F1 presenter hails $6.6B IndyCar boss Roger Penske's kindness, reveals Indy 500 link with Josef Newgarden

Renowned Sky Sports F1 presenter Karun Chandhok recently opened up on his exhilarating experience at the 2024 Indy 500. He was a guest of $6.6 billion worth (as per Forbes) IndyCar owner Roger Penske and witnessed Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden take his second consecutive Indy 500 victory from a special suite.

The 108th Indianapolis 500 was Chandhok's first time witnessing the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing". The trip to Indiana to watch the race with his father was the ex-F1 driver's 40th birthday gift to himself.

Sergio Perez with Karun Chandhok - F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia - Practice - Source: Getty

He recently appeared on the Evo India podcast and detailed his Indy experience, revealing how Roger Penske was kind enough to invite him to the Penske suite to watch the race with his family.

"We had a great time. I was very fortunate that I met Roger Penske a couple of years ago and he very kindly looked after us and we watched the race in the Penske suite with all of his family and his wife." [22:21 onwards]

Team Penske's Josef Newgarden won the 2024 Indy 500 with a final lap pass on Arrow McLaren driver Pato O'Ward. Karun Chandhok also revealed a coincidental connection with Newgarden, adding:

"You know they (Team Penske) won the race on the last lap, last corner, and what was really funny was the race engineer for Josef Newgarden this year was a guy called Raul Prados who was my performance engineer in GP2 in 2008. That was his first Indy, he won the race."

Newgarden's win handed Roger Penske a record-extending 20th victory as a team owner.

Karun Chandhok explains what sets the Indy 500 apart from other global races

AUTO: AUG 17 NTT IndyCar Series Bommarito Automotive Group 500 - Source: Getty

The Indy 500 is the premier event of the IndyCar calendar. The 2.5-mile rectangular oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which is the highest-capacity sports venue globally, provides some of the best racing action for fans. This makes the race an indispensable part of motorsport's triple crown.

Karun Chandhok's first experience of the event was a blast. The IMS housed 349,000 fans for the 2024 Indy 500, making for an electrifying atmosphere. Chandhok dived deeper into his experience in an article for Motorsport.com. In an excerpt, he described how the race stood out from other iconic racing events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

"There's a positivity to the Indy 500 that is unique. When I went to Le Mans, I found too many people in the paddock or media centre or fans constantly saying, 'This is real racing - so much better than F1' and I've always hated that," he wrote.

The 109th edition of the race in 2025 promises to be one of the best in IndyCar history. With new broadcast partner FOX Sports pulling all the stops to promote the American series, a sellout is expected.