Austin Cindric not concerned about future with Team Penske after his father was fired this week
Associated Press
CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Austin Cindric is not worried about his future with Team Penske after his father Tim Cindric was fired by team owner Roger Penske as the team's IndyCar president earlier this week following a cheating scandal at the Indianapolis 500.
Cindric drives the No. 2 Ford Mustang for Penske in the NASCAR Cup Series, and is currently 12th in the points standings with three top-10 finishes in 12 races, including a win at Talladega. That victory was Team Penske's first of the 2025 NASCAR season.
Still, given the family ties with Team Penske it raised some speculation about how his father's departure might impact the younger Cindric.
Penske met with all of his NASCAR drivers in person in Charlotte following the moves, including Austin Cindric.
When asked if he was given any assurances from Penske that it will not impact his future with Penske's NASCAR team, Cindric shook his head and said 'I don't think it was even in question.'
'Their support has always been very strong and also very transparent,' Cindric said following qualifying Saturday for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. 'When I have not performed to my best we have had those conversations. But past that it's business as usual for me.'
Tim Cindric was one of three executives fired by Penske after two Penske cars were found to be illegal following qualifying runs at the Indianapolis 500. Along with Cindric, IndyCar managing director Ron Ruzewski and IndyCar general manager Kyle Moyer were also terminated.
'Nothing is more important than the integrity of our sport and our race teams,' Penske said in a statement. 'We have had organizational failures during the last two years, and we had to make necessary changes. I apologize to our fans, our partners and our organization for letting them down.'
Penske owns three IndyCars, IndyCar, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy 500. He has won the Indy 500 a record 20 times.
Cindric called this the best start to his career and believes his team has plenty of momentum following the win at Talladega.
Cindric said his father's firing won't impact how he approaches the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday.
'Professionally, I'm in no different of a place than I was a week ago,' Cindric said. "I feel like we have a lot of momentum on our team right now in the the No. 2 car. I've never felt better and had a better start to the season. So for me I'm just focused on execution. I feel like we have had some really fast cars."
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
recommended
in this topic
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Canadian Grand Prix to run on the same day as the Indianapolis 500 in 2026
The Canadian Grand Prix will be held at the same time as the Indianapolis 500 in 2026. (Photo by Bryn Lennon - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images) The days of the Monaco Grand Prix preceding the Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day weekend are gone. At least for now. Formula 1 released its 2026 schedule on Tuesday and it includes the series going head-to-head with the Indianapolis 500. The Monaco Grand Prix has moved back to June and will take place on June 7. In its place is the Canadian Grand Prix, which will be held on May 24. Advertisement This year's Canadian Grand Prix is set to be held on Sunday and has traditionally been held in mid-June. But next year's date swap is being made for travel-related reasons. Monaco will be the first race of the season in Europe. By moving the Canadian Grand Prix up and Monaco back, F1 will have nine straight European races. Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix is set to start at 2 p.m. ET for a primetime start in Europe. Assuming the race keeps that start time, it will overlap with the end of the Indy 500. The Indy 500 was scheduled to go green at 12:45 p.m. ET this year but was delayed for rain showers. The Monaco Grand Prix hasn't been held on Memorial Day weekend every year of its existence, but its absence from the same day of the Indy 500 and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 will be a stark change for race fans who have become accustomed to watching all three events in the same day. The ninth and final European race of the year will also be a new race on the calendar. F1 will host a second race in Spain on a street circuit in Madrid on Sept. 13. That race replaces Imola on the calendar. Imola has held a spring Grand Prix in recent years, but is being dropped for 2026 and beyond. Advertisement The 2026 season begins again in Australia before races in China and Japan ahead of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The Miami Grand Prix will be on May 3, while the United States Grand Prix in Austin will be on Oct. 25 and the Las Vegas Grand Prix will be on Nov. 21. The Vegas race will again be followed by races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi to close the season. 2026 Formula 1 schedule March 8: Australian Grand Prix March 15: Chinese Grand Prix March 29: Japanese Grand Prix April 12: Bahrain Grand Prix April 19: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix May 3: Miami Grand Prix May 24: Canadian Grand Prix June 7: Monaco Grand Prix June 14: Spanish Grand Prix Advertisement June 28: Austrian Grand Prix July 5: British Grand Prix July 19: Belgian Grand Prix July 26: Hungarian Grand Prix Aug. 23: Dutch Grand Prix Sept. 6: Italian Grand Prix Sept. 13: Madrid Grand Prix Sept. 27: Azerbaijan Grand Prix Oct. 11: Singapore Grand Prix Oct. 25: United States Grand Prix Nov. 1: Mexico Grand Prix Nov. 8: São Paulo Grand Prix Nov. 21: Las Vegas Grand Prix Nov. 29: Qatar Grand Prix Dec. 6: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Danica Patrick Announces Relationship Status After Aaron Rodgers Claims
Danica Patrick left no doubt about her relationship status during a recent podcast interview. Patrick, 43, has largely kept quiet about her current dating life, though she did have plenty to say last month about her past high-profile relationship with NFL star Aaron Rodgers. In a new appearance on the "Believe in the Good" podcast with Haley Dillon, the wife of NASCAR driver Ty Dillon, Patrick confirmed she is unattached when Dillon asked about her personal life. 'Are you single right now?' Dillon asked, to which Patrick replied, 'Yeah.' "I'm going to be interested to see who's sliding into my DMs to get to your DMs," Dillon joked as Patrick laughed. Patrick has been in several relationships with public figures, both during and after her days as a competitive race car driver. She was married to Paul Edward Hospenthal from 2005 until their divorce in 2013. Patrick also dated NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. from 2012-17 and Rodgers from 2018-20. During an appearance on 'The Sage Steele Show" in May, Patrick raised eyebrows when she accused the four-time NFL MVP of being "emotionally abusive." 'Because it was sudden, it felt like. It was my life. So like when you live with somebody, it's your whole life,' Patrick said. 'And because the nature of the relationship was emotionally abusive, so that wore me down to nothing.' Patrick went on to claim Rodgers "leaves a trail of blood" and appeared to make reference to his much-publicized NFL exits from the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets. 'People could never imagine that I would lack … any confidence or belief in the simple things about who I am. Everything was torn to bits,' Patrick added, via People. 'Yeah, he leaves a trail of blood. I don't think I'm saying too much earth-shattering stuff after we — there's been enough out there." Following her breakup with Rodgers, Patrick was in a relationship with American businessman Carter Comstock from 2021 to 2022. Danica Patrick Announces Relationship Status After Aaron Rodgers Claims first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 10, 2025
Miami Herald
4 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Aaron Rodgers makes big announcement during first day with the Steelers
After photos of Aaron Rodgers wearing a ring on his left hand caused speculation that the NFL quarterback is married, the 41-year-old responded to the rumors. During a news conference following his first official day with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rodgers was asked about the ring on his left ring finger. Rodgers, seemingly reluctantly, confirmed to the reporter that 'it's a wedding ring.' After being congratulated, the quarterback was asked 'how long' he's been married. 'A couple months ago,' Rodgers responded. In years past, Rodgers has been publicly and romantically linked to actress Olivia Munn, NASCAR driver Danica Patrick and actress Shailene Woodley. In his Netflix series, 'Aaron Rodgers: Enigma,' the quarterback commented on those high-profile relationships, saying he 'didn't do myself any favors with some of the girls I dated after that that were in the public eye.' As a result, Rodgers has been somewhat tight-lipped about his current relationship. While a guest on 'The Pat McAfee Show' in April, Rodgers revealed that he was in a serious relationship but did not share who he was dating. 'I'm in a different phase of my life,' Rodgers told McAfee. 'I'm 41 years old. I'm in a serious relationship. I have off-the-field stuff going on that requires my attention. I have personal commitments not knowing what my future was going to look like after last year that are important to me.'
