Cindric returns to Team Penske for 2026 as McLaughlin’s strategist

Team Penske confirmed its lineup of race strategist for the upcoming IndyCar Series season on Thursday, which included the notable return of Tim Cindric.

Cindric, the organization’s former president, will be back on the timing stand and serve as the race strategist for Scott McLaughlin. Team Penske President Jonathan Diuguid will call strategy for Josef Newgarden, with Travis Law set to do the same for newcomer David Malukas.

“I am excited about our Team Penske lineup for the 2026 IndyCar season,” Diuguid said. “I look forward to continuing to work with Josef (Newgarden), as we have enjoyed a lot of success together. Travis Law will be a great leader for David (Malukas) as he makes his transition into Team Penske. Tim Cindric brings decades of experience to Scott’s (McLaughlin) timing stand, and given his experience and time within our organization, he will be a great addition to our lineup on race day in the role of race strategist.

“With the support of our strong and experienced engineering staff, technicians, and partners, the No. 2, No. 3, and No. 12 Team Penske entries are positioned well, and I am confident the team will fight for wins every race in the extremely competitive IndyCar field starting in St. Pete.”

Nine months ago, Cindric, along with IndyCar Managing Director Ron Ruzewski and IndyCar General Manager Kyle Moyer, were let go by team owner Roger Penske, who also owns the series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, on May 12, 2025. The trio’s dismissal was following two of the team's three entries failing technical inspection during qualifying for the 2025 Indianapolis 500, with infractions for unapproved modifications to the rear attenuator on the cars of Newgarden and Will Power. It was the second cheating event in as many years, with the push-to-pass scanal rocking the paddock in 2024 and leaving many teams questioning the integrity of how the series was being run. Following those events, it led to the creation of an Independent Officiating Board - still paid for by Penske - and is equipped with an FIA member along with two others appointed by the other chartered teams.

Unlike Ruzewski and Moyer, who both found new homes at Andretti Global and Arrow McLaren, respectively, Cindric is back at his old stomping grounds.

Cindric’s arrival is one of several key changes to McLaughlin’s team, with Raul Prados replacing Ben Bretzman as his race engineer, and David Hunt taking over as spotter from Adam Fournier.