Penske suspends Cindric in wake of a cheating scandal

Roger Penske has suspended the president of Team Penske along with three others for the next two races for their roles in the cheating scandal that has rocked IndyCar ahead of the Indianapolis 500.

Penske said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press that a review done by his general counsel found no "malicious intent by anyone” and chalked up the incident as a breakdown in internal processes and miscommunication.

He also said he remains committed to reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden, who was stripped of his March 10 victory for the scandal, and is actively trying to sign the two-time IndyCar champion to a contract extension.

“We're the same company we have been for 50 years and I'm going to hold my head high,” Penske told the AP. “This is an unfortunate situation and when you're the leader, you have to take action. We've done that and we're going to move on. I am not trying to run a popularity contest.”

The scandal dates to the IndyCar season-opener in March won by Newgarden. Six weeks later, the series discovered that the three Penske cars were able to use a software system to get a horsepower boost on starts and restarts, which is against the rules.

Tim Cindric, who oversees all Team Penske operations and is the strategist for Newgarden, is the top name to receive the tworace suspension, which includes the showcase Indy 500 on Memorial Day weekend. Also suspended was team managing director Ron Ruzewski, Newgarden engineer Luke Mason and senior data engineer Robbie Atkinson.

Cindric and Ruzewski “raised their hands as the team leaders” to accept responsibility for the mess, Penske told AP.