“My conscience remains clear”: Austin Cindric’s father Tim sends a strong message after getting fired by Roger Penske

Tim Cindric, father of NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Cindric and the longtime president of Team Penske’s IndyCar program, broke his silence after being fired by the team on Tuesday. He said he’s “still standing tall” following a major rules violation that led to his dismissal.

Team Penske removed Tim Cindric, INDYCAR Managing Director Ron Ruzewski, and INDYCAR General Manager Kyle Moyer from their roles on May 21. The move came after two of the team’s cars were found to have illegal parts ahead of qualifying for the Indianapolis 500.

Roger Penske said the decision was based on protecting the "integrity of our sport." The violations involved Team Penske’s No. 2 and No. 12 entries in the 109th Indianapolis 500. During pre-qualifying inspections last weekend, both cars were found to have an unapproved body fit on the rear attenuator, which is against INDYCAR Rule 14.7.8.16.

As a result, the cars did not participate in the Top 12 qualifying session. They were pushed to the back of the field and fined $100,000 each. Austin Cindric’s father, Tim, responded publicly on X, saying:

"It’s been an amazing ride! While my conscience remains clear through all of the noise and accusations, I’m grateful to have so many great people to draw strength from in times like this. Still standing tall!"

Tim had worked with Team Penske since 1999 and became one of the most influential figures in American open-wheel racing. In 2005, he was promoted to lead Penske Performance. Earlier this year, he had already stepped back from his day-to-day role after last year’s push-to-pass scandal involving Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin.

Team Penske said more announcements will be made this week about who will take over those roles and how the team will move forward at the Indy 500. Austin Cindric continues to drive the No. 2 car in the NASCAR Cup Series for the team.

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What's next for Austin Cindric amid the turmoil at Team Penske

Austin Cindric now finds himself in a tough spot at Team Penske after the sudden firing of his father. Tim had been a major part of Penske’s IndyCar program for over two decades and was once seen as a possible future leader of the whole racing operation. But now, he’s out, and the spotlight might soon fall on his son.

For fans, there are now questions about what this means for Austin’s future with the team. Last year, he told The Athletic that while he respected what his dad did, he didn’t want to follow the same path. He also called Penske Racing the best team in motorsports.

“I don’t think I’d want to do what my dad does, because that’s a tough job and he’s also really, really good at it,” Austin shared. “Do I think I could do well in some form of a management role? Yeah, maybe. But do I want to go out and start my own race team? No, because there’s no better race team than Penske Racing, in my opinion."

For now, Austin Cindric remains focused on racing and is gearing up for the Memorial Day race, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 25. He currently sits 13th in the drivers' standings with 273 points to his name.