"Roger Penske jumped across his desk": IndyCar insider reveals the wild story behind Snap-On’s Milwaukee deal

IndyCar journalist Marshall Pruett has shared how series owner Roger Penske approached Snap-On's CEO to sponsor the Milwaukee Mile 250, highlighting his enthusiasm for the deal. The race is scheduled to take place on August 24.

It was announced in February that Snap-On will become the title sponsor of the Milwaukee Mile 250, the penultimate race of the 2025 season. The race takes place on the 1-mile oval at the Wisconsin State Fair Park, West Allis.

A fan emailed The Racer journalist Pruett asking whether Penske was "forcing it on" Snap-On to sponsor the event on a multi-year deal. Pruett said:

"I checked with IndyCar, and Roger jumped across his desk when the Snap-On CEO was in town, did a judo hip toss, hit him with some ground-and-pound, got him in an arm bar, and said the guy could 'sponsor Milwaukee, or get his arm broken.' Thankfully, the CEO submitted and chose the former. I’m waiting on the security footage from Penske Corp. to share from the encounter."

Snap-On has sponsored Team Penske in the series since 1981, making it one of the longest-standing partnerships in the sport. The manufacturing company is based in Wisconsin, making it an appropriate partner for the race based in its own home state.

The Milwaukee Mile, which was held as a double-header last season, will serve only as a single race in 2025. Pato O'Ward won the first leg while Scott McLaughlin claimed victory in the second in 2024.

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Team Penske and Snap-On's IndyCar partnership is a factor behind the new Milwaukee sponsorship: Pruett

Team Penske owner Roger Penske at the 103rd of the Indy 500 - Source: Getty

Marshall Pruett also said that the long-standing partnership between Team Penske and Snap-On likely played a role in securing the Milwaukee Mile sponsorship deal. The deal is reportedly set to be a multi-year contract.

While answering questions for The Racer, Pruett explained that Snap-On is just the latest of a long line of Penske sponsors to have played a role in IndyCar:

"Snap-On is a longstanding Team Penske partner, and like most of their sponsors or business-to-business deals, they tend to get spun into some form of IndyCar angle."

The American journalist also explained that the announcement of the sponsorship agreement did not gather as much hype as one would expect, but also estimated that this was due to the hype of the season's inaugural race on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.

IndyCar's attention is now on Round 2 of the 2025 season, The Thermal Club Grand Prix, scheduled on March 23.