INDIANAPOLIS — Roger Penske attempted to close the latest cheating scandal engulfing his race team — this one at his beloved Indianapolis 500 — by firing his top three executives at Team Penske after two of the Penske cars were found to be illegal.

Penske fired team president Tim Cindric, IndyCar managing director Ron Ruzewski and IndyCar general manager Kyle Moyer on Wednesday in the wake of this Indianapolis 500 cheating scandal.

“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 is owner of the three-car team, IndyCar, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy 500. He has won the Indy 500 a record 20 times.

The firings and Penske’s statement have been his first public reaction since two-time defending Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden and teammate Will Power were found to have an illegally modified spec part on their cars ahead of Sunday’s final round of qualifications for the 109th running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

Penske after the firings were announced held a team owner’s meeting remotely in which he took responsibility for his team’s actions. Some who dialed-in told The Associated Press the meeting lasted 20 minutes and the owners were satisfied with the outcome; no owners called for the Penske cars to be kicked out of the race, and the only questions asked were about how IndyCar moves on from the scandal ahead of the biggest race in the world.

“What he did in firing three people is a big deal,” Arrow McLaren team principal Tony Kanaan told The Associated Press. “I think everyone recognized how big of a deal this is to Roger and now it’s just a question of how to move on and how to make sure tech doesn’t miss these things again.”

Neither Newgarden or Power were allowed to qualify Sunday when rivals pointed out the illegal modification. Both drivers on Monday were dropped to the back of the field and will start 32nd and 33rd. Rival teams have been arguing it was not enough since it’s the second cheating scandal in two seasons and potentially illegal cars bumped Jacob Abel of Dale Coyne Racing from the field.

Newgarden is attempting to become the first driver in history to win three consecutive Indy 500s; no driver has ever won starting from the last row.

Cindric and Ruzewski had already been suspended by IndyCar for the race and both teams fined $100,000. It is the second consecutive year Cindric and Ruzewski were suspended from the Indy 500.

Rivals have been calling on Penske to address the situation since Sunday while questioning if IndyCar and the Indy 500 can continue to operate without an independent governing body absent of any Penske employees.

The trouble for Team Penske began before the fast 12 shootout on Sunday, when rival team owner Chip Ganassi was among a chorus of competitors who accused it of cheating. They noticed unapproved changes had been made to the rear attenuator, a safety device designed to absorb and reduce the force of impacts, and the assumption was the modifications would have given the two Team Penske cars an aerodynamic advantage in their four-lap qualifying runs.

Further investigation showed Newgarden’s winning car from last year that is displayed in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway museum has the same illegal modification, as did the car Team Penske brought to the White House last month. Rivals claim to have photos indicating the modification has been in place for some time.

Helio Castroneves, who won three Indy 500s driving for Team Penske, was among the few who doubted the team was cheating and believed Cindric’s explanation that the illegal modification was for aesthetic purposes only. Penske, after all, requires everything he owns to be pristine and with as clean lines and looks as possible.

“I believe they did something to look good. I don’t think that little (adjusted) lip is going to make them three miles an hour faster,” Castroneves said. “I know how Roger operates. He wants to make everything beautiful, perfect, shiny. I believe it was, again, a mistake, touching an area they’re not supposed to. In the rule book, they’re not supposed to touch. I believe what the series is doing is right. But they don’t need anything like that to go fast. I don’t see this as a situation that people are cheating. In terms of performance, I don’t think it would have changed anything.”

Colton Herta of Andretti Global also did not believe this latest scandal was as damaging as last year’s Team Penske fiasco.

“Do I think they had it for qualifying Saturday? Absolutely for sure. Do I think that’s why they were fast? Absolutely not,” Herta said. “I’d imagine that would equate to the smallest margins of drag. It is still disappointing to see the team get caught up in something again, but sorry, this is way different than 50 extra horsepower and I won’t be passed because of what they did.”

Herta is referring to last year’s Penske scandal when the team was caught in a push-to-pass manipulation in which Newgarden was found to have access to an additional boost of horsepower when he should not have while winning the season-opener. He was stripped of his win and Penske suspended Cindric for two races, including the Indy 500.

Cindric is the biggest name to fall in this scandal. He’s a member of the Team Penske Hall of Fame and has been with the organization since 2000 as President of Penske Racing Inc. He’s been long assumed to be Penske’s successor on the racing part of Penske’s empire.

Cindric was elevated to the role of President of Penske Performance in 2005 and, until February, essentially ran the day-to-day operations of all of Penske’s racing properties.

But Penske’s right-hand man in February was stripped of most of his roles although he said he chose to step back as the overall leader of the organization. He remained president of the IndyCar program.

Cindric is the father of NASCAR driver Austin Cindric.

Redwood Acres Racing returned on Saturday with the Legends, Late Models, Modifieds and Bombers all in action in Eureka. The action in the Legends race was particularly exciting with Brandon White of Eureka securing the win.

White came out on top of the 28-driver field, with White winning his heat to advance into the 18-car feature race. Ukiah’s Cole Brown took the initial lead in the feature race, but White was able to move up to third place by lap five of the race.

Ukiah’s Kai Lovell and White both began to close the gap on Brown, with White moving ahead of Lovell and eventually Brown once the handling on Brown’s car began to give him issues. White held onto his lead through the lone caution flag restart. Lovell kept things interesting, staying on White’s hips, but was never able to surpass him, with White securing the season-opening win at Redwood Acres. Sebastapol’s Cody Winchel took third place and Rocklin’s Robby Czub also passed Brown and took fourth place as Brown fell to sixth with Pasco, Washington’s Ellie Musgrave just holding off Brown for fifth place.

Fortuna’s Brandon Barnwell got the victory in the Late Models feature race, holding off Luke Hall and Blocksburg’s Jerry Peterson, who rounded out the top three on Saturday in the 65-lap main event.

Much like Brown, the handling on Hall’s car began to give him issues and allowed Barnwell back into the race. A fire on Louie Shaha’s car brought out a red flag but Hall was able to retain his lead ahead of Barnwell on the restart. Luckily, Shaha was able to resume in the race, eventually finishing in fifth place. Barnwell was able to overtake Hall in the final 10 laps and while Hall kept it close to pick up the second-place finish, he was never able to regain first place.

Charlie Collins of Upper Lake won the feature race for the Limited Modifieds, getting the win over his son Landyn Collins, who finished right behind him at second place with Luke Hall snagging a third-place finish ahead of Kristian Sanchez and Gene O’Dell, both of whom raced out of Kelseyville.

Dustin Walters of Fortuna won the Bombers feature, with TJ and Jimmy Sorrels of Ukiah, who took second and third place in the race.

Races will return to Redwood Acres next month on June 14 for the Craig Merrone Memorial, with races starting at 5 p.m.

Dylan McNeill can be reached at 707441-0526.

Coca-Cola 600 Event Info:
Date: Sunday, May 25
Time: 6 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Concord, N.C.
Format: 400 Laps, 600 Miles
TV: Prime
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)

Weekend Schedule:
Saturday: 11:05 a.m. ET, Xfinity Practice (CW App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 12:10 p.m. ET, Xfinity Qualifying (CW App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 1:30 p.m. ET, Cup Practice (Prime, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 2:40 p.m. ET, Cup Qualifying (Prime, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 4:30 p.m. ET, Xfinity Race (CW, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 6 p.m. ET, Cup Race (Prime, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Pace Laps:

• The NASCAR schedule turns to Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend as the NASCAR Cup Series is set for the famed Coca-Cola 600 Sunday night.
• This year, NASCAR Salutes begins on Memorial Day Weekend, anchored by a special tribute called “600 Miles of Remembrance” where every Cup Series car in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 will feature the name of a fallen service member on the windshield.

Cole Custer Team Info:
Crew Chief: Aaron Kramer
Partner: Texas A&M

Sheldon Creed Team Info:
Crew Chief: Jonathan Toney
Partner: Pit Boss

Sam Mayer Team Info:
Crew Chief: Jason Trinchere
Partner: Audibel

Custer at Charlotte (Cup)
Starts: 4
Wins: —
Top-10s: —
Poles: —

• Custer makes his 5^th Cup start at Charlotte this weekend, where he has a 18.0 average finish. His best finish came in 2020 when he finished 12^th, and he has never finished worse than 21^st.
• He has started inside the top-10 once, rolling off P9 start in 2020 which is his best start. He boasts a 20.3 average starting position.
• Custer has also made seven NXS starts at Charlotte, with five top-10 finishes, including three in the top 5.

Creed at Charlotte (Xfinity)
Starts: 3
Wins: —
Top-10s: 1
Poles: —

• Creed is set to make his 4^th Xfinity start at Charlotte on Saturday, where he has one career top-10 finish. His best finish came in 2022 when he finished eighth after starting 18^th, and led nine laps in last year’s race.
• His best career starting position was P13 in that same race, and he holds an average starting position of 18.3.

Mayer at Charlotte (Xfinity)
Starts: 3
Wins: —
Top-10s: 2
Poles: 1 (2022)

• Mayer is in line for his 4^th Xfinity start at Charlotte this weekend, coming off a third-place finish in last season’s race after starting 13^th. He has two career top-10 finishes at CMS, and has an average finish of 14.0.
• He has started inside the top 10 twice, including a pole in 2022, and has an average starting position of 7.3.

Where They Stand

Cup Points Standings (41: 34^th): Custer is 34^th in the Cup Series points standings through 12 races this season with 139 points.

Xfinity Points Standings (41: 3^rd, 00: 11^th): Mayer sits second in the Xfinity points standings with 391 total points on the season, while Creed is in 11^th place with 304 points heading into Charlotte this Saturday.

HFT PR

2024 Detroit Supercross and the 2025 SMX World Championship Preview Show Bring Home Silver Awards in Television Directing and Sports Television Among Competitive Field of Entrants in the 46^th Annual Telly Awards

ELLENTON, FL – May 21, 2025 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Feld Motor Sports, Inc. and the SMX World Championship broadcast team have won two Telly Awards in the 2025 iteration of the awards for Television and Sports content. Round 5 – 2024 SMX World Championship Series, Detroit and the 2025 SMX World Championship Season Preview Show both garnered Silver recognition in the 46th Annual Telly Awards. The Telly Awards honor excellence in video and television across all screens and is judged by leaders from video platforms, television, streaming networks, and production companies. Among the winners and competition this year were Pixar Animation Studios, Hearst Media, ESPN, LinkedIn, NATO, MTV Entertainment Studios, NASA, the LA Clippers (NBA) and more.

“Being recognized in back-to-back Telly Awards is a major accomplishment for the entire SMX Broadcast Team. The awards recognize not just the dedication and passion of our team, but also the powerful stories and key moments that make this sport so inspiring.” Said Ken Adelson, Head of SMX Broadcasting. “We’re going to continue telling the impactful stories of the incredible athletes competing in SMX and look forward to bringing the remainder of the 2025 series to our passionate fans each week.”

Click to re-watch the 2025 SMX World Championship Season Preview Show submission that took home Silver in the General Television Sports Category.

Every December the SMX broadcast team delivers fans a first look at the upcoming season, featuring a wealth of knowledge and pre-season scoops from industry experts, media, and the racers themselves. The 2025 Season Preview Show premiered on Sunday, December 29, 2024 on NBC and Peacock. Contributing to the SMX Preview Show each year is Doug Cabrera, Director of Broadcast and Media Content serving as Producer; with contributions from Chris Bond, Lead SMX Producer; Host, Jason Weigandt; Ken Adelson, Head of SMX Broadcasting; Sean Brennen, Director of Public Relations; Pamela Mariani, Features Producer; Aaron Feldstein, NBC Sports Producer; Kent Vanderberg, Editor; Chase Stallo, Writer; Karl Phrihoda, Lead Camera Operator; Michael Kirkpatrick, Supercross Video Editor; and Shawn Rogers, Supercross Video Graphics Designer.

Go to the SuperMotocross tab on Peacock to re-watch Round 5 of the 2024 SMX World Championship Series from Detroit, MI that took home Silver in the Television Directing Category.

####

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600, the first race broadcast for Prime Video (6 p.m. ET, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Prime Video will also air Cup Series qualifying on Saturday (2:40 p.m. ET).

QUALIFYING ORDER: Coca-Cola 600 | Xfinity Series | Craftsman Truck Series

The qualifying order below is determined via metric that combines the previous race finish by owner (70%) and current owner points position (30%).

Advertisement

RELATED: How to watch Coke 600 on Prime Video

Saturday’s qualifying session will be one lap and one round.

MORE: Weekend Schedule

# denotes series rookie
(i) denotes ineligible for driver points

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is gearing up for its hometown race at Charlotte Motor Speedway this Friday (May 23).

While Corey Heim is expected to be the favorite yet again (who’s surprised at this point?), there’s one driver who has everybody talking.

Fan favorite BJ McLeod will join the field for his first Truck Series start since 2021, and he does so in what is by far the best equipment of his 16-year NASCAR career.

In a surprising announcement, Spire Motorsports signed McLeod to drive its No. 07 truck at Charlotte, with sponsorship from Pigeon Forge Racing Coaster. McLeod is the owner of Pigeon Forge Racing Coaster, which is set to open sometime in 2025.

The attraction, located in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., has been featured on McLeod’s Cup Series car this season.

He will have three teammates he probably never imagined he’d have: Andres Perez, the 2024 ARCA Menards Series champion; Rajah Caruth, a proven Truck Series winner; and Kyle Busch, a three-time champion (two Cup, one Xfinity) with over 200 race wins across all three of NASCAR’s national Series.

McLeod has spent most of his career, especially recently, as a team owner. He owned BJ McLeod Motorsports in the Xfinity Series up until early 2024, when McLeod ran four races of the 2024 season before focusing on his Cup team, Live Fast Motorsports. McLeod co-owned LFM with Matt Tifft until the team sold its charter at the end of 2023. At that point, Tifft exited ownership in favor of focusing on returning to the racetrack.

McLeod and Joe Falk (former owner of Circle Sport Racing) now run part-time in the Cup Series, competing mostly on the superspeedways in an unsponsored, jet black No. 78 Chevrolet. Though if sponsorship comes along, McLeod has been open to running the car more — such is the case with Katherine Legge, who will run a total of six races with LFM thanks to sponsorship. McLeod will continue to run his normal six superspeedway races.

The sale of LFM’s charter is important to the story, because McLeod and Tifft made $40 million off of the sale of its charter. Who bought the charter from the team?

Spire Motorsports.

The same team giving McLeod undoubtedly his best shot to win a race in NASCAR.

McLeod and Spire have worked together before — he made two starts for the team back in 2020. But Spire was nowhere near the competitive team in 2020 that it is now. That third charter, plus the purchase of Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series, elevated the team to a weekly contender in the Truck Series and knocking on the door of wins in the Cup Series (aside from Justin Haley’s massive upset at Daytona International Speedway in 2019).

McLeod has become a fan favorite because of his laid-back demeanor and his commitment to being an owner-driver. The phrase “Get Loud for McLeod” has become popular on social media whenever McLeod makes news.

Fans will certainly be loud for McLeod on Friday night. But the big question is: What can McLeod do with the opportunity?

It’s easy to say he ought to be able to go out and win, but it’s not as simple as that. Yes, McLeod has race-winning equipment, but given this is the first time we’ve seen him in competitive equipment, we don’t exactly know how well he’ll be able to wheel it.

Lest we forget the tale of Corey LaJoie, who filled in for Chase Elliott in the Cup Series in 2023 at World Wide Technology Raceway. Elliott was suspended for the race and LaJoie got the opportunity to drive Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 9 in a one-off. LaJoie finished a dismal 21st, not really making many moves throughout the day. The replacement in his own ride, Carson Hocevar, worked his way up from the back into the top 15 before a brake failure ended his day.

Sometimes, drivers get their shot in good equipment and don’t do anything in it. And rarely do they get second chances.

That being said, McLeod will certainly take care of his equipment — being an owner-driver himself with a limited budget, McLeod knows that tearing up equipment is the last thing he wants for himself or his team.

Spire’s No. 07 is currently sixth in the owners’ standings, with a win courtesy of Kyle Larson at Homestead-Miami Speedway. But in 10 races this season, it only has three top fives and four top 10s — not exactly mind-blowing stats for the team. However, the No. 07 is leading the Spire fleet in the point standings — the No. 7 is 10th, Caruth’s No. 71 is 15th and Perez’s No. 77 is 24th.

Realistically, a top 15 will be a solid night out for McLeod — a top 10 would feel like a victory. McLeod only has two career top 10s (both in the Cup Series). Adding a third with the equipment he’s in would be amazing — especially when you consider he hasn’t set foot in a truck since 2021.

While McLeod will certainly be more focused on savoring the moment and making the most of what is currently his only scheduled start with Spire, one has to wonder what the future could hold for him. Does a good finish net him more starts with Spire? Does another top team give him a call to run its truck or Xfinity car?

Spire still has 12 races available in its No. 07 truck, and nine in the No. 7 truck, that haven’t been announced (as both trucks are all-star trucks for the team) — a good finish could certainly give McLeod another opportunity with Spire, and with the funding he brings from Pigeon Forge Racing Coaster, he could potentially find his way into another race regardless of the result.

They say winning fixes everything, though. If McLeod were to pull off a stunner in Charlotte? It would be a party in Concord, N.C., as well as Wauchula, Fla., McLeod’s hometown, and everywhere else fans “get loud for McLeod.”

We’ll find out on Friday night if McLeod has a career-changing night at 41 years old.

McLeod and 33 other Truck Series competitors take to Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday, May 23. Coverage begins at approximately 8:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (for those who watch television) and the all-new NASCAR Racing Network on SiriusXM Channel 90.

Truckin’ Tidbits

• The Truck race at Darlington Raceway has a new title sponsor. The Aug. 30 race will now be known as the Sober or Slammer 200.
• Spencer Boyd heads to Charlotte with a brand-new sponsor, this time teaming up with Canal Coffee Co., who will sponsor Boyd’s No. 76 in the series’ home race.

Anthony Damcott joined Frontstretch in March 2022. Currently, he is an editor and co-authors Fire on Fridays (Fridays); he is also the primary Truck Series reporter/writer and serves as an at-track reporter. He has also assisted with short track content and social media, among other duties he takes/has taken on for the site. In 2025, he became an official member of the National Motorsports Press Association. A proud West Virginia Wesleyan College alum from Akron, Ohio, Anthony is now a grad student. He is a theatre actor and fight coordinator in his free time.

You can keep up with Anthony by following @AnthonyDamcott on X.