Roger Penske’s world is one built on precision. The man behind Team Penske, IndyCar, and the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway is facing a firestorm that’s shaking up the racing world. What started as a simple rules violation has now exploded into a full-fledged integrity crisis — and it’s all happening on Penske’s watch.
From Roger Penske’s Perfect to Public Scrutiny
Penske’s known as ‘The Captain’ for a reason. Whether it’s building race teams, businesses, or restoring the Indy 500 to glory, the 88-year-old has always run things with crisp professionalism and sharp detail. The guy literally walked the entire Speedway property the day after buying it in 2019 to make a checklist for improvements. That’s how much pride he takes in his work.
But even the cleanest operations can get caught in the mud.
Before Indy 500 qualifying last week, two of Penske’s IndyCars, defending champion Josef Newgarden’s and Will Power’s cars, were flagged for illegal modifications to the rear attenuator. Photos show that those changes had been there for over a year. And it didn’t help that the violation was discovered by IndyCar’s own tech team, a team that technically works under Penske, since he owns the whole show.
Trying to show the world he still plays by the rules, Penske didn’t waste time sending a strong message. On Wednesday, he dropped the hammer and fired three key leaders of his race team — Tim Cindric, Ron Ruzewski, and Kyle Moyer.
That was a bold move, considering Cindric has been with Penske since the late ’90s and helped shape half of Team Penske’s Indy 500 wins. His son, Austin Cindric, also races for Penske in NASCAR. Firing Cindric definitely was a sharp statement.
Team Penske statement and Roger Penske quote on Team Penske INDYCAR personnel changes: pic.twitter.com/EmzWY7YUnX
— Team Penske (@Team_Penske)
Conflict of Interest Sparks Calls for Change by Roger Penske
Now, the issue isn’t just the car parts. It’s the question everyone’s been whispering for years — how can one guy simultaneously own the racetrack, the race series, and a race team? Isn’t that like being the coach, the referee, and the team owner all at once?
Penske finally addressed that elephant in the room. Speaking with FOX Sports’ Jamie Little, he said he’s open to bringing in an independent governing body to oversee officiating in IndyCar. That’s a pretty big deal, especially coming from a guy who’s always believed in handling things in-house.
“For probably the last six months, we’ve talked internally as INDYCAR, Mark Miles and Doug Boles, and some outside input on how we can be more independent from the operational side of the racing — inspection, race control, etc.,” Penske said. “So, we certainly expect, and I would expect, that the team at INDYCAR and PE will take a look at that, and we may take some action as we move forward.”
That may be the clearest sign yet that the pressure is getting real, not just to fix a problem, but to save the sport’s reputation before the series starts losing its credibility.
Penske has spent decades building a legacy around class, order, and honor. Now, with IndyCar’s credibility under attack, he might need to tear down part of his empire to rebuild the trust.