New IndyCar president uncovers $6.4B-worth Roger Penske's humble approach to building the series

Roger Penske owns IndyCar, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Team Penske in the open-wheel racing sector in the US. While such assets have skyrocketed his net worth, the 88-year-old retains a humble approach as explained by newly elected president Doug Boles.

In 2019, the $6.4B-worth motorsport tycoon (via Forbes) bought the IndyCar series and its entities from the Hulman family. Since acquiring the sport and the venue for its premier event (IMS), Penske has taken multiple measures to reform the championship.

One such change includes the appointment of Doug Boles as the President of the series. He has been the president of the IMS since 2013 and now performs a double duty within the IndyCar sphere.

Boles has closely worked with Roger Penske and reflected on his experience about how the 88-year-old has continued to reign the series while remaining accountable, and said (via RACER):

"Well, I think that’s the one thing about Roger that he appreciates; he’s got ideas, but he wants to know what everybody has. One of the things – perfect example, really – (from) when he bought the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and his first few days at the Speedway, getting his feet wet."

"And then when he would come in and we would go through the facility, he didn’t want to just hear from me. We were pulling people from all over to get to get a feeling for what other staff wanted, what some of our customers wanted. The first thing he did is he went through all of our free responses that we get in our customer survey. So one of the things I love about Roger is the fact that he can really take everything in, and wants that," he added.

Roger Penske's teams have won 17 IndyCar titles, 20 Indy 500s, five Cup Series titles on the NASCAR side, and three Daytona 500 and Supercars Championships (with Scott McLaughlin) each.

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Roger Penske revealed what he misses the most in his cabinet

Rolex 24 at Daytona - Source: Getty

While the motorsport tycoon's cabinet is filled with trophies, there is one trophy that Penske is still yet to receive. His team has raced at the elusive event four times but has never been able to get on top of the podium.

24 Hours of Le Mans remains a dream that Roger Penske has long endured about winning, and said (via Motorsport Magazine):

"We've got to go back 60 years when I raced here and the goal was to win this race. When you look at the history of our racing team, it goes back with Porsche to the 917. I’ve been associated with Porsche as a dealer for many, many years. When you think of our ability to take the opportunity to win at Daytona in 2024, Indianapolis in 2024, now we've got to win Le Mans so that's our goal."

Roger Penske's driver Josef Newgarden can make history this year by winning the Indy 500 for the third time in a row. This will bring his total tally of victories at the premier event of the series up to 21, a massive 15 away from its nearest rival Chip Ganassi Racing.