In response to the push-to-pass violations, four members of the Penske team have been suspended for the next two IndyCar races
In the wake of the double disqualification plus points deduction plus fines for Team Penske following the 2024 IndyCar season opener in St. Petersburg, team owner Roger Penske has now spoken out personally for the first time. In a statement on Tuesday, he apologized on behalf of the team. At the same time, it is announced that high-ranking team members are suspended for two races
“I am aware of the magnitude of what has happened and the impact it has had on the sport to which I have dedicated so many decades,” Roger Penske said in the statement, adding: “Everyone at Team Penske, as well as our fans and business partners, should know that I apologize and deeply regret the mistakes that have been made.”
The suspended individuals are Penske team president Tim Cindric, Penske general manager Ron Ruzewski, Luke Mason, race engineer on Josef Newgarden’s 2 Penske Chevrolet, and Robbie Atkinson, one of the lead data engineers on the three-car team for which Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin and Will Power drive.
The two races for which Cindric, Ruzewski, Mason and Atkinson are suspended: The Grand Prix of Indianapolis next Saturday (May 11) on the infield circuit of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the legendary Indy 500 (May 26) on the oval track of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
As an explanation for the suspensions, the Penske team statement reads: “Following the penalties imposed on the Penske IndyCar team and drivers following Long Beach, Team Penske conducted an internal investigation.”
“After fully and comprehensively analyzing the information, Team Penske has determined that there were significant errors in our processes and internal communications,” read the team’s statement.
Statement from Team Penske, Roger Penske on team’s response to recent INDYCAR penalties: pic.twitter.com/KpAfOMLfm3
– Team Penske (@Team_Penske) May 7, 2024
The Penske team, including Roger Penske, is responding to the discovery by IndyCar during the warm-up for the Grand Prix of Long Beach (April 21) when, due to a technical problem with the central electronics, it was noticed that the Penske cars of Josef Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin and Will Power were able to activate the push-to-pass overtaking aid even when it should have been technically prevented.
The reason for this was a software code that enabled the Penske drivers to use push-to-pass in the same way as they do in hybrid test drives. In contrast to the IndyCar Series points races, the use of push-to-pass is unrestricted there
