Team Penske and its members have a tough challenge to overcome after the IndyCar outfit was caught in a cheating scandal ahead of the 2025 Indianapolis 500. The president of the team, Tim Cindric, was fired last Wednesday for his part in the infringements, and the reverberations were also felt in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Advertisement
Two of the three cars that Team Penske wanted to enter in the Indianapolis 500 were found carrying illegal modifications during the qualifying session last weekend. The promotion voided championship points and levied huge fines on the team for this.
Ryan Blaney, while addressing the penalty at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, said he wasn’t concerned about the negative image resulting from what transpired in the IndyCar Series affecting the team’s NASCAR operation. The 2023 Cup Series champion asserted that they were one team under Roger Penske and would follow him all the way.
“I am not really concerned that it’s going to bleed over into our deal. We have to move forward. It’s definitely unfortunate for them. I feel for those guys and that group,” Blaney said.
Tim, the father of his teammate Austin Cindric, is also a good friend of Blaney. So, processing the entire ordeal has been tricky for him.
“Tim was one of the first guys I met over at Team Penske. He was in the very first meetings with me and my dad. He had a huge impact on my career and my life. He’s been a friend of mine ever since I walked in the door that day. He definitely meant a lot,” Blaney said.
Why Tim was fired from Team Penske
After IndyCar penalized and fined Team Penske, team owner Roger went a step ahead and fired three top executives. This list included Tim Cindric, Ron Ruzevski (IndyCar managing director), and Kyle Moyer (IndyCar general manager).
“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,” read a statement from Penske.
The Associated Press reported that all the other team owners were satisfied with how Penske dealt with the issue, firing those responsible. The focus now shifts to how IndyCar will prevent such mistakes in the future.
