Roger Penske Talks Big Indy 500 Rating, Sellout And Team Penske Moves

DETROIT – Last Sunday’s 109^th Indianapolis 500 included a grandstand sellout of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time since 2016, and FOX Sports produced the largest television audience for an Indy 500 in 17 years.

With 7.01 million viewers, including a peak audience of 8.05 million from 4:15 to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Roger Penske could take a victory lap.

“Well, when it comes down to FOX, they were outstanding,” Penske told me in an exclusive interview in Detroit. “They told me when we originally shook hands to put the relationship together that they’d take the sport to the next level.

“And when I saw some of the advertisements for the race during the Super Bowl, I told FOX Sports CEO Eric Shanks, ‘You are a man of your word.’

“From that point on, you could see the momentum that we had with the race, the TV, the coverage, the celebrities, the Blackhawk helicopters on the Parade Lap.

“And guess what?

“Legitimately over 330,000 people were at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and to sell out the grandstands was just amazing.”

From Business Success To Love Of The Indy 500

Penske is one of the world’s great businessmen and one of the top industrialists in the United States. The Penske Corporation has 77,000 employees worldwide specializing in the transportation industry.

But his love is the Indianapolis 500, and the 88-year-old Penske loved what he saw last Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“When you think about the fans themselves, the demographics and the kids and the people were there, you have to be there and look at the impact that it has for the State of Indiana,” Penske told me. “Probably $1 billion dollars coming out of that race weekend and the rest of things we do there.

“So, I could only say FOX was a great quarterback.”

The Indy 500 is ‘Cool Again’

The Indianapolis 500 is cool again among the younger generation and that is important because it was always deemed cool from younger fans beginning after World War, II to the mid-1990s.

Then came the infamous, split between CART and the Indy 500 over the creation of the Indy Racing League.

But in recent years, more younger fans are turning out at the Indianapolis 500 and that is very important to the rise of success that continues to happen at Indy in May.

That is also evident by the television numbers as FOX brings a more youthful approach to its telecasts of the NTT IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500.

“I think one thing you’ve got to take a look at is that the 18- to 36-year-olds was up 100 percent when you looked at TV audience,” Penske said. “I would say that we also had a tremendous amount of young people, a lot more women than we’ve had in the past. So, the sport I think is resonating across, many different age groups, certainly from the standpoint of the fan base.

“But more important, the fact that we were able to deliver an event like that on Memorial Day, for the men and women in our military, the first responders.

“When you look at the outcome, I think our team, Doug Boles (IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway President), Mark Miles (Penske Entertainment CEO), the whole team there did an outstanding job.”

Better Race Day Experience

The race day experience is also bigger and better than ever. That was one of Penske’s visions when he purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from the Hulman-George Family on November 4, 2019.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the 2020 Indy 500 to be held without spectators, Penske plan to improve the race day experience is his No. 1 priority.

“Well, I think it’s come together very steady, and we’re not done yet because what we are concerned about, how do we make the guests, the fans, have a greater experience?” Penske responded. “And that certainly is what we’re trying to do, and I think we’re accomplishing that each and every race.”

Calming Troubled Waters

As the owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IndyCar and the Indianapolis 500, the Month of May was a big success for Penske.

But as team owner of Team Penske, he was forced to dismiss three key members of management after the team was rocked by a second scandal in as many years. Last year, it was manipulation of the push-to-pass system in the season-opening race at St. Petersburg. Penske suspended team leadership from being at Indy in 2025.

When a second scandal hit on Pole Day when the teams for the No. 2 Chevrolet for Josef Newgarden and the No. 12 Chevrolet for Will Power had modified the rear attenuator, Penske took strong and decisive action.

Team Penske IndyCar President Tim Cindric, along with the team’s Managing Director Ron Ruzewski and General Manager Kyle Moyer were dismissed from the team.

I asked Penske how important it was to get out in front of that and regain control of what had happened at Team Penske, he gave a short, but direct, response.

“Well, I think it’s all been said,” Penske said. “I don’t think I have to say it again.

“We understand the penalty. We accepted the penalty, and we’re moving on.”

Penske Impressed With Alex Palou’s Success

Penske gave high praise for this year’s Indianapolis 500 winner, Alex Palou of Spain. He is proving that he is a generational talent and could ultimately become one of the greatest drivers in IndyCar history.

But Penske gave even higher praise to team owner Chip Ganassi.

“Remember, it takes a team to make a winner, and I’d have to say, Ganassi is a pro team,” Penske told me. “They’ve had success at Indy and obviously winning a number of IndyCar Series championships, so I think the combination is first class.

“They are going to be tough to beat all year.”

Penske has made a career by being tough to beat, both in business and in racing. As a team owner, he has won a record 20 Indy 500s.

Penske knows a winner when he sees one and this year’s Indy 500 was a big win for his organization, for FOX and for IndyCar fans.

Huge Television Audience For Indy 500

For just the third time in the last three decades, Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 will be the most watched motorsports event on American television as 7.01 million viewers tuned into the FOX broadcast with a peak of 8.5 million for the climactic ending from 4:15 to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

By comparison, 6.4 million viewers watched February’s Daytona 500, also on FOX.

The only other times the Indy 500 has received a higher rating than the Daytona 500 was in 1995 and 2021.

It was also the most-watched Indianapolis 500 in 17 years (7,245,000 viewers in 2008).

This is the first year all IndyCar Series races are broadcast on FOX including the Indianapolis 500. The network has aggressively promoted the NTT IndyCar Series and interest level in this form of racing appears to be on the rise.

It was also the first time since the 100^th Indianapolis 500 in 2016 that all grandstand seats were sold out. Indianapolis Motor Speedway President and IndyCar Series President Doug Boles announced the attendance at 350,000 spectators during Monday night’s Indianapolis 500 Victory Celebration at the JW Marriott Hotel in downtown Indianapolis.

Record Indy 500 Pursue

The Indianapolis 500 purse record was broken for the fourth year in a row for the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, with first-time winner Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing earning $3.8 million from a total purse of $20,283,000.

It was the largest purse in the century-plus history of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on the heels of four consecutive record-breaking years. This year’s average payout for NTT IndyCar Series drivers was $596,500, which also exceeds last year’s average of $543,000.

In 2024, the Indianapolis 500 purse was $18,456,000, and the year’s winner payout was $4.3 million, which included a $440,000 roll-over bonus from BorgWarner for earning back-to-back wins. In 2023, the Indianapolis 500 purse was $17,021,500, and the winner earned $3.7 million. In 2022, the Indianapolis 500 purse was $16,000,200, and the winner earned $3.1 million. Prior to 2022, the largest Indianapolis 500 purse was $14.4 million for the 2008 Indianapolis 500.