“We had three cars with a problem. I own the series, I own the team, and I’m going to fix it,” said Team Penske owner, Roger Penske. In the high-powered world of IndyCar racing, where precision and integrity go side by side, the weight of leadership often falls heavily on those responsible for upholding the sport’s competitive standards. With 20 Indy 500 victories and 17 IndyCar Championships, Team Penske knows the stakes of performance and professionalism. But with recent disturbances, Roger Penske’s team has drawn the attention of fans and insiders alike.
As the 2025 racing season unfolds, the Team Penske paddock has been ablaze with controversy. A few days back, the team was fined $100,000 on each entry, with their strategists fired for good on facing cheating allegations after a failed inspection at the Indianapolis 500 that sent the qualifying drivers Josef Newgarden and Will Power to the back of the starting grid. The controversy was related to the attachment of illegal attenuators to the #2 and #12 cars ahead of the Indy 500 qualifying session.
In response to this, Team Penske released an official statement apologizing for their misconduct, but people were still not satisfied. This was the second time that the team had done something so against the game’s principles, as this comes a year after their ‘push to pass’ scandal in 2024 at the Firestone Grand Prix in St. Petersburg, where they used increased horsepower on restarts. Penske was under the pump and decided it was time to make some harsh calls. He fired three of the most important team members, including Team Penske’s IndyCar Team President Tim Cindric, IndyCar Managing Director Ron Ruzewski, and IndyCar General Manager Kyle Moyer.
In the aftermath of this ugly situation, Team Penske driver Will Power has shared thoughts on what he believes to be an avoidable situation.
Will Power feels that Roger Penske was pressured
So far, Team Penske has not announced its reorganization or replacement plans, but the team owner, Roger Penske, spoke about his decision to the media the same morning. “Nothing is more important than the integrity of our sport and our race teams,” said Roger Penske. “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.”
In an interview after the news of the firings broke out, the Team Penske driver, Will Power, spoke to Bruce Martin about Roger Penske’s decision. “It’s a shock and a pity. It’s the pressure from outside,” said Power. “Roger had to make a tough decision. These were very credible people. The infraction was very minor, and it wasn’t a performance gain. I feel bad for everyone involved in that situation, I really do.” Power is right, it was;t a performance gain at all, and he’s not the only one to voice this out.
3x Indy 500 champion and former Team Penske driver Helio Castroneves said, “I don’t see this as a situation that people are cheating. In terms of performance, I don’t think it would have changed anything.” Echoing this sentiment, IndyCar driver for Andretti Global, Colton Herta, reflected on the push to pass scandal and how that was far worse than this infraction.
Herta said, “I’d imagine that would equate to the smallest margins of drag. It is still disappointing to see the team get caught up in something again, but sorry, this is way different than 50 extra horsepower, and I won’t be passed because of what they did.” Regardless of the sentiment that no competitive advantage was gained, the reputation that it precedes is not pretty, and Penske had no choice but to do something radical.
Responding to a question from @BruceMartin_500, Will Power comments on the Team Penske firings: “It’s a shock and a pity. It’s the pressure from outside. Roger had to make a tough decision. These were very credible people. The infraction was very minor and it wasn’t a performance…
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) May 22, 2025
After all, Roger Penske owns the IndyCar Series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Having his Team Penske cars caught in a cheating scandal two years in a row, and the latest being at a track he owns, is not a good look, regardless of how big or small the infraction is. McLaren Racing Chief, Zak Brown, summed it up best when he said, “In racing, you can sometimes have mechanics who make miscalculations and you can sometimes have manufacturing issues that can all lead to honest mistakes. I don’t believe that’s what happened here or last year, which raises questions over the integrity of the decision-making within that team.”
Roger Penske, in an interview with Jamie Little, reflected on the events that transpired and his disappointment, underscoring the emotional and professional toll that the controversies have taken, not just on his team but also on his personal vision for the sport. “I really need to go back,” said Penske. “4 years ago when we bought the speedway, I said No. 1, that I would invest capital, I get the best people and we take the Series, IMSP and surely Indianapolis Speedway to higher levels… and when I think about Team Penske, we have really had an organizational failure two times, not once but two times, an believe me it hurts me in my gut.”
As a man who leads from the top down, his introspection may prompt a change beyond just personnel decisions. Can Team Penske rebuild the trust it once commanded?
Will Tim Cindric’s dismissal affect Austin Cindric?
While Tim had been a long-standing employee at Team Penske, several people have believed that Cindric’s departure from the team may have an impact on his son, Austin. Austin Cindric is a fourth-year Cup Series driver for Team Penske in the #2 Ford and has stood out like a sore thumb during Roger Penske’s most dominant stretch in the Cup Series. Could Penske seek to explore better drivers if Austin underperforms again? Well, Tim Cindric certainly can’t stop him anymore.
After winning the Daytona 500 in his rookie season in 2022 and dominating in the Xfinity Series with the 2020 Championship, Cindric’s time as a Cup driver has left a lot to be desired, if we compare him to his teammates. The #22 Joey Logano has three championships overall, and 2 since Cindric’s arrival. #12 Ryan Blaney won the 2023 Cup Series Championship, marking every year of Austin Cindric’s Team Penske tenure with a championship, while Cindric has not even made the Championship Round.
Austin’s results in the recent series have been very inconsistent, with 3 career wins and no more than one win in a season. The Penske driver is clearly lacking the edge that his teammates have. Cindric missed the playoffs in 2023, and when he did make it in 2022 and 2024, he could not keep up with the intensity of racing, with just one top-10 finish in the 2022 playoffs and 4 in the 2024 playoffs.
Although no assumption can be made on how Cindric’s dismissal can affect his son’s immediate performance but all eyes will be on Austin from now on as he proves that he can emerge as the team’s frontman through his efforts and dedication. But an even bigger question arises — will Team Penske want to keep him around after firing his dad?
Let us know what you think of the sticky situation at Team Penske in the comments!
The post Shocking Twist in IndyCar Exec’s Controversial Firing as Roger Penske’s Driver Drops Bold Claim appeared first on EssentiallySports.
