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Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology alumnus and Indianapolis native Tim
Cindric, president of Penske Performance Inc., has been named one of
America’s top mechanical engineers by Inventors Digest magazine.
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Finding Success On Track: Tim Cindric has helped lead Penske Racing to
54 Indycar Series victories, including five times in the winner’s circle at
the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. |
Cindric was one of six mechanical engineers whose career achievements
were featured in the April issue’s Modern Marvels section
(www.inventorsdigest.com/archives/6131). The group was chosen based on
peer recognition, societal impact of their work and commitment to the
craft.
A 1990 Rose-Hulman mechanical engineering graduate, Cindric has managed
Penske’s racing operations, including NASCAR and IZOD IndyCar Series
teams, since 2005. During that time Penske’s Indy car program has won 54
races, including five Indianapolis 500 victories and a record-tying
three straight wins from 2001-03, and nine NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
victories, featuring the 2008 Daytona 500.
Cindric received the inaugural Herb Porter Memorial Award in 2002. The
award recognizes the person who through innovation, technical
advancement or other accomplishments has enhanced the philosophies and
goals of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Ironically, Cindric’s motorsports career started working alongside his
father, Carl, in Porter’s Speedway Engine Development operations center.
And, it was Carl who urged his son to get an engineering degree in order
to realize his dream of becoming a race car mechanic.
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Setting Strategy: On race day, Tim Cindric can be found setting the race
strategy for Penske Racing driver Helio Castroneves in the IZOD IndyCar
Series.
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Cindric has far surpassed those original expectations. He formerly
worked as interim general manager and design engineer for TrueSports Co.
in the CART Series, 1991-92, and was team manager of Team Rahal, being
named 1998 and 1999 CART Team Manager of the Year.
“Racing is a very difficult business to get into at the entry level,”
Cindric told Inventors Digest. “You have to be very persistent and make
a lot of sacrifices relative to time and income. You have to have the
passion to do it.”
Asked to describe his dream project, Cindric told the magazine: “I’m
living it . . . When you win at Indy (Indianapolis 500), you become part
of a different club. I’ve had that opportunity to ride on that platform
five times.”
Cindric was inducted into Rose-Hulman’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001
for his four-year basketball playing career. He was recently recognized
as a member of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame’s prestigious Silver
Anniversary team for his career at Pike High School in Indianapolis.
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