Will Power's strategist Tim Cindric moving to Newgarden's IndyCar team

IndyCar’s top team is taking a gamble just before the 2017 season, moving Will Power’s longtime strategist Tim Cindric to the new team of Josef Newgarden.

Team Penske is making a major strategy change ahead of the new Verizon IndyCar Series season. The defending IndyCar champions announced Thursday that Tim Cindric, who won the 2014 title and was runner-up last season as the strategist for Will Power, has been moved to call the shots for new driver Josef Newgarden.

Power’s new strategist will be Jon Bouslog, the man who worked with Juan Pablo Montoya before he was not re-signed in favor of Newgarden.

Cindric, who is also the president of Team Penske, said the change in personnel was made in order to provide a solid start for the organization’s newest member.

“I’m confident the 12 car group will be just fine with or without me,” he told IndyCar.com. “And the 2 car group is in the right place, but I want to help his transition be the right one.”

His logic is certainly understandable. There are very high expectations for Newgarden now that he has made the move from Ed Carpenter Racing to Team Penske; fans and likely his teammates are expecting him to win immediately. Having Tim Cindric, who has won an IndyCar championship and almost had another one last year, working with him is a major boost to his chances for success.

But at the same time, the shift is not without risk for Power, who’s proven himself to be a reliable performer for the organization. He’s worked with Cindric for almost six years and any time you break up a long working relationship, there’s always a change.

Bouslog could be the most brilliant strategist in IndyCar and if he doesn’t mesh with Power, or calls races that don’t fit with his driver’s strengths and style, Penske could be helping the No. 2 at the expense of the No. 12.

Not to mention that the decision comes fairly late, as the first league-wide test is one week from today, Feb. 10 at Phoenix, with the season opener just about a month away.

Many of IndyCar’s best drivers have consistency in their teams. Mike Hull has called the shots for four-time champion Scott Dixon for years. Kyle Moyer came over with Simon Pagenaud from Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. And you wouldn’t imagine anyone else but Roger Penske himself on the microphone for Helio Castroneves.

Now Will Power won’t have that consistency, but is he a strong enough driver to overcome that? That’s certainly what Penske is banking on.

Tim Cindric’s first race as strategist for Josef Newgarden will be the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 12 in St. Petersburg, FL. Fans will have to see how this new team gets off the ground in what’s shaping up to be a dynamic 2017 season.