Few men in the world of motorsports are as experienced as 87-year-old Roger Penske. From IndyCar to NASCAR he has participated and won in almost all of the major racing disciplines across the world.
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The wisdom that he has gained over this long career has led him to opine that the premier stock car racing series will be taking a lot of risks over the next few years.
The icon was at a press conference at the 2024 Annual Awards banquet when he was asked what he thought the future of the sport was going to be like.
He touched upon the interest in electrification before mentioning that diversity is key and that more ventures will be explored in the coming times. He also expressed eagerness at the idea of a crossover doubleheader weekend.
His words went, “I’m not announcing anything but think about it. We ran a doubleheader there with IndyCar and NASCAR. You could do that to give a fuller weekend. Some diversity there I think could be important as we go forward.”
Kyle Larson’s attempt at the Double generated all the hype in the world. A crossover weekend with drivers from both series mixing things up would be extraordinary.
Penske continued to note the differences between IndyCar, a series he owns, and NASCAR. He wishes for IndyCar to have international races in the future like NASCAR will be doing in 2025.
He also wants it to follow in the footsteps of NASCAR in securing deals with linear broadcasting partners like Fox Sports. The biggest challenge for both avenues, he says, is to grab the attention of the younger generation of fans.
Team Penske’s domination of motorsports in recent years
Penske has 20 Indianapolis 500 victories in his bag along with 17 IndyCar championships and five Cup Series titles. No individual in any form of motorsport can claim to have such a large number of silverware in their cabinets. One of the most important people that the team owner has got to thank is Joey Logano.
The No. 22 driver secured the third consecutive and fifth overall Cup Series championship for Team Penske in 2024. And although there have been heavy criticisms around his success, the trophy still stands and that’s all that matters. Moreover, no other team has won a title since the introduction of the Next Gen car.
Despite his frailing age, Penske isn’t done building his legacy. He wishes for his drivers to keep reaching victory lane and bringing home trophies for the image that it builds around him and his team. There is no reason to say that his desire won’t come true. Team Penske is one of the best teams on the global stage right now.
