Roger Penske Blocks NASCAR’s Sneaky Attempt to Acquire IndyCar Racetrack

Is NASCAR eyeing adding another road course race track to its schedule? After spending three years at the LA Coliseum stadium, the governing body is now looking to add another big track to its schedule. This time, they’ve set their eyes on the Long Beach Grand Prix. It’s not just an experimentation move, but according to reports, NASCAR is looking to purchase a 50 percent stake in the racetrack after it was made available on the market by Kevin Kalkhoven.

However, it isn’t just NASCAR that is looking to strike a deal to claim ownership of the iconic racetrack. It is believed that Penkse Entertainment, owner of the NTT IndyCar Series team, is also interested in making a bid of its own to buy Kalkohven’s share.

Roger Penske plots a takeover of the Long Beach Grand Prix, competing against NASCAR

Chris Pook founded the racetrack back in 1975, and soon the Long Beach Grand Prix earned international acclaim with the start of the Formula 1 event in 1976. After a brief period of running F1 races until 1983, the CART IndyCar Series took over the venue, and since then it has hosted one of the biggest and most successful events in the history of the series.

Kalkkoven took charge of the event in 2000 when he partnered alongside his friend Gerald Forsythe in a 50-50 ownership split. But since his passing in 2022, his half of the race was eventually put out on the market for potential suitors. And it looks like both NASCAR and Penske Entertainment are in the running to stake a claim as the next owners.

According to the report by Racer, Roger Penske’s company has been on the hunt to purchase an ownership stake in the Long Beach Grand Prix. However, they have repeatedly denied any involvement regarding the same. Penske Entertainment CEO was asked about his company’s motive, to which he replied, “I don’t have a comment.”

While the Penske Group is not confirming or denying their involvement in a bid to purchase the Long Beach Grand Prix, NASCAR has clarified its intentions with a subtle hint.

NASCAR wants to expand its presence in Southern California

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With no races scheduled at the Auto Club Speedway in 2024, along with the growing demands to move Clash away from L.A., NASCAR is aggressively looking to make its space in the Southern California region. Given that the Long Beach Grand Prix’s ownership was made public in 2022, it now seems like NASCAR has finally found an avenue to promote its racing brand in the region.

Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s Senior VP of Racing Development and Strategy, hinted at NASCAR’s plan to take ownership of the Long Beach Grand Prix. Also stressing the importance of the sport’s presence in the region, he said, “The Southern California market is extremely important to NASCAR. We have explored several different options in the area, and will continue to do so. I won’t speak specifically to any particular racetrack in Southern California, but will say that if we had our druthers, we would have a race in Southern California every year.”

The Indy Car Series race at Long Beach is scheduled for April 19–21, and this is when the ownership battle between NASCAR and Penske Entertainment will truly come to light.