Team Penske suspends four in IndyCar cheating scandal

Field Level Media|published: Tue 7th May, 10:39 2024

Apr 28, 2024; Birmingham, Alabama, USA; Team Penske driver Will Power (12) of Australia, Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin (3) of New Zealand, and Chip Ganassi Racing driver Linus Lundqvist (8) of Sweden celebrate on the podium at Barber Motorsports Park. credits: Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports

Team Penske president Tim Cindric, managing director Ron Ruzewski and two others were suspended for two races — including the Indianapolis 500 — following an internal review of the recent push-to-pass penalties levied by IndyCar.

Engineers Luke Mason and Robbie Atkinson also will not participate in this weekend's Sonsio Grand Prix or the Indy 500 on May 26.

"Following the penalties to the Team Penske IndyCar team and drivers after Long Beach, Team Penske has completed an internal review," the team said in a statement on Tuesday. "After a full and comprehensive analysis of the information, Team Penske has determined that there were significant failures in our processes and internal communications.

"As result, Luke Mason (No. 2 race engineer) and Robbie Atkinson (senior data engineer) will be suspended from Team Penske for the next two IndyCar races, including the Indianapolis 500. In addition, Ron Ruzewski (managing director, Team Penske IndyCar) will also be suspended for these two races along with Tim Cindric (president of Team Penske), who has accountability for all of Team Penske's operations."

Roger Penske, who owns IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, apologized for his team's actions in a statement:

"I recognize the magnitude of what occurred and the impact it continues to have on the sport to which I've dedicated so many decades," he said. "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."

Pato O'Ward was credited with the win on the Streets of St. Petersburg following a rules violation that disqualified Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin from the March 10 race in Florida.

All three Team Penske cars were flagged for inspection. Newgarden (driver of the No. 2) won the race and McLaughlin (No. 3) finished third behind O'Ward, but those results were tossed by the circuit after an investigation showed they violated push-to-pass parameters.

Will Power's No. 12 was penalized 10 points as officials found he did not benefit from the violation, IndyCar said.

—Field Level Media