Missed opportunity. That’s what IndyCar’s most popular driver, Pato O’Ward, thought when NASCAR confirmed that it’s taking the Cup and Xfinity Series to Mexico City in 2025. After all, the 25-year-old’s popularity is only growing in his home country, and Penske Entertainment’s passive approach toward expanding IndyCar beyond its borders has been a frustrating experience for the Arrow McLaren driver. The Mexican partnered with Kyle Larson at the Indianapolis 500 earlier this year, where he finished in an impressive 2nd place.

In the wake of O’Ward publicly expressing his frustrations, IndyCar CEO Mark Miles made insensitive comments towards the 2018 Indy Lights champion, which prompted the racing community to criticize the 70-year-old sports executive.

Mark Miles questions Pato O’Ward’s popularity

Pato O’Ward and other drivers have been trying to push CEO Mark Miles, owner Roger Penske, and other decision-makers to expand IndyCar beyond the North American borders for years. Not only will it help boost the series’ popularity but also appeal to younger audiences in different markets, proving to be a lucrative revenue stream. Mexico has been touted as a possible destination for years, not only because of its proximity, but also because of the infrastructure to support such ambitions. Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez has been a regular track in the Formula 1 calendar, while NASCAR has also chosen the venue for its upcoming races.

While Penkse Entertainment’s CEO Mark Miles has not disputed O’Ward’s sentiment about IndyCar missing an opportunity to race in Mexico City, the sport’s executive couldn’t help but make a controversial statement. He said, “I will say that it’s clear that Pato isn’t as famous as the last previously famous Mexican driver–Adrian Fernandez–but he’s really gaining ground, and he’s actually on some billboards now. He’ll probably complain that I haven’t dragged him in and that he should be the guy to go in and make the deal.”

When IndyCar attempted to race in Mexico City in 2021, Mark Miles said, “They (the organizers) have a view that we’re not well enough known – and nor is Pato yet – to populate an event at the track.” According to Miles, IndyCar is just being recognized as a potential partner to host races on international waters, whereas NASCAR has a sizable advantage in comparison when it comes to its financial resources or the scale of the business to utilize the opportunity. Miles used that as an explanation to justify why NASCAR is managing to host their first races outside the United States since the 1950s before IndyCar.

However, that doesn’t take away from the fact that Pato O’Ward could have been an important resource for IndyCar in their attempts to race in Mexico. The 25-year-old driver has quickly established himself as an icon in his home country and has invested resources to promote America’s premier open-wheel racing series for years. Moreover, publicly questioning the driver’s fame isn’t a good look for IndyCar, particularly when the comments are made by the CEO himself. Naturally, Mark Mile’s comments have enraged fans, who didn’t hesitate to voice out their opinion on social media.

Frustrated fans share their views on IndyCar CEO Mark Miles

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It’s fair to say that the majority of fans in the racing community disagreed with Mark Miles’ words, while many were downright angry at the insensitive comments. For the CEO of IndyCar to publicly question their most popular driver was always going to bring out controversy, and that’s exactly what happened. Writing on X (formerly known as Twitter), one fan questioned Miles’ competence by writing, “Mark Miles is a f—ing joke. How is that moron still in charge of IndyCar? That’s the most moronic statement I’ve ever heard.”

Echoing a similar sentiment, a fan wondered if Miles could afford to question IndyCar’s most popular driver, considering that the open-wheel racing series has been struggling in recent years. The fan wrote, “Mark Miles knows nothing about running a series. You never downplay your current talent when your series is barely surviving. He’s killed Indy when it was already killed.” Another fan called for Miles to step down from his position as CEO of Penske Entertainment by saying, “Mark Miles needs to go retire. If O’Ward isn’t a household name it’s a failure on his series part and ownership.”

Pato O’Ward has undoubtedly been one of the best things to happen to IndyCar over the years. Not only is he an exciting talent, who has also been McLaren’s reserve driver for the 2024 season, but the Mexican has invested a lot of time and money in popularizing the sport, especially in his home country. Keeping that in mind, one fan wrote, “Honestly, it’s just really disappointing. Pato is one of the best things to happen to Indycar recently.” Another fan couldn’t help but disagree with Mark Miles’ comments about O’Ward’s lack of fame, and he contradicted the IndyCar CEO by saying, “He’s literally the most popular driver in the sport right now. comments like this are so frustrating.”

What are your thoughts about Mark Miles’ views on Pato O’Ward? Let us know in the comments!