If Roger Penske was a Nordic god, he just slammed his powerful hammer onto the Indianapolis Motor Speedway so thunderously that the bricks shifted in place.
On May 21, his legendary racing operation Team Penske announced the firing of three senior personnel from his NTT IndyCar Series squad. Penske’s IndyCar president Tim Cindric, managing director Ron Ruzewski and general manager Kyle Moyer were all let go.
These weren’t middle managers or behind-the-desk comrades, either. These were top dogs within the organization who had critical race-day roles. Each were racing strategists for one of the trio’s cars and brought years of experience to their role. Moyer was the shortest tenured of the three, joining in 2015, but Ruzewski has been there since 2005, while Cindric is a two-decade-plus member. His first year was 1999 and was a significant catalyst for Penske reclaiming its former glory.
Have you gained your footing yet? I, for one, have not.
This is the result of the failed technical inspection May 18 of Will Power and Josef Newgarden’s cars before Fast 12 qualifying after modifications to the rear attenuator were discovered. Initially penalized to the 11th and 12th starting positions, INDYCAR later issued more harsh rulings by moving both cars to the last row, fining each team $100,000 and suspending the two race strategists. Moyer was safe (at the time, at least) as his car driven by Scott McLaughlin was not deemed illegal.
However, after the announcement of those penalties on May 19, the ridicule from the paddock went supernova. Multiple teams’ social media feeds posted updated starting position graphics, usually marking out the previous number and writing over it in a purposefully haphazard and rushed manner. Even drivers chimed in with humorous comments, joking how they gained spots and the race hadn’t started.
Penske had become a joke within the boundaries of 16th and Georgetown.
Then there was the ever growing anger and frustration from owners and drivers that the best team, with the most resources, owned by the same man that bought the series and IMS, had broken the rules. Again. Lest we forget that two of these strategists were missing their second Indy 500 in a row because of illegal override of the push-to-pass system at the 2024 season opener in St. Petersburg.
Graham Rahal may have said it best during an Indianapolis local television WISHTV8 spot. “There’s a pattern now … there’s a pattern.”
Well, Penske had seen enough.
The growing ridicule and scrutiny, the continual embarrassment — and worse, the heavy curtain of doubt and lost trust in Penske from all the stakeholders — built up. For a man that strives to be Penske perfect, the team had become Roger’s Follies.
[rp4wp limit=1 offset=0]Worse, this incident has dropped sludge all over the news cycle leading up to the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Imagine the heat the team will get if his squad somehow makes it 21 wins there, not to mention a probable negative reception from fans. It’s even in the hemisphere that when Penske gets introduced for the command to start engines, he will be heckled. He’d be better off having Tom Brady — who is riding in a two-seater at the start — join him on stage to divert the blasts from a largely Central Indiana fanbase.
I will say this, as a leader of service members and a manager: I’ve been in positions like this where it was up to the man in charge to make a call. It’s hard, and frankly sucks. Looking someone in the eye, a person you’ve given a job and responsibility to manage, while also turning internally wondering where you, as the supreme being in charge failed them, eats at you. That is, if you are a good leader, and I have strong faith Penske is.
This call was incredibly tough to make, especially with regards to Cindric. That man has bled Marlboro orange for two-and-a-half decades, and his son Austin has grown up in the pipeline for the team. It’s been a family to him, and outside of Penske’s own family and Bud Denker, Cindric has been the honcho that has led the IndyCar team to great heights. Ten Indy 500s and eight American open wheel championships have been won under his watch. That’s half of the total Penske has won at Indy (20 total) and championships (15).
While Cindric was stepping back at the end of the year anyway, this is still a huge loss in experience and leadership for the team. But that’s why the message is so effective.
Penske had to show the paddock that he is serious about running this series, ensuring its integrity for competition and decision making and a balance between his stake in owning the show and having cars race against others. The motorsports junkie in him has shown zero interest in divesting either his team or the series to erase conflict of interest accusations. So this is a start.
What he does after this to build trust with the owners and drivers, that’s a tough one. Perhaps a closed-door meeting where he talks not just to owners — which he did after St. Petersburg in 2024 — but also to drivers and team members. Sometimes checking the ego at the door and addressing the big, rampaging elephant in the room goes a long way to breaking down barriers.
Honest vulnerability and self-awareness spoken to an assembled group is a powerful tool. That’s what Penske needs to do next to build this bridge after his team had demolished it with electrical code and polished resin.
As for the three men let go, they have a padded resume to find a job elsewhere in the paddock. They may take the responsibility for this foible now, but the IndyCar community cherishes talent on the team side. Folks will be calling quickly.
Moyer had previously worked at Andretti Global, and his departure impacted results for a period of time there. Ruzewski may not even have to type up a cover letter to land his next gig.
The big fish will be Cindric. He has been an exceptional team manager, something teams strive to find every day. For example, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing made a splash earlier in the season by hiring former INDYCAR CEO Jay Frye to lead its team. These types don’t grow on Firestone rubber trees very often in the IndyCar world, and when teams find them, they hold on to them a long time. Cindric’s hiring would trump even Frye’s based on his longtime success and management at Penske.
Meanwhile, if Penske thinks this will erase the negative publicity and keep those chrome. polished suspension pieces on his cars safe from dirt throwing, he’s wrong. This is a start. The team announced more information will be forthcoming about the team later, and perhaps there are details about how Penske plans to move forward.
But at least in the near term, dropping the hammer like this sends the opening message to everyone in the IndyCar world: This series of follies has to stop.
Tom is an IndyCar writer at Frontstretch, joining in March 2023. Besides writing the IndyCar Previews and frequent editions of Inside IndyCar, he will hop on as a fill-in guest on the Open Wheel podcast The Pit Straight. A native Hoosier, he calls Fort Wayne home. Follow Tom on Twitter @TomBlackburn42.