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Roger Penske Leads IndyCar In New Direction Even Amid Pandemic

Penske spent $15M in renovations for IMS and held the Indy 500 in August without fansGETTY IMAGES

ROGER PENSKE was "dealt an unpredictable hand in taking over an IndyCar series ... just months ahead of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic," but in spite of it all, the series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway "have taken a new shape, a vision and direction in recent months," according to Q&A with Nathan Brown of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. Penske spent $15M "to execute a massive face lift at IMS in a matter of months, even while holding the Indianapolis 500 without fans in August." Penske Entertainment has "helped promote several races this year just to make needs meet and cut deals with other race hosts on sanctioning fees." Below are excerpts from a Q&A with Penske, some of which have been edited for clarity and brevity:

Q: What allowed you guys to still have such a competitive series championship despite the ever-changing nature of the year?
Penske: I wasn't focused on the 14th race back in March and April. I was focused on how we could get the teams what they needed to run on. We needed to get people to Iowa to give them another chance to run on the oval before they went to Indy.

Q: Do you have any more major changes in store for IMS after spending $15M on various projects earlier this year?
Penske: We didn't have any concerts last year. We have to look, do we set up a venue area at the track conducive for people who want to come out and have fun in that way at the track at certain key times of the year during race weekends? That's a focus. We're looking at the golf course now to see what we can do over there. ... The other series we're running are interesting. Our relationship with NASCAR has never been better, and we're looking at the road races with them. But I'm very disappointed with the way Indy Lights has responded here in the last 24 hours after spending a lot of time with (series promoter DAN ANDERSEN) and some of the competitors. 

Q: What are your expectations for next year's Nashville street race?
Penske: When I came in and was talking with (IndyCar CEO) MARK MILES, there was a high level of interest, but no one had made a decision. So I said, 'Let's get the people from Nashville to come up,' so we actually sat down with them and went through their plans, page after page. It was all a collaborative discussion and one well received by everyone, and now we have to execute. I think it's a big star in the cap of [IndyCar President] JAY FRYE and the team over at IndyCar to have been able to engage with Nashville and come out with success.

Q: With all the talk recently about TV viewership numbers, you guys have had a 4-5% rise with NBC outside the Indy 500 this year. What do you think has allowed for that?
Penske: It's the quality of the field and it's depth. You look at the Harvest weekend, and I don't know which day it was but all 24 cars were within nine-tenths of a second. ... We're connected now. We have all our people at Penske Entertainment connecting with the marketing people at the teams trying to help them execute better. We're focusing on making IMSP the best engine in the car. The goal is to have the most creative, most spectacular talent that is going to represent us. It's got to be the best, most knowledgeable and capable (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 10/27).

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