How Penske pulled off the blockbuster IndyCar purchase

It's fair to say the motorsport world was taken aback by Roger Penske's purchase of IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Here's how the deal was done, and what the next steps are for the championship and venue

Published Nov 7, 2019, 2:10 PM

In the modern sense of the word, Roger Penske has 'owned' the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for quite some time. His team's 18 Indianapolis 500 wins are one obvious illustration of that, since nearest rival car owners Michael Andretti and Lou Moore are on five apiece (won between 2005 and '17, and '38 and '49 respectively), and Chip Ganassi is on four ('00-12).

No less significant is how rarely Penske cars are off the pace at Indy: sure, the occasional bad pitstop or driver misjudgment will harm the result, but in terms of pace, 'The Captain's' armada is a perennial contender.