Following an internal assessment of IndyCar’s recent push-to-pass penalties, Team Penske president Tim Cindric, managing director Ron Ruzewski, and two others were suspended for two races, including the Indianapolis 500.
Engineers Luke Mason and Robbie Atkinson will also miss this weekend’s Sonsio Grand Prix and the May 26 Indy 500.
“Following the penalties imposed on the Team Penske IndyCar team and drivers following Long Beach, Team Penske has completed an internal review,” the team said in a statement on Tuesday. “After doing a thorough review of the data, Team Penske discovered that there were severe flaws in our systems and internal communications.
“As a result, Team Penske will suspend Luke Mason (No. 2 race engineer) and Robbie Atkinson (senior data engineer) for the next two IndyCar races, including the Indianapolis 500. In addition, Ron Ruzewski (managing director, Team Penske IndyCar) will be suspended for these two races, as will Tim Cindric (president of Team Penske), who is responsible for all Team Penske operations.”
Roger Penske, the owner of IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, issued a statement apologizing for his team’s actions.
“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 stated. “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 won on the Streets of St. Petersburg after Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin were banned from the March 10 race in Florida due to a regulation infraction.
The three Team Penske cars were flagged for inspection. Newgarden (driver of the No. 2) won the race, while McLaughlin (No. 3) finished third behind O’Ward, however their results were overturned by the circuit after an investigation revealed they broke push-to-pass rules.
Will Power’s No. 12 was punished 10 points after officials determined he did not benefit from the transgression, according to IndyCar.
