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Penske buys IndyCar, IMS and maybe even Indianapolis itself

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by 2muchcoffeeman, Nov 4, 2019.

  1. wicked

    wicked Well-Known Member

    Best news in racing in years. Only thing better would've been the Frances selling NASCAR before Brian ran it into the ground.
     
    Driftwood likes this.
  2. Bubbler

    Bubbler Well-Known Member

    Earthquake-level news in Indiana.

    I like it. The Hulman family have felt indifferent for years and they got nailed in the Madoff scheme, so they were not as financially strong as they once were.

    Penske will re-invigorate the proceedings. Though he faces the headwinds of a big drop in interest in motorsports of all forms.
     
  3. Neutral Corner

    Neutral Corner Well-Known Member

    I think Penske is a good thing, but since he is 82 the obvious question is who takes over when he is gone.
     
  4. Driftwood

    Driftwood Well-Known Member

    Just a cold Miller Lite.
     
  5. Bubbler

    Bubbler Well-Known Member

    Probably his sons, who have been in the Penske Corp. for a long time.
     
  6. wicked

    wicked Well-Known Member

    I didn't know Jay Penske owned Variety and Rolling Stone. Wonder how much interest he'll have in the racing business.
     
  7. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    Hearing him mention a 24-hour race and a return of F1 to IMS was inspiring, even if he was just spitballing. (Though he knows exactly what he's doing to say that during a press conference.) Everything over the last couple decades there was about cash flow or lack thereof. Penske will spend money in order to make money.
     
  8. Bubbler

    Bubbler Well-Known Member

    This has so many wide-ranging repercussions in all of motorsports.

    A few monumental things to ponder:
    - Does this open IndyCar up to the ISC circuits that have tried to squeeze them/keep them out? Does this also increase the likelihood of NASCAR/IndyCar doubleheader weekends? NBC would love to have it during their NASCAR broadcast window.
    - Does this make it more likely either the World 600 date or the Indy 500 date is moved so that drivers can realistically attempt to do both?
    - Does this mean the possibility of a universal motorsports calendar, at least in America, could exist? Motorsports popularity has fallen way off from its late 90s/early 2000s peak. It would do ALL of the series a world of good to try not to step on each others' toes.
    - What will Penske's connections mean for series title sponsorship? Another engine manufacturer for IndyCar?
    - Will Penske lock in the season-long teams in IndyCar into the 500? He advocated for that last spring.
    - How can Penske make the Brickyard viable again? He said he wants to maintain it at IMS, despite the fact that it has become an afterthought to the fans in Indiana.

    These are just a few. This is one of the biggest developments in motorsports in ages.
     
  9. Bubbler

    Bubbler Well-Known Member

    Jay briefly ran his own IndyCar team and I (think) has a stake in a Formula E team. Roger has other sons who have been exclusively in the corporate world.
     
  10. 2muchcoffeeman

    2muchcoffeeman Well-Known Member

    Jay Penske owns Dragon Racing, which was in IndyCar for 8 seasons before jumping over to Formula E.
     
  11. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    I don't think Penske moves the Indy 500 date/time, there's too much tied up in the fan experience and why mess with that? However, I think the locked-in spots are a real possibility. Traditionalists will howl but IndyCar teams are still on shaky financial ground and protecting them for the biggest race does make sense. Qualifying weekends are snoozefests that make very little money.

    Nascar will race on the IMS road course, I think it's close to happening even without Penske but with him it's definitely done. That's the easiest thing in the short term to bring back interest. Long-term, it might be night racing.

    I think IndyCar/Nascar doubleheaders at other tracks, if not IMS, will happen too. It's time to throw everything on the table.
     
    Last edited: Nov 4, 2019
    2muchcoffeeman likes this.
  12. Bubbler

    Bubbler Well-Known Member

    Penske might have the clout to move the Coca-Cola 600 (Is it still called that? I don't even know) date to Saturday. Especially, if he can generate some corporate backing to create a Win The Double Weekend. If NBC had NASCAR during May? I guarantee something like this would happen. With Fox broadcasting NASCAR in May, that complicates matters for sure.

    And I agree that the 500 date would be unlikely to be moved, but remember, it hasn't been on Sundays forever. I believe that only became a thing in 1974.
     
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