Big update on Team Penske as Roger Penske suspends four amid IndyCar cheating fallout ahead of Indianapolis 500

Team Penske owner Roger Penske has suspended president Tim Cindric and three others for the next two races ahead of the Indianapolis 500. The update comes in the wake of the cheating scandal early in the IndyCar tournament.

Data from St. Petersburg in April revealed that Team Penske drivers used the "push-to-pass" button during the race when it wasn't allowed. Under normal circumstances, this button gives the car an extra boost that allows drivers to overtake, but it cannot be used during the race start and restart. However, two of Penske's three drivers apparently used it during the race.

For this, the team was penalized, Josef Newgarden's victory was snatched and 10 points scraped off from all three drivers, whilke the team was also fined $25,000. Ahead of the Indy 500, team owner Roger Penske suspended four of his staff, which includes their president, for the upcoming two races. He said in a statement:

"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. 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."

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Team Penske president Tim Cindric releases public statement after suspension

Cindric has served as Penske's president since 2006. In almost two decades of service, the team has achieved multiple championships in different racing series. His suspension ahead of the Indianapolis 500 comes as a shock. In a statement released by the team, Cindric apologized for the mishap, saying:

"For [Managing Director] Ron [Ruzewski] and I as leaders of this team, it's not about what we did, it's about what we didn't do. It is our responsibility to provide the team and all our drivers with the right rocesses to ensure something like this can't happen. For that, I apologize to Roger, our team and everyone that supports us."

The two-race suspension will include the Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 11, and then the Indy 500 on the same track on May 26.

Team Penske has won the Indy 500 a whopping 19 times, more than any other team in the tournament's history.

Andretti Global's Colton Herta currently leads the IndyCar championship, while Will Power of Team Penske sits in second position. He was the one driver in the team who did not use the "p2p" button during the race when the team allegedly cheated.