IndyCar Owner Roger Penske, Penske Entertainment CEO Mark Miles, and Monterey race winner Scott Dixon.

PPI_EP127_MR1511_MR3246_Mix1

Speakers: Bruce Martin, Scott Dixon, Mike Hull, Marcus Armstrong, Roger Penske, & Mark Miles

Roger Penske:

This is Roger Penske, and you're listening to Pit Pass Indy sponsored by Penske Truck Rental.

[Music Playing]

Bruce Martin:

IndyCar fans, it's time to start your engines. Welcome to Pit Pass Indy, a production of Evergreen Podcasts. I'm your host, Bruce Martin, a journalist who regularly covers the NTT IndyCar Series.

Our goal at Pit Pass Indy is to give racing fans an insider's view of the exciting world of the NTT IndyCar Series in a fast-paced podcast featuring interviews with the biggest names in the sport.

I bring nearly 40 years of experience covering IndyCar and NASCAR, working for such media brands as nbcsports.com, si.com, ESPN Sports Ticker, Sports Illustrated, Autoweek, and Speed Sport.

So, let's drop the green flag on this episode of Pit Pass Indy.

Welcome to this week's edition of Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental.

The 2023 NTT Indy Car Series season is over, and Scott Dixon goes into the off season as the winner of three of the last four races.

He drove to victory in the September 10th Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey in a wild race that saw a record eight yellow flags for 35 laps in the 95-lap contest at WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca.

It was Dixon's 56 Career IndyCar Series win as the 43-year-old six time IndyCar champion creeps closer to A. J. Foyt's record of 67 wins and seven championships.

Dixon finished the season strong, but it wasn't enough to catch his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, Alex Palou. The Spaniard clinched his second IndyCar title in three seasons with a win at the BITNILE Grand Prix of Portland on September 3rd.

We will have a special Pit Pass Indy next week featuring an in-depth interview with Palou.

This week's episode will wrap up the season finale with Scott Dixon, followed by exclusive in-depth interviews with IndyCar owner, Roger Penske, and another exclusive interview with Mark Miles.

But first, let's hear from Scott Dixon after he overcame plenty of adversity, including an engine change before the race to win Sunday's Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey, on this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview.

Alex Palou may be the champion, but Scott Dixon remains the king of IndyCar. You got your 56 career victory in the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey, not exactly an easy path to your first victory at WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca.

Started off with an engine change, grid spot penalty, drive through on pit lane for avoidable contact. Nutty way to get the victory lane. How do you explain it?

Scott Dixon:

Yeah, it was definitely one of those weekends. I was definitely bummed this morning. I think when we had the failure and I know we all try to do the best that we can and to get a grid penalty, especially at this place.

I think with how we saw practice, it was either going to be a green to check race or it was going to be a yellow central. And thankfully, it turned out to be a yellow central kind of race, and there was a ton of them so you could kind of play the strategy game.

But the car was super fast, there was no doubt about that. I think both the 8, 9, and the 10, and the 11 had very fast cars today. Honestly got clean air and played the strategy.

But yeah, it was definitely we had a great start. Went from 11th to 5th or 4th and then got the drive through penalty on the second caution which was definitely a bit bizarre. But yeah, it is what it is. And ultimately, came out for the win.

Bruce Martin:

The team was thrashing on your car before the race. Was the engine swap this morning?

Scott Dixon:

Yeah, right after warmup, unfortunately, we found an issue. We wanted to make sure that we covered every basis that it wasn't going to be a problem in the race. So, we decided to change it.

But I think today, especially this morning with the warmup and the delay that we had with the fog, there was really only an hour and a half turnaround from warm up to grid roller or maybe even an hour and 15.

So, huge kudos to everybody on the nine car side to get that change done. Was very special to see them work so hard and ultimately this is the best way you can kind of play it out.

Bruce Martin:

At Chip Ganassi Racing, everything is the team. And when they were changing the engine in your car before the race, I saw uniforms from all four of the team members on your car working on it.

When you see that type of effort, I guess you have to really feel like it's an unbeatable combination.

Scott Dixon:

It's an amazing group of people. I've been lucky enough to be a part of this team for 20 plus years and just see the effort that they put in. But everybody works together, and it takes a bit of time and it's very difficult to actually have that scenario where people actually all get on.

We all travel like a big circus and some room together and some don't. And just to have that kind of harmonious situation is very difficult.

But I think in the low times of when you're kind of thrashing in those situations, that's when this team is so strong.

Bruce Martin:

The start of the race, first lap turned to mayhem, contact everywhere. IndyCar race control decides to penalize you, you weren't happy with it. What do you think was the reason why they even singled you out to give you that penalty?

Scott Dixon:

I don't really know yet. I haven't seen the replay. I don't feel like I did anything egregious. There was definitely a lot of chaos going on. There was cars coming back on track.

And I think from my point of view, it was really caught on the 21 and the contact with me, but he was kind of coming back on track. So, I don't know how that's really my fault.

You're going as fast as you can. You're trying to make any spot. I don't think I tried to really end anybody's day or drive anybody off. So, that's kind of, I think some of these penalties you see where you got to give one spot up.

But I think McLaughlin and myself, we got drive-throughs. There was a lot of drive-throughs going on. It was a bit of chaos.

But yeah, it's hard to comment on it because I haven't seen the full replay, but I think it was uncalled for.

Bruce Martin:

So, with the drive through, you're now, the last cars on the lead lap. So, at that point, is that when you decided you were going to go to your strategy with the pit stops, or I mean, really it helped because it just seemed like everything fell into your favor after that.

Scott Dixon:

Not really. Like I think you want to have a race where there's no issues. I think had we stayed where we were with fifth, the race could have played out very similar.

I think we called the race, Mike, and Ross, and Simmons, and Chip did a great job of they always look at the race backwards. How do you get to lap 95 and how do you play that backwards?

And I think we would've pitted around the same time that we did. Obviously having enough fuel to get to the end, but also, the right tires and all that kind of scenario.

So, yeah, I wouldn't say that the drive through put us in a scenario where it kind of we were a bottom feeder and trying to get everything out of it. There was plenty of those going on today. So, it was just the right strategy at the right time.

Bruce Martin:

So, you're around 12, 13th, 14th, all the cars that were ahead of you, but they all needed the pit again, so you had to know at some point the race is going to cycle back and you're going to be in front.

Scott Dixon:

Yeah. But some of those guys didn't need to pit. We passed Palou on a restart. We passed the 77 and the 78. We had a really good battle with the five as well.

I was shocked that the five had to pit. He pit the same time as the attendant within a lap or so. So, that was interesting. I think they maybe had a tire maybe selection that they needed to complete.

But yeah, I felt like we didn't do anything crazy. We had good speed. We were able to pass people when we needed to and gave us a great spot, obviously for that last restart to start off the front.

Bruce Martin:

Lap 78, you take the lead, and from that point, you drove away from the field, finally got that victory at Laguna Seca. How good does that feel?

Scott Dixon:

Yeah, very special. It's a special track. It's a track that it's an iconic circuit that I've loved obviously to watch in the late ‘90s when I first came to America and then ultimately, to race on it for the first time in 1999 in Indy Lights.

So, first win here, didn't get the pleasure of winning in Indy Lights here, but yeah, what a place. And it's kind of cool to end the season, I think with three wins out of four races, obviously all four podiums for us. So, some good momentum. But ultimately, second in the championship.

Bruce Martin:

This year, Chip Ganassi's had Howdy Holmes on the timing stand. He's part of the team now, and to have Howdy around, how cool is that?

Scott Dixon:

Yeah, it's very cool. Chip has a lot of great friends like that. But to have Howdy and obviously his brand Jiffy on the car is very special.

But I think it's a lot of fun to have those people around the team to kind of reminisce to talk about the old times and times where they were so at the top of their game and obviously being now, a part of a different generation.

But it's special to have these people around us, just momentum and what they bring to the team is huge.

Bruce Martin:

And also, on pit lane as you're about ready to put on the head sock and get ready, I do believe I said to you, “I'll talk to you after the race as the race winner.”

Scott Dixon:

Yeah, you did. You caught it, mate. Good job.

Bruce Martin:

Yes. So, anyway, but hey, career victory number 56. 60 is doable in 2024.

Scott Dixon:

For sure. We can try.

Bruce Martin:

Alright, as I said, Alex Palou may be the champion, but Scott Dixon remains the king of IndyCar. Scott, congratulations on career victory number 56 in the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey. And thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy.

Scott Dixon:

Cheers, mate.

Bruce Martin:

Mike Hull’s the managing director of Chip Ganassi Racing and calls the race strategy for Dixon on the timing stand. I caught up with Hull for his thoughts on the dramatic day, just after the checkered flag dropped at Monterey.

Mike Hull, that's a heck of a way to cap out a wild day. You had to do an engine change, you got penalized at the beginning. You had to come in and pay a penalty, and he ends up winning the race.

Mike Hull:

We have a guy who drives our car that never gives up, and the guys who work on his car don't either. And it's great to repeat what he does.

Bruce Martin:

Career win number 56 for Scott Dixon. He just keeps climbing up the ranks. There's no reason not to believe that he can't get win number 60, maybe next year.

Mike Hull:

Well, let's hope so. It is literally one at a time for us, so we'll work on the next one. I wish these points would carry over to next year.

Bruce Martin:

At Chip Ganassi Racing, it's all about the team. And when you were changing the engine today, I saw crew members from all four of the teams helping out. How valuable is that to have that type of effort?

Mike Hull:

Well, I think it goes that way with all four. And today was the nine cars turn to get help.

Bruce Martin:

And to cap off a championship with one of your drivers, Scott Dixon winning the race, it's just got to be a perfect way to end it.

Mike Hull:

Great way to win. What a lineage place to win.

Bruce Martin:

Mike Hull, congratulations.

Mike Hull:

Thank you very much, Bruce.

Bruce Martin:

Another Chip Ganassi Racing driver, Marcus Armstrong is the 2023 IndyCar Rookie of the Year. He finished eighth in Sunday's race and won the rookie title by 34 points. This, in spite of the fact he ran five fewer races than fellow rookie Agustin Canapino of Juncos Hollinger Racing.

Armstrong, a 23-year-old from Christchurch, New Zealand drove the No. 11 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda on the street and road courses. Canapino competed in every race.

I caught up with Armstrong on pit lane following the race for this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview.

Marcus Armstrong, now, we can call you 2023 IndyCar Rookie of the Year. How does that sound?

Marcus Armstrong:

That sounds pretty damn good. Man, what a treacherous race. That was mental from start to finish. I thought the race was done after the first corner, and then we were leading on our strategy. So, ah, I wish I could do some of it again, but Rookie of the Year, I'm pretty happy about it.

Bruce Martin:

And you also, did it without running in the oval races, so that just goes to show how good your season was on the street and road course to be able to do it with four or five less races.

Marcus Armstrong:

I know, it's pretty cool. I guess next year, we'll get to test out those ovals, but I mean, that's an awesome achievement. I think the team, I mean, I've had an amazing car from start to finish, so they did the work for me, and I've just been learning every single day.

Bruce Martin:

You're also, part of an impressive triple crown because Chip Ganassi Racing has the 2023 IndyCar Series champion with Alex Palou. The final race winner with Scott Dixon. And now, Marcus Armstrong is the Rookie of the Year.

To be able to share those three major titles at Chip Ganassi Racing. How exciting is that for you?

Marcus Armstrong:

Yeah, it's awesome. I mean, the team has been amazing all year, that pretty much sums it up. They've won everything. Well, we've won everything. So, I'm so proud to be a part of the team. I would've liked to have had a podium today, but wasn't meant to be. Meant to be next year.

Bruce Martin:

It seemed like this was probably the wildest race of the year on a road course. Was it because of the repaved surface? It just seemed like mayhem out there at times.

Marcus Armstrong:

It was more than mayhem. It was so slippery offline. And yeah, we were fast though. That was the thing. I wish we could do it again, honestly, because it was so much fun, but damn, we should have got a better result, really.

Bruce Martin:

And also just now, you can think of a full-time ride including your first Indianapolis 500 in 2024. So, things that got to really be exciting for you with your future here and now that you're signed multiyear for Chip Ganassi Racing.

Marcus Armstrong:

Exactly. I'm super proud. Can't wait to be here for a number of years. So, best team and looking forward to learning from my mistakes this year and turning them into results.

Bruce Martin:

Marcus Armstrong, congratulations on winning the 2023 IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year.

Marcus Armstrong:

Thanks, man.

Bruce Martin:

We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

Josef Newgarden:

Hey everybody, this is Josef Newgarden, winner of the 107th Indianapolis 500, and you're listening to Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Bruce Martin:

Welcome back to this special edition of Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Roger Penske is the chairman of Penske Corporation and the owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IndyCar, and the Indianapolis 500.

Penske saw IndyCar complete a very successful 2023 season, both on the track, and in the grandstands, and on TV.

The 2023 IndyCar Series season may be over, but for Roger Penske and senior management at Penske Corporation, Penske Entertainment, and IndyCar, it's full speed ahead, as he continues to build the series into the most exciting form of racing on the planet.

Pit Pass Indy was honored to sit down with Roger Penske for this exclusive interview for Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental.

It's always an honor to catch up with our next guest. It's IndyCar owner, Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner, and Indianapolis 500 owner, Roger Penske of the Penske Corporation.

Mr. Penske, we're at the end of another exciting 2023 NTT IndyCar Series season. It's had a lot of dramatic moments, it's had some great championship moments. We're doing this interview here with two races to go at Portland International Raceway.

We have two drivers that are left in a battle for the IndyCar Series Championship, Alex Palou and Scott Dixon. But as you look back at the great successes the series has had in 2023, what stands out to you?

Roger Penske:

Well, I think the main thing is the competitiveness of the series. When you see some of these qualifying weekends where there's less than a second between the whole 27 or 28 cars.

And on top of that, you go back a number of years ago, early in CART and IRL and we'd have 17, 18 cars. We're seeing 27, 28 cars coming to these events, which is amazing.

And the teams are really sharp. I mean, we've got good sponsors coming in. The quality of the drivers, these young guys coming in who have come up through Indy NXT and maybe Formula 2 or 3, whatever it might be in Europe, it made a huge difference.

And to me, it's competition. I think the tracks are stepping up to try to provide a better fan experience. We certainly tried to do that at Indianapolis, at the races we have there, but overall, it's competition.

I think the TV ratings are best we've had in many years, and to me, I think we're on a roll.

Bruce Martin:

With the TV ratings being up, next year's an important year because you'll be negotiating a new TV contract. So, where do things stand on that and what are some of the things you would like to see and who you're talking to?

Roger Penske:

Well, I'm not involved in the TV discussions. It's really Mark Miles, so I was just on purpose, stayed out of that. I think that we hope to execute a long-term contract. There's a number of people who have offered interest to do something with us in ’24 or ‘25 and beyond, and I think that's positive.

But again, the momentum, the social media things that you do, and also, the current TV momentum has made a big difference, and we hope that we can get paid for that as we go forward.

Bruce Martin:

Do you see where having the season completed before the NFL really gets going is very important to boost viewership ratings for IndyCar and awareness?

Roger Penske:

Well, we can see on weekends where we have certain competition that it does take away from maybe our fan base.

But the good news is, I think with Michael Montri and certainly, with Mark Miles looking at the schedules that are available in places like what we've done at Hy-Vee in Iowa, and just some great stuff.

The promotions and the fan base, which my understanding is coming out of the office, is that every one of the tracks has seen a bigger increase in their fan base in 2023, which is very positive as we go into next year.

Bruce Martin:

Do you see 2023 as really being the first season where you've been able to implement fully the vision that you had for IndyCar when you purchased it at the end of 2019?

Roger Penske:

Well, when we walked in in 2019 and on into COVID, we really got hit in the back of the head not knowing what to do, and it was really play catch up and a lot of defense.

And I think that we'd have to say that the organization led by Mark and certainly Doug Boles at the Speedway, Jay Frye, and the whole team has been amazing. Kevin Sublette at IMSP, our production company.

I think we're on a roll here from the standpoint. We're in unison, we're all working as one organization. It's not IMSP, it's not IndyCar, and then Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it's one organization together. And I think it certainly paid off. We could see it at Indy this year.

We looked at our net promoter score coming out of Indianapolis, it was over 85, which is world class. I think we still can make it better.

And I think we're trying to demonstrate that as we go across these other venues to try to give them the benefit of who we are and what we want to do and make it better, because we want people to come with their kids, their friends.

And the best thing in the world is obviously when you can tell your neighbor, “I had a great time coming to an Indy race.” It's repeat referral as far as I'm concerned.

Bruce Martin:

Mark Miles in another interview told me he really likes the number of entries that you have right now. Doesn't really want to go much above it because with two engine manufacturers, they're at their limits as to what they can support. Are you comfortable with the 27, 28 car fields moving forward?

Roger Penske:

Well, I think the big thing, we have Leader Circle, which is 22, and some of the tracks, we just don't have enough space for more than that. And I think that's going to be a discussion as we go forward.

The engine manufacturers would each like to have 12, not 13 or 14. I think they're committed to 2024, but I think that's something we got to look at in the future.

And then of course, we'd have a number of support for the Indy 500, but those are things that are on the drawing board we'll have to look at and come back to you and other people once we have them figured out as we go forward over the next several months.

Bruce Martin:

Because of the way the negotiations or interests with a third OEM have gone. Have you put that pretty much on pause for the moment?

Roger Penske:

Well, we were very close with a number of them, but you had COVID come in, which drove a lot of the interest away. I think with a new hybrid system, which hopefully, we'll introduce this year, could be a really, maybe a key to get someone else to come into the series.

We'd love to have a third engine manufacturer, but right now, it's very competitive. I think you can see that between Honda and Chevrolet, and we certainly would like to have one come in. But at the moment, we are where we are.

But I look forward to this hybrid world we're going to live in for sustainability and some of the things that we're looking at to try to meet some of the things that people want around the world from the standpoint of the atmosphere where we live.

So, overall, it's going to be interesting as we look at this going forward. There's certainly enough interest from the teams. You've got drivers coming out of Indy NXT, and that's something you really haven't talked about when you have 16, 17, 18 cars in Indy NXT.

I remember when we took over the series, we had eight or nine. So, that's been terrific. And Levi has done a wonderful job growing that series for us.

Bruce Martin:

Couple of the Indy NXT champions, most recently Linus Lundqvist got a ride at Chip Ganassi Racing. So, in the past, it used to be a struggle for some of these guys to land a really good team. He's landing at one of the best.

So, what does that really say about the quality of talent that's coming up through that system?

Roger Penske:

Well, it's great to see Linus get a chance on a world class team. Ganassi sets the bar around here. And no question, for him to get that chance is terrific.

And to me, with Ericsson moving on, I think he took a young rookie coming in who's got great experience. He drove the Shank car there at the street course and did a heck of a job certainly at Nashville. So, I see him being a real player going forward.

But it's a great series to get into, and we're trying to run it as professionally as we can because people want to be able to connect the Indy NXT to, obviously, the IndyCar Series, and Firestone has done a terrific job coming in to sponsor that series for us.

And I think the technology, the way we're running that series is as professional as we do the IndyCar Series by itself.

Bruce Martin:

Getting back to the TV negotiations, NBC has devoted a lot of network time. They've also had a couple of races on USA, they have a really good streaming platform with Peacock.

Do you see where with their support that they're one of the major players to really, I don't want to say leader in the clubhouse, but they certainly, are going to be the first that you speak with?

Roger Penske:

Well, Bruce, we'll talk to a lot of people. NBC has done a great job with us. I think they probably have a better idea of the value of the sport than anybody else.

But in any kind of a opportunity and you're looking at competition around the sport hopefully, as you look at Formula 1, you look at some of the other TV contracts that have gone down, that we can be in the middle of that with some benefit and grow it from where we are today.

Bruce Martin:

You did a docuseries called A 100 Days to Indy, that was on The CW. Were you happy with the numbers that you were able to generate as far as viewership and also, people who may not have been aware of IndyCar?

Roger Penske:

Well, I think it was a great job that the team put together, Allison Millington and Jonathan Gibson and the whole IndyCar marketing group.

Look, it was a plus, there's no question. We had 5 to 600,000 people when you looked at it between the first run and second run and the social media around it. We're looking at some distribution internationally of some of the series, so it was certainly a plus.

And I think that our goal is to try to have it again next year.

Bruce Martin:

How excited are you next year to end the season in Nashville and have a huge celebration in Music City?

Roger Penske:

Well, Nashville's Nashville. I mean, you think about all the artists that are living there and perform there. And for us to be able to get the city to go along with us and move the date was terrific. It's a big deal.

And to me, it's exactly what we want. I mean, we've been out in the west a long time, but this is a opportunity that really, I didn't think we could put together.

But Mark and the team down in Nashville have just come forward and said, “Hey, we can make it happen. We've met with the mayor, we met with the key people there in the city.

And to me, it's going to be a big deal and it's going to take some time to get it done, but I'm thrilled about it. And from what I can see, everybody, all our sponsors, the key players along with the teams think it's a terrific opportunity to end the season.

Bruce Martin:

Monterey moves to an earlier date in the season. Mark Miles told me it'll probably be after the Indianapolis 500, which would be a time of the year. We haven't really raced out in Monterey before.

But to be able to keep a track like Laguna Seca, a historic track, going all the way back to the Can-Am days with Penske racing, how valuable is that to keep as a valuable property on the schedule?

Roger Penske:

Well, I raced back in the ‘50s at Laguna Seca. So, I like it a lot and I love Monterey, people love it there. And I think the fact that they had flexibility in their schedule was really important to us. We certainly don't want to lose that race.

Bruce Martin:

And as far as Milwaukee, it hasn't been announced yet. I know you have a lot of interest in it, and I was told that your people, Penske Entertainment would be promoting the race if and when it happens, but the value of returning to Milwaukee.

Roger Penske:

Well, a Milwaukee Mile, remember we used to go out of Indianapolis and then go right back to Milwaukee for the Milwaukee Mile. It's got a lot of history. We've met with a governor who was very pro having it come back. The State Fair Board have been really working well with us.

So, as we put the details together, not ready to announce exactly what we're going to do there, but they spent considerable money to make the track safer and the things we needed to do. So, that's point number one.

I think we've got some more work to do with them just on how we would elevate the weekend to be a world class. And again, I want to see five or six ovals. I want to see road courses, and I want to see temporary circus. So, we have a mix of different venues, so that's IndyCar.

Bruce Martin:

So, if your team is promoting the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, also the Hy-Vee IndyCar weekend at Iowa Speedway, and Milwaukee, that's three major events. So, how are you going to be able to get that group to be able to handle all three?

Roger Penske:

Well, let's think about the crew we have and our ability and we can utilize our folks from Indianapolis, people that we have, Brian Schutzer, and we've added other people within the team working with Michael Montri.

I mean, it's our business. I mean, we started that way back as we had the speed Penske speedways for a number of years, we ran a number of races at multiple tracks.

So, this is about taking the best ideas we have, the best execution with the people, whether it's the track, whether it's marketing, whether it's ticketing, whether it's concessions, all that is part of our DNA. And to me, it's just another event.

And if they're not stacked right on top of each other, we can do it I think realistically. And I think we've been able to prove that with Hy-Vee. Working with them in Iowa, I think would be a great show place on how we can execute in more than one event, maybe just Indianapolis.

Bruce Martin:

In 2020, you were able to negotiate a IndyCar and NASCAR weekend at the same venue at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We just completed it in 2023. Does it appear that that'll happen at the Speedway next year?

Although that hasn't been officially determined yet, but how valuable would it be to continue that prospect or that formula of having IndyCar and NASCAR at the same venue on the same weekend?

Roger Penske:

Well, I think that as we look at this it's been a great weekend. I think one of the bigger challenges is logistics because as we go forward, if we're not running on the road course, it's almost impossible to turn overnight from a road course to a Speedway race.

So, these are all things that we'll bring out when we put out our schedule exactly what we're going to do at Indianapolis that weekend of the Brickyard.

Bruce Martin:

Has NASCAR been open to continuing that relationship of both being at the same track?

Roger Penske:

When NASCAR loves getting together with us. In fact, we've talked about other venues where we might go and race with them in other parts of the country.

Bruce Martin:

One championship is going to conclude an IndyCar, but another championship playoff begins Labor Day weekend in NASCAR in the Cup Series.

And now, putting on your team owner hat of Team Penske, how do you evaluate and what's your forecast for Joey Logano successfully defending another NASCAR Cup Series championship for Team Penske?

Roger Penske:

It's been a year since we won the championship, a lot of water over the dam. And we've had a decent year. Joey and Blaney have won races, are in the championship fight.

The good news is as I look at Darlington. One qualified fourth, one qualified sixth, so we had the speed. We'll see what happens for the race over the weekend.

But look, we're in it. We have to be in it to be running at the top. And I think the competition has never been tougher, like it is in all sorts of racing. Technology is driving this success with all the teams. I think the cars are similar, but it's the little things that make a difference.

Then you've got the driver base. A lot of these young kids coming up are just doing a terrific job. This ladder series, whether it's Xfinity, whether it's Indy NXT, or it's Formula Cars that they run, this is all very much part of the success, I think, of all the series that we run in.

But for me, we're going to be on it the best we can. Hope we can get into that final four, as we've done a number of years with one of our drivers.

Bruce Martin:

And from a business standpoint, how successful has 2023 been for the Penske Corporation?

Roger Penske:

Well, as you know, coming off of COVID it's certainly been challenging in all of our businesses, but for me, we look back and compare where we are in 2023 to ‘19, we're way ahead.

Bruce Martin:

And Roger Penske, it's always an honor and a privilege to be able to interview you and have you as a guest of the show. Thank you for all your help. Congratulations on a great 2023 IndyCar Series season. Thank you for your support, and thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy.

Roger Penske:

Bruce, thank you. It's a pleasure. Thanks for all what you're doing. You're making a big difference certainly in IndyCar, and people look forward to your Pit Pass reporting week in and week out.

Bruce Martin:

Thank you.

We will be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

Will Power:

This is Will Power of Team Penske, and you are listening to Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Bruce Martin:

Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy.

With Roger Penske as the owner of IndyCar, the daily execution of his plans are implemented and negotiated by Penske Entertainment CEO, Mark Miles.

From the 2024 schedule to beginning the negotiations for a new television contract that begins in 2025, Miles is another man who has many more miles to go before he reaches his destination.

The Penske Entertainment CEO sat down with me for this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview.

Joining us now, on Pit Pass Indy is Penske Entertainment President and CEO, Mark Miles.

Mark, we're at the end of another exciting NTT IndyCar Series season. What do you say?

At the end of the year, we had Chip Ganassi Racing, basically one of their two drivers was going to win the championship. So, that once again shows the star power that team owner Chip Ganassi has on his racing team.

Mark Miles:

Yeah, everybody at Ganassi has to be pretty thrilled with the way they've performed this year. They're a quality organization and they're right there, one and two, two and one.

So, I know Roger Penske and Andretti and McLaren, all those other strong teams are going to want to be giving them their money's worth for next year.

Bruce Martin:

You take great pride in having the IndyCar Series season championship go down every year to the last race of the season. This year, I guess Alex Palou had different plans building up a pretty big points lead before the end of the year.

But in a lot of ways there was still a lot at stake in the season with guys fighting for second place, even though Scott Dixon apparently in pretty comfortable position to get second place, Josef Newgarden mathematically could still jump up there.

But when you look at the star power that we've had, in a lot of ways, this has to just be a season for the ages for what Alex Palou has done.

Mark Miles:

Yeah. This is my 11th season personally, and you're right, every year I've just thought it was spectacular for fans that the championship has come down to the last race, and that's been the case for many years.

Listen, you just got to hand it to Alex that he's had this sensational year. He's been consistent, he's won races, and he deserves it. So, nobody laments the fact that he's had a historic year in his own right. And yeah, and there's lots of the rest of it to watch coming down to the wire.

Bruce Martin:

From your standpoint though, you're in charge of helping to run the business of IndyCar, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Penske Entertainment. So, how would you assess 2023 from a business standpoint?

Mark Miles:

Really, really strong and growing. So, first, here we are at a track and it's another example of where our promoter has invested and improved and brought more people, and they've brought more sponsors, they've brought an expanded new suites, put them in a better position, put big boards across from them, the suites are sold out.

So, I think the attendance is going to be very stellar at Portland, and that's consistent with something like a 22, 24% increase in attendance across the series. So, that's really good. It's healthy for our promoters and for us.

And then we look at all the fan metrics for IndyCar itself, and they're all up. We'll see what happens with the linear and the total audience delivery metrics for the last two races. But so far, we're ahead of any year back to I think 2008. So, we got to be really pleased about that.

Bruce Martin:

The schedule will look much different in 2024. The schedule isn't out yet, but instead of ending the season at Monterey, we're going to end the season on the streets of Nashville. There's been a lot said about that and how exciting that place will be to have a championship celebration on Broadway Avenue in Nashville, Tennessee.

Just the exciting prospects now, that we have markets that are clamoring for IndyCar dates, whereas when you first started, you had a little bit of a hard sell getting markets that take IndyCar dates.

Mark Miles:

Yeah, doubleheaders were almost a necessity, because we needed to get enough races in and they were easier to do if you race twice on the same weekend, wherever we might've been.

No, this series is in better shape and it's really everybody struggled with the COVID year or years, but it's gotten better every year consistently. And now, I think we're kind of getting into a whole nother hyperdrive gear.

Bruce Martin:

Is there anything you can tell us about next year's schedule? Is Monterey moving to March? Is it moving to April? Where will Monterey move on the schedule?

Mark Miles:

I don't think it's going to be in March, but I'm not going to give you where it will happen, but it will be on the schedule.

Bruce Martin:

But it'll be on the front part of the schedule, rather on the back part?

Mark Miles:

I think it'll be after the 500, if that helps.

So, yeah, there's a couple of big things. We have talked a lot about the fact that you got the Summer Olympics and NBC's our broadcaster, so we're going to have to take a few weeks off when we normally would be in the heart of the summer schedule, and a couple other of smaller adjustments.

But it's going to be very familiar to our fans, even fans who have appreciated. I mean, I think Milwaukee's likely, it's still not something we can announce, but I know our fans have loved being in Milwaukee in the past and we'll be delighted if we can get back there.

So, even that's familiar in a sense even if it's new compared to the 2023 calendar.

Bruce Martin:

Up to this point though, why has Milwaukee not been successful the last couple of attempts that IndyCar tried?

Mark Miles:

I think two things will be different. One is the state, the Fair grounds, the Fair Board are putting real money into improving the condition of the place.

So, IndyCar Indy 500 fans will think Penske esque, now, not overnight completely, but they're going to make investments, it's going to be better tracked, more safe, and our fans will feel that. So, that's a big thing. Year, over year, over year it was declining in terms of its condition.

The second thing is we're going to promote it and we've done that in Detroit, we've done it with Hy-Vee's help in Iowa, and we do a few races in Indianapolis Motor Speedway. So, we're not going to let it take second shift. We're going to work hard at it and make it the best event it can be.

Bruce Martin:

So, when it is announced on the schedule, where on the schedule will likely land?

Mark Miles:

Oh, we going to leave something to your imagination, but it's obviously going to be in the summer.

Bruce Martin:

Any other major changes to the schedule? Will there be a return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course the second time, or is that going to be an NASCAR only weekend?

Mark Miles:

I'm not going to say that's not something that we're ready to announce at this point. It needs to be finalized and we will roll that out as part of the overall schedule announcement.

Bruce Martin:

And as far though, as a new TV schedule, where do things stand on that? When do you have to start rolling up your sleeves and getting to work on negotiating a new TV schedule?

Mark Miles:

Okay, so, the schedule for next year, what windows or which broadcast is far along. In terms of relicensing our rights, we're starting that process now. So, we'll say more about that soon, maybe even next week. But it's something that's top of mind now.

And the good news is we think that we will have done our homework and have a good handle on what our values should look like, and we think there'll be multiple broadcasters that want to talk with us.

Bruce Martin:

NBC's been your partner now, for a good bit. Are they, I don't want to say leaders in the clubhouse, but do they have a little bit of an advantage because of their history and what they've been able to do for the series with the number of network races that they've been able to give IndyCar?

Mark Miles:

They've been a great partner and I mean, they want to continue to be our partner and they've always delivered.

It's little things like we got rain and so, a particular race gets affected on the calendar on the clock that day, and they make arrangements to try to stay with us and get us the best possible coverage.

As you asked, we get a lot of reach. NBC has given us a lot of network windows and those network windows, those broadcast windows are important.

And they've got a very broad platform to promote from the Today Show and late night and all their other big sporting events. They have some real strength.

And they have Peacock. And to have a streaming partner that's part of the same organization is a good advantage.

Bruce Martin:

This year, you debuted a docuseries A 100 Days to Indy that appeared on The CW. Did it reach the level of viewership and new audience that you wanted to achieve and will there be a second season?

Mark Miles:

Yes. We thought, first of all, that it was really well done. They did a great job in telling the stories and the quality of the show itself. And the audiences in the US averaged about half a million spectators per episode for the six episodes.

So, that's a useful increase in the total number of eyeballs or people that are watching IndyCar, whether it's the live races or the series.

Where we weren't happy was the international distribution, but I think we're going to have some really good news about international distribution of season one quite soon.

Bruce Martin:

And what about second airings, being able to do that on some of the other platforms and on The CW, they have an app where you could watch second airings, VICE also had their channel that viewed it.

As far though as second opportunities to stream it when you want, how important of a function was that?

Mark Miles:

It was important and it will grow as we have news that we can release before the end of the year about international distribution for the first airings of season one. I think we'll have some news about additional platforms that'll pick up season one and give fans additional chances to see it.

Bruce Martin:

This year, they unveiled a more extensive marketing plan. How do you assess how that marketing plan has worked this season?

Mark Miles:

Well, our television ratings are up and our social and digital ratings are off the charts. So, I think that is in part attributable to the additional investment that we've made in marketing.

Bruce Martin:

There is talk that Andretti Autosport may scale back from a four car team to a three car team, but I know there are other teams that have interest in joining the series. So, how do things look in regards to that?

Mark Miles:

Well, I think there's lots of demand, or maybe I should say supply. There are teams out there and we probably could consider having even more cars on the grid than we did this year, but I don't think that's our objective.

We're getting to the place where for the engine manufacturers and for some of our tracks, we're pretty much about where we can be.

So, we're really pleased with the growth of the size of the grid, the team's interest. Not worried a bit about any attrition there, but not looking to grow further.

Bruce Martin:

I hate to bring up the third OEM because it seems that we've been talking about this now for a long time, but are things just at a pause in regards to that?

Mark Miles:

Well, it's not like we decided to hit pause, but I think practically, that's a fair way to think about it because of the work on the hybrid. I think we need to get the hybrid out. That's going to be the big news for next year by the way. I think it's going to be sensational.

And getting that out on the grid I think is going to be quite useful in sort of adding momentum to those discussions.

Bruce Martin:

I spoke with Rob Buckner of Chevrolet to help explain the hybrid component. I think too many fans react to think that IndyCar's going electric when that's not it at all. It's just a horsepower increase done through a hybrid unit.

But if you could explain what hybridization will do for IndyCar to make them more relevant.

Mark Miles:

I think the simplest way to think about it, and as you know, I'm not a racing engineer, it's going to make the racing better. It is more horsepower. It's going to put more decisions, more strategy decisions, right in the hands of the drivers.

And that'll be about sort of trade-offs between deploying the hybrid or being more in fuel save mode or mentality. And it's going to be very fluid. So, I think it's going to be very exciting, great new content and make the racing even better.

Bruce Martin:

And of course, we can't have an interview without talking about the leader of the company, the owner, Roger Penske, and 87-years-old, but he still rolls up his sleeves and gets at it. And do you see some renewed vigor in the man this year?

Mark Miles:

I don't remember seeing a pause or any diminution of his vigor. He is all out all the time, inspiring to all of us, and I have seen zero evidence that he's getting off the throttle at all.

Bruce Martin:

Well, he bought the organization in November of 2019. Of course, we then had the pandemic hit in 2020. Is 2023 really the first year that we started to see what the vision really was and to see that get executed because you were limited to some degree in 2020, 2021 and even a little bit last year.

Mark Miles:

Yeah, for sure. It was 2023 is more of a normal year, if you will. I'd say more of a normal baseline year for us economically. And we think we're going to grow. I think the new TV arrangements, which will be for 2025 will be important to that.

And as I said, our promoters are all getting healthier all the time and growing and reinvesting in facilities and capacity and quality. So, yeah, I think we're starting to hit our stride, but I don't think we've started to sprint. We've got lots of opportunity.

Bruce Martin:

Or as of now, it's not been decided if there'll be a NASCAR IndyCar doubleheader on the schedule in 2024. But will there be one in 2025?

Mark Miles:

I don't really know the answer to that question yet, but I would tell you that there are discussions about it and both NASCAR and we are interested in finding just the right opportunity or opportunities.

I don't think it's going to be a broad approach to our schedule. I think there's a very good chance there's a combined event by 2025.

Bruce Martin:

And as far as new goals, new mountains to conquer, what do you envision in the next couple of years?

Mark Miles:

Well, I think we'd like to find a way to continue to strengthen our events, to help them increase the quality of their presentation. It's good for the whole brand, it's good for them, it's good for the marketing and the sponsorship sales.

We just got to keep moving up the food chain in terms of the quality of our events. That'll be an important priority.

I think we'd like to be in the northeast or the East coast, so we'll keep looking for an opportunity there. I think we may have the opportunity to develop in a event or two as non-championship, non-points races after the end of the championship.

So, all the teams now, continue to employ all their people in the fourth quarter for the whole calendar year. I think that gives us the opportunity to do a little bit of racing abroad, which helps us in lots of ways, not the least of which is our international television.

Bruce Martin:

And finally, Roger Penske's numbers was 330,000 for the Indianapolis 500. Are we narrowing the sellout stage to where maybe you could show the race live on TV in central Indiana again?

Mark Miles:

Well, it's funny. So, let's just say we would need another 25 or 30,000 to be there, which is small as a percentage of what we got. But another 30,000 is a big sports event.

And getting there is primarily about whether you can get more people to want to be in the infield. That's really the variable, the opportunity. So, I don't know if that'll happen but I'd sure love for it to be the case.

Bruce Martin:

Mark Miles, Penske Entertainment CEO and president, congratulations on another exciting NTT IndyCar Series season. Good luck in the future. And thank you for joining us today, on Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Mark Miles:

Thanks, Bruce. Thanks for your work.

[Music Playing]

Bruce Martin:

And that puts a checkered flag on this championship edition of Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental.

We want to thank our guests, six-time IndyCar Series Champion and Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Race winner Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing. Mike Hull, the managing director of Chip Ganassi Racing. And 2023 IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year, Marcus Armstrong.

Also, special thanks to Penske Corporation, owner and chairman, Roger Penske; and Penske Entertainment President and CEO Mark Miles for joining us on today's podcast.

Along with loyal listeners like you, our guests help make Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental, your path to victory lane for all things IndyCar.

And because of our guest and listeners, Pit Pass Indy is proud to be the winner of The Best Podcast by the National Motorsports Press Association.

For more IndyCar coverage, follow me at Twitter @BruceMartin (one-word, uppercase B, uppercase M) _500.

This has been a production of Evergreen Podcasts. A special thanks to our production team, executive producers are Brigid Coyne and Gerardo Orlando. Recordings and edits were done by me, Bruce Martin and final mixing was done by Dave Douglas. Learn more at evergreenpodcasts.com.

Until next time, be sure to keep it out of the wall.