How Team Penske Owner Roger Penske has Preserved the Legacy of the Iconic Indianapolis 500

On Sunday, 106th Indianapolis 500 wrapped up as motorsport experienced its greatest weekend. This year’s edition of the iconic race was pretty much a roaring success. In fact, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway welcomed a grand total of 325,000 fans, which was just shy of the 350,000 in 2016. Suffice to say, this was music to the ears of Roger Penske, who bought the speedway in 2019.

After buying the track, Roger Penske has been hard at work revamping the venue, which cost nearly $30 million. The upgrades included fresh coats of paint, LED lighting and video boards at every turn. On May 29th, every single one of the 325,000 spectators got to experience the renovations firsthand. This race was special because it was the first full-capacity Indy 500 since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Following the COVID crisis, the subsequent Indianapolis 500 race took a bit of time to get back on track. 2020 was the first time it was held behind closed doors, then it opened up to a limited capacity in 2021. During that year, around 135,000 spectators had a chance to see Helio Castroneves become the fourth four-time Indy 500 winner.

How has Roger Penske breathed life into the Indianapolis 500?

With 2022 being the first race where things go back to normal, there was a lot of pressure. In the build-up to the 106th running, Penske confessed that he wanted to “blow the roof off this place”. If we’re being completely honest, it was mission accomplished for the Team Penske owner.

Despite being based in Detroit, Roger Penske has proven his commitment to the track with regular visits. IMS president Doug Boles revealed that one of the first things tackled was the addition of more videoboards. Penske found out that several grandstand seats in higher rows could not see the videoboards. To understand the issue, he would sit in many of the seats to understand the blocked views.

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Other changes include going cashless, adding a multipurpose performance driving center and revamping fan tram traffic flow around the infield. Even the infield medical center received a massive overhaul in 2021. He even got the Legends Day concert moved elsewhere. One thing is for sure, he was not messing about and was eager to see the venue thrive.