Pen Pals: Newman, Penske Team Up On Letter To Promote Indy 500

Penske, Paul Newman Hope To Lure Fans Back To Unified Indianapolis 500

Once “bitter rivals in the early days” of the IRL, Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing co-Owner Paul Newman and Penske Racing Owner Roger Penske have “joined forces in the spirit of unity,” according to Bruce Martin of SI.com. Penske has been with the IRL, while Newman backed CART and later Champ Car. But with open-wheel racing united, both are trying to “heal old wounds by inviting disenfranchised fans back to the Indianapolis 500.” A letter recently was sent out to Indy 500 ticket holders who have not been back since '98. The letter is co-authored by Newman and Penske promoting the unified IndyCar Series and “inviting fans to return to the biggest race of the season.” Martin noted the letter is “another example of the spirit of unity and the realization that IndyCar racing has a tremendous opportunity to rebuild itself into a prominent, relevant series.” Newman would not discuss his reasons for taking part in the letter, but Penske spoke of the positive signs it sends to fans regarding the Indy 500. Penske: "Indianapolis, the Indy name, is a premier sports brand. The problem is we've had so much negativism around that brand for the last six or seven years -- we've had some great racing and developed some new teams -- but today having it under one roof will grow it. … From a sponsor standpoint, we'll now have an opportunity to talk about one series and have the ability to see more sponsorship. … What I hope the IRL does now is get some stability, race in the best markets, Long Beach and Canada are important. Let's not change the specifications overnight” (SI.com, 4/3).