Penske suspends president, other IndyCar team members for roles in cheating

May 7 (UPI) -- Roger Penske suspended president Tim Cindric and three other members of Team Penske for two races, including the Indianapolis 500, for their roles in an IndyCar cheating scandal, he announced Tuesday.

Penske, who owns the team, in addition to IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, said an internal review determined "significant failures" occurred in Team Penske's "processes and internal communications."

"I recognize the magnitude of what occurred and the impact it continues to have on the sport to which I've dedicated so many decades," Penske said.

"Everyone at Team Penske, along with our fans and business partners, should know that I apologize for the errors that were made and I deeply regret them."

IndyCar announced strong disciplinary measures against three Team Penske drivers April 24 for their roles in violating "push-to-pass parameters."

The push-to-pass system allows a driver to push a button, which delivers increased power through a turbo boost within a vehicle. Using the system is allowed only during a predetermined period of a race.

Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin were disqualified, while Will Power received a 10-point penalty from the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Newgarden initially won the race. McLaughlin finished third, while Power placed fourth at the season-opening March 10 event in St. Petersburg, Fla.

On Tuesday, Penske also suspended No. 2 race engineer Luke Mason, senior data engineer Robbie Atkinson and Team Penske managing director Ron Ruzewski, in addition to Cindric, for two races.

IndyCar said it discovered Team Penske's "possible rules violation" during an April 21 warmup session for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

IndyCar's extensive review from the St. Petersburg race also revealed that the team "manipulated the overtake system" so that the Nos. 2 (Newgarden), 3 (McLaughlin) and 12 (Power) could use the push-to-pass system on starts and restarts.

The review determined that Newgarden and McLaughlin "gained a competitive advantage" by using the system at starts and restarts, while Power did not. All three drivers were fined $25,000 and forfeited all prize money associated with the race.

Pato O'Ward was credited with the win, after it was stripped from Newgarden.

"The facts are extremely clear," Newgarden told reporters last month. "There's no doubt that we were in breach of the rules at St. Petersburg. I used push-to-pass at an unauthorized time twice, on two different restarts. There's really nothing else to it other than that. Those are the rules, and we did not adhere to them."

Newgarden said he "knew exactly when" he pushed the button, while McLaughlin said he had "no recollection of hitting" the button.

McLaughlin went on to win the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix on April 28 in Birmingham, Ala. Power finished second, followed by Linus Lundqvist. Newgarden placed 16th.

Newgarden finished second in the March 24 $1 Million Challenge All-Star Race and fourth at the April 21 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

The reigning Indianapolis 500 champion will now be without several key team members for his title defense. Power, who won the 2018 Indianapolis 500, finished 12th in last year's event, while McLaughlin placed second.

Colton Herta, who placed inside the Top 3 in two of three championship events this season, leads the driver standings. He finished inside the Top 10 of each event.

Power (100 points) sits in second place, one point behind Herta. McLaughlin (59) is in ninth place, while Newgarden (48) is 16th.

The Sonsio Grand Prix is the next race on the NTT IndyCar Series schedule. That event will be held at 3 p.m. EDT Saturday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and air on NBC.

The 108th Indianapolis 500 will be at 11 a.m. May 26 in Indianapolis and also air on NBC.