Penske suspends one of its top men

The Penske team, one of the most important in the IndyCar series, has suspended several of its top executives and engineers after admitting errors in its management during the Long Beach race. Luke Mason, race engineer for car number 2, and Robbie Atkinson, data engineer, will be suspended for the next two races, including the iconic Indianapolis 500. Likewise, Ron Ruzewski, the team's director, and Tim Cindric, Penske's president, will also face suspensions.

The team issued a statement in which Roger Penske, the founder of the team, acknowledged the impact of the errors and apologized to the fans and partners of the team. "I deeply regret the errors made," he said.

Tim Cindric, on the other hand, took responsibility for the lack of internal controls and committed to protecting the team's reputation. "Our main job is to protect and improve the reputation of our brand and those who support us," Cindric said.

The incident highlighted the importance of careful management and a clear focus on the IndyCar season, especially with prominent events like the Indianapolis 500 on the horizon.

Context of the sanctions

The regulatory body of INDYCAR imposed sanctions on Team Penske after identifying violations in the use of the overtaking system during the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The violations involve cars No. 2 of Josef Newgarden and No. 3 of Scott McLaughlin, which have been disqualified, while the No. 12 driven by Will Power received a 10-point penalty.

During the technical review, it was discovered that Team Penske had modified the data communication that activates the "Push to Pass" system, allowing its use at times not authorized by the regulations. This manipulation was initially detected during the warm-up session of the Long Beach Grand Prix on April 21, leading to a deeper review of the data from the event in St. Petersburg.

As a result, in addition to losing points and disqualifications, Team Penske faces a $25,000 fine for each entry and the loss of all monetary prizes obtained in that race.

To prevent future violations, INDYCAR announced the implementation of new technical inspection procedures that began with the race at Barber Motorsports Park.

The disqualification of cars No. 2 and No. 3 altered the final results of the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, granting the victory to car No. 5 of Arrow McLaren, driven by Pato O’Ward. The updated results and the 2024 season standings are available on the official INDYCAR website.