- Kyle Moyer joins Arrow McLaren as director of competition
- He replaces Tony Kanaan as strategist for Nolan Siegel
- Moyer was one of three Penske execs fired in May scandal
Arrow McLaren Racing has appointed Kyle Moyer as its new director of competition, just weeks after he was dismissed from Team Penske in the aftermath of a technical scandal surrounding the Indianapolis 500.
Moyer will begin his new role on June 30 and is set to attend a test session with the team this week at Iowa Speedway. He was personally recruited by Arrow McLaren team principal Tony Kanaan, with whom he won the 2004 IndyCar championship while at Andretti Global.
In his new position, Moyer will support Scott Harner, director of race operations, and will take over race strategy duties for Nolan Siegel. That shift allows Kanaan to oversee all three McLaren drivers during race weekends.
“Kyle is one of the best strategists in the paddock, so talking about his qualities, not just about him as a human being, he knows a lot about racing,” Kanaan told the Associated Press. “Kyle probably is one of the top guys of knowledge of IndyCar. He’s been around it his entire life.
“And Kyle is a people person. He’s that kind of guy that captivates people and people want to work for Kyle,” Kanaan added. “At the same time, he is very direct and he will call you out and he makes it so every person I’ve ever seen working for Kyle wanted to work for Kyle. That’s something that I experienced in my career, and that is probably the biggest thing. The respect that I have for the guy is unbelievable.”
Moyer’s departure from Penske last month followed the discovery of illegal modifications to the rear attenuators on Josef Newgarden and Will Power’s cars. Though the team claimed the sealed seams were cosmetic, the modifications violated IndyCar regulations. The fallout prompted team owner Roger Penske to dismiss three senior figures: Moyer, longtime team president Tim Cindric, and managing director Ron Ruzewski.
Moyer, previously general manager of Penske’s IndyCar program and strategist for Scott McLaughlin, was well regarded within the paddock. McLaughlin voiced his disappointment following the decision, saying: “Ultimately, those three guys are friends of mine and have done a tremendous amount in my career to get me to this point. I guess you could say there’s a sadness from my perspective. At the end of the day, I drive for Roger Penske. I respect the decision. I understand the decision. We move forward.”
Kanaan was surprised Moyer was available without a noncompete agreement and said that their past working relationship played a key role in securing the hire. Moyer is expected to be a steadying presence for 20-year-old Siegel, who is contesting his first full IndyCar season and currently sits 21st in the standings.
Moyer, who has been based in North Carolina with Penske, will relocate to Indianapolis for his new role.
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