmzWY7YUnX

— Team Penske (@Team_Penske) May 21, 2025

This wasn’t a quiet change. These were top names, with decades of experience in Penske’s empire. Their exits stunned the paddock. Most notably, Tim Cindric was considered the heartbeat of Team Penske. He joined the organization in 1999 and, since then, has helped Team Penske to win more than 400 races and 31 championships across IndyCar, NASCAR, and sports car racing. He was often seen as Penske’s likely successor in racing operations. His firing sent a clear message that no one, not even family, is above the rules when the sport’s honor is at stake.

It marked the end of an era at Penske Racing. Notably, this comes hours after IndyCar President’s comments highlighting how devastated Roger Penske was. “This is devastating to him. Nothing means more to Roger Penske than the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500. I can tell you that Roger Penske would not condone this. There are things that happen that don’t ever get to Roger,” Boles said. He insisted that Penske had no involvement in the penalties and backed the officials’ decisions.

Penske’s IndyCar authority in question!

Amid the developing situation around the Indy500 scandal, the IndyCar paddock is divided. Some support Roger Penske for taking swift action against his team, even if it meant firing close allies like Cindric. Others are far less forgiving. After two cheating scandals in a year or so, voices from rival teams are now openly questioning whether Penske should continue to oversee the very series in which he competes.

Michael Andretti was the first to raise doubts back in 2024. Now, with a second cheating case exposed, he’s not alone. “All I can say is, if that had happened on our team, we would have immediately fired [Andretti Chief Operating Officer] Rob Edwards if something was going on that I didn’t know about,” he said last spring. Now, Chip Ganassi echoes his words. “They had an issue there, and I think … all teams have a certain responsibility to uphold the integrity of the sport in any series, and no team more than Team Penske… It’s certainly a problem when the pursuit of winning compromises integrity and sportsmanship,” he said on Kevin Harvick’s show.

The optics of this situation are hard to ignore. Penske owns IndyCar, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the team that broke the rules twice. The controversy has sparked calls for an independent governing body to oversee tech inspections and enforcement. Some believe only outside regulation can prevent future scandals and rebuild trust. However, not all voices are critical. Helio Castroneves, a former Penske driver, believes the team wasn’t cheating deliberately. “I firmly believe Team Penske was not cheating,” he told reporters.

He suggested that people misunderstood the modifications or made them for non-performance reasons. As the Indy 500 approaches, attention shifts back to the track. But in the garages and boardrooms, deep questions remain. Can Roger Penske truly wear both hats? Can IndyCar maintain integrity when its most powerful figure is also its most penalized competitor? Only time, and perhaps further reforms, will tell.

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