If there is one team owner who reigns over all, it is Roger Penske. The veteran has spent over 58 years in auto racing, and his endeavors only get better. Last season, Joey Logano fetched Team Penske its fifth NASCAR Cup Series championship masterfully, conquering the mind-boggling elimination playoff format. Despite Penske cracking the NASCAR code, he does not want the same code in his own series.

Penske Entertainment owns IndyCar and currently hosts a 17-race regular season. However, an IndyCar insider wanted to shake things up and bring in the ‘Game 7’ moments that NASCAR hosts. However, Roger Penske took a firm stand against that, and fans are proud of him.

Roger Penske shuts down format tweaking talks

Joey Logano did clinch his third Cup championship last November, but the way he did it raised several eyebrows. He was an afterthought during the first half of the 2024 season and only came to the limelight after winning a quintuple overtime race in Nashville. After barely making it through in the playoffs, Logano was eliminated before the Round of 8 – only Alex Bowman’s penalty swung him back. Logano winning the title over 6-time race winner Kyle Larson seemed questionable. So even though Roger Penske is his team owner, the veteran knows what format is best for fans in the IndyCar Series.

Scott Borchetta, head of Big Machine Label Group, suggested adding more drama to the IndyCar season finale. He wanted to tweak the championship format to ensure that the title is decided in the final Grand Prix, much like NASCAR’s current format. However, Roger Penske did not agree. According to IndyStar, “Penske Entertainment felt like most partners were satisfied with the status quo because the championship has been decided at the finale in 18 of the last 19 seasons and the outsized effect such a change would have on the championship. No title race format changes were given more than an exploratory look.” Even journalist Jeff Gluck reposted this out of excitement.

The popularity of NASCAR’s elimination format has been plummeting for years and hit rock bottom last season. Roger Penske is aptly aware of that situation and hence took a step accordingly. He granted Borchetta’s other wishes, with discussions turning to the new promotional format. Penske Entertainment will now promote seven races. These include the Long Beach Grand Prix, IMS road course race, Indianapolis 500, Detroit Grand Prix, the Iowa Speedway doubleheader, and Nashville. This move is important in light of Penske’s attempts to more actively control the layout of its seven-month calendar.

And fans cannot get over the fact that they dodged a major crisis. If Penske trundled down NASCAR’s path, it would not have been so popular.

Fans heave a sigh of relief

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NASCAR implemented the elimination-style format back in 2014 – if it had not, then several legendary drivers would have clinched titles based on an all-season points format. They include Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Kevin Harvick. Kyle Larson is also on that list, as he missed the Championship 4 race in 2024 despite being the winningest driver. So a fan heaved a sigh of relief that Roger Penske was in his senses and bashed Scott Borchetta. “Thank god, really glad Penske took over instead of letting a network or sponsor implement a dumb–s playoff format. NASCAR could learn a thing or two. What a stupid f–king idea, playoffs? Seriously? With a schedule that has less than 20 races? Borchetta and Big Machine can get the f—k out with that nonsense, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”

Roger Penske also has a penchant for putting his series at the topmost priority. He acquired ownership rights over the IndyCar series in 2018. In 2024, when his team was accused of the push-to-pass scandal, he suspended four team members including team president Tim Cindric, garnering appreciation from Mario Andretti. Similarly, fans patted Penske on the back for refusing the playoff proposal: “The best decision Roger Penske has ever made.” The mere mention of the topic sent shivers through another fan. They envisaged what it would be like to have a Logano-esque championship in IndyCar. Quickly realizing that it was just a passing thought, they gave out a shudder in their comment: “Talk about dodging the bullet god damn.”

Besides, the IndyCar series already hosts titillating races for fans. Recognizing entrant, driver, and manufacturer champions, IndyCar calculates the complete rankings of every participant. Thus at the end of a season, the driver with the highest points in terms of most 1st place finishes or the nearest equivalent would be crowned the champion. Fans love this format, as somebody stressed: “Real Racing, Real Sport…” Scott Borchetta suggested the format change now as other IndyCar insiders have also tried to add more drama before. Yet IndyCar could block out all these suggested tweaks, and a fan is proud: “two times have indycar playoffs come up…two times has indycar shut it down…i’m a proud fan damnit,”

Evidently, Roger Penske has attained great respect from fans due to his well-thought-out decision. IndyCar and NASCAR continue to be different forms of auto racing, yet with the same excitement!