Team Penske president Tim Cindric allowed to cover NASCAR, IMSA, WEC duties during IndyCar suspension
During his two-race IndyCar suspension, which includes this year's Indianapolis 500, Team Penske president Tim Cindric will remain on the job for Roger Penske while tending to his duties around the race team's IMSA, WEC and NASCAR programs, a team spokesperson said Tuesday, bringing additional clarity as to just how deep the four multi-race IndyCar team suspensions run, stemming from the fallout of the team's push-to-pass scandal.
The brunt of the punishment for Cindric (who also calls strategy for defending 500 winner Josef Newgarden), Ron Ruzewski (team managing director and Will Power's strategist), Luke Mason (Newgarden's race engineer) and Robbie Atkinson (Power's data engineer) is this, according to Penske, who spoke with IndyStar Tuesday morning for 25 minutes shortly after the suspensions were made public; the group cannot:
Be in Indianapolis or at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for any part of the next two events on the calendar, including this weekend's Sonsio Grand Prix on the road course (May 10-11) and the 500, which kicks off the first of six practice days May 14, has qualifying May 18-19 and is capped by race day May 26; and
Be in contact with any team members -- even from their remote locations at home, or via a team 'war room' at Penske headquarters in Mooresville, N.C. -- while cars are on-track for practice, qualifying or racing.
Those two restrictions initially laid out by Penske were confirmed by the team spokesperson Tuesday afternoon. The team won’t have Cindric or Ruzewski on Newgarden and Power's radios for 500 race day.
"None of the suspended individuals will be connected to the teams or drivers during any on-track competition including practice, qualifying or the race," the spokesperson wrote in an email to IndyStar.
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What is presently unclear is whether the four suspended Team Penske team members will be allowed to have contact with the team while cars aren't on-track. When IndyStar asked Penske about that possibility he said, "I don't know at this point.” The spokesperson did not address that question when asked.
Both as lead-in to on-track activity in the morning, as well as debrief on the day's activities, teams traditionally hold frequent team meetings for any race weekend -- particularly the 500. By not eliminating that loophole, Penske could still allow Cindric and Ruzewski to lead, manage and dole out input to the individual teams they call strategy for on race day, as well as the three-car team at-large before and after cars are on-track every day. Unless the team bars the four from all contact with members of the IndyCar program, Mason and Atkinson could also dive into setup work and data analysis while working remotely and just not have the ability to lend their expertise while cars are on-track -- an idea that falls short of what one might think of as a traditional 'suspension.'
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In addition, Cindric will still be allowed to attend and provide his traditional level of input (both during the week and on race days) for Team Penske's IMSA, WEC and NASCAR programs -- which run a combined five events between now and May 26. All three are active this weekend -- WEC in the 6 Hours of Spa (in Belgium) on Saturday and IMSA at Laguna Seca and NASCAR at Darlington both on Sunday. Next weekend marks NASCAR's All-Star race weekend festivities at North Wilkesboro, followed by the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway the evening of Indy 500 race day.
All four will be able to return to their traditional in-person roles for the Detroit Grand Prix, which immediately follows the 500 May 31-June 2.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Team Penske president Tim Cindric will continue NASCAR, IMSA duties during IndyCar suspension
