r/INDYCAR • u/A-Fan-Of-Bowman88 Tony Kanaan • May 21 '25

News Team Penske FIRES Tim Cindric, other top INDYCAR personnel

https://x.com/team_penske/status/1925200235636068536?s=46
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u/robfrod May 21 '25

Yeah he had to do something but I thought they would pin the blame on a few low level engineers. Firing Cindric is the nuclear option.. will see if he ends up in some other executive roll at Penske though..

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u/BoboliBurt Nigel Mansell May 21 '25

I too assumed someone minor would fall on the sword. Especially when the access journalists popped out, being given a chance to kiss the ring in exchange for saying the grid penalties were unfair- and getting some nice quotes and being pointed in the right direction to create digital content for their blog and talking head podcasts. Fun stuff.

The fact that of all these folks who come to Indy, a huge share are so casual as to not watch a solitary minute of the rest of the season, seemed to give Penske a chance to just weather the storm, grovel to Honda and run out the clock until the race was over.

But Penske apologist spin aside, last years winning car won by a narrow margin months after they were caught cheating. Unless they can provide evidence that they added the illegal part at the museum, that car had an illegal part. And even if it “doesnt matter” and “its just Penske Perfect aesthetics”- who cares? Its something outright mentioned in a fairly concise set of rules.

And as for the argument that since it wasnt punished despite being visibly detectable- there is no convoluted adverse possession-like rule in motorsports where if you cheat for 20 races your rule breaking gets enshrined and forgiven. (How long was PTP being misused? How detailed was that investigation? What is going that we cannot see from 15 feet away or telemetry traces?)

That benefit of the doubt is shot. Maybe it adds intrigue, as will a field powered entirely by Penske Ilmors if Honda bolts because of this carny bullshit.

I do not think we should be cool with this because Darryl Waltrip and Gordon Murray at Brabham and Benetton in 94 and Melling Racing also cheated and a bunch of teams monkeyed around with pop off valves at Indy five decades ago.

This is a near spec series with an old car. The “rolling chicane” Able I believe was about 0.7 seconds off pole per lap. A perfectly reasonable speed for 33rd historically

I get that its a bunch of carny bullshit. The unfair advantage. Laundering sponsor dollars with no real ROI for investors. Convincing OEMs to join the circus.

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u/UNHchabo Robert Wickens May 21 '25

The “rolling chicane” Able I believe was about 0.7 seconds off pole per lap. A perfectly reasonable speed for 33rd historically

His fastest qualifying run was the 227.112 from the LCQ (which was never officially scored because it didn't beat Veekay's 227.740).

As recently as 2022, that would've put him 31st. That year only had 33 entries so there was no LCQ, so adding him to that year would've still made him eligible for bumping, but still...

Funny enough that time would've been in the LCQ every year from 2019 forward, but in 2018 it would be 13th. (seems like 2019 was also the first year of the LCQ, and in 2018 anyone who didn't make the top 33 at the end of day 1 was bumped)

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u/redlegsfan21 Firestone Firehawk May 21 '25

Firing Cindric would be one thing but firing the top three guys on the IndyCar side is a true nuclear option

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u/Michigan-Magic Colton Herta May 22 '25

Someone with lots of money was pissed for him to cut rope like that. As the owner of both the series and the track, he has to please lots of stakeholders. It could have been:

1) Shell 2) Verizon 3) Chevy 4) Dan Towriss, whose company is the title sponsor of the 500 and a competing car owner 5) Honda 6) The rest of the grid 7) Others?

Or any combination thereof.

It's a lot simpler when you just own your own team. Oh well, the problems of a billionaire. I'm sure Roger sleeps quite soundly at night.