Is NASCAR losing its ground and territory to the Indy Car series? Although the premier stock car racing series is pitted against Formula 1, Roger Penske’s motorsports series, IndyCar is making bold moves. Only last year Penske Entertainment were able to get hold of the Grand Prix of Long Beach, despite NASCAR’s interest. Given that the Auto Club Speedway is under redevelopment and NASCAR also moving out Clash from the LA Coliseum, they were looking to establish their presence in the southern California market. But, Penske and his team got better of the NASCAR folks, and going by the latest trends they seem to be taking over another NASCAR stronghold.

After the return of NASCAR to Iowa Speedway last year, in front of a sold-out crowd and millions of viewers worldwide, you would expect the spotlight to be on the racing, wouldn’t you? But, it seems like IndyCar and its coverage on FOX are going to get a major boost this year with $487,500. 

Penske’s Power Play: Iowa’s Racing Divide

Recently, the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) awarded grants to support racing events at the Iowa Speedway. The IEDA awarded $487,500 for the IndyCar Race Weekend, significantly larger than the $50,000 it gave for the NASCAR Cup Series Weekend at the Speedway. IDEA is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to help fundraise for an event in the region. And for the time being, it looks like Indy Car is being handed the whole cake, while NASCAR will have to be content with candy.

“Actually this is the second year we have done this. We have written grants on behalf of Newton Community Events Incorporated…We have actually written now over a million dollars worth of, in the last couple of years, of grant proposals… Both years, all of the grants were approved by IEDA. So, there were about two million dollars of economic impact in marketing to bring people here to Newton. That’s the reason. That’s the purpose behind this,” said Craig Armstrong, Newton’s economic development specialist.

This funding will be used to promote racing and other sporting events in Iowa. “Well, both new race fans and existing fans that maybe haven’t come for a couple of years, for whatever reason, to get them excited about what’s happening in IndyCar racing and in NASCAR Cup Series racing. Now, there’ll be more than that. You know, there’s the Indy NXT Series, which is kind of the up-and-comers, in open wheel racing in America, looking for that IndyCar opportunity, they’ll be there,” explained Armstrong when asked about the objective of the grants.

It is important to note that NASCAR’s prominent media partner FOX has signed an exclusive media rights deal with IndyCar. All 17 IndyCar races will be on FOX, and on NASCAR’s side, they have a 14-race commitment, thanks to a major shake-up. The switch-up has worked out in favor and Penske and Co. as the season-opening race from the streets of St. Petersburg brought in 1.4 million viewers across FOX and its streaming service. Making this race the most-watched IndyCar event other than the Indianapolis 500 since 2011.

With numbers racking in, IndyCar is witnessing a rise in their stock which was evident by the IDEA funding. Meanwhile, NASCAR is still trying different formulas to hit the peak audience viewership they had back in the day. This includes adding streaming partners such as Amazon Prime Video and setting up an international points-paying race in Mexico City. Initially, there were doubts about whether or not Iowa would retain its spot in the 2025 Cup Series schedule. But with Richmond losing a date, the 0.875-mile tri-oval track was seen as a good option.  

Although Roger Penske had another small win against NASCAR, things haven’t been smooth sailing for his team in the Cup Series.

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Penske’s NASCAR Troubles

While Penske’s IndyCar operation is enjoying its financial victory over NASCAR with the Iowa grants, his NASCAR operations are facing a tough time. After the conclusion of road racing at COTA, Penske driver Austin Cindric was reprimanded by NASCAR for losing his cool during the race. 

Cindric was involved in an incident with Kaulig Racing’s Ty Dillon. On lap 3, Cindric intentionally spun Dillon on the main straight with a right hook, which led to NASCAR penalizing Cindric with a 50-point deduction from his points total and a $50,000 fine.

In a move that created a lot of controversy, NASCAR decided to penalize Cindric instead of suspending him. Even though he was ‘spared’, this penalty severely affected him, dropping him to 34th place from 11th in the driver standings. There was an option for suspending the driver, but NASCAR chose not to exercise that option. And this became a big talking point within the racing community.

In a reply to the uproar, Mike Ford from NASCAR explained why Cindric’s actions didn’t warrant a suspension like they did in previous cases. “It was strictly because of the speeds and the venue. We didn’t view this the same as Bubba Wallace and Chase Elliott incidents at mile-and-a-half tracks. So that’s really what the thinking was.”

While Team Penske’s IndyCar side of things is thriving, its NASCAR side is facing intense scrutiny and pressure to perform better after the recent penalties. It will be interesting to see how Roger Penske steers his NASCAR ship around to stay competitive in the Cup Series.