When Roger Penske expressed his concerns over Elon Musk-led Tesla’s 'distribution model'

Roger Penske, the owner of the Team Penske racing team, is a huge name in America's automobile industry. He has been successfully running his various businesses for a long time. In line with this, in 2017, he was asked to give his take on Elon Musk's brand Tesla's sustainability.

Penske raised doubts over how Tesla was doing things, and concerning this, he had the following to say:

"Tesla has done a really good car, but I wonder about their distribution model. They want to go direct, so my concern is about captive financing because when business goes bad, the banks go away. Ford Credit kept Ford in business during the financial crisis. As Tesla goes to next level, the Model 3 will have less margin, and selling more models means more customers to be handled properly. When you look at the bottom line, there seems to be an equity infusion going into debt," Penske said via Motortrend in 2017.

The multinational automotive company, Tesla, has been around since 2003. Moreover, it is one of the world's most valuable companies in terms of market capitalization. It is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and some of its most well-known products are the Cybertruck, electric vehicles Model 3, Model S, Model X, solar panels, and solar roofs.

Roger Penske's heart lies in IndyCar

While Roger Penske gave his opinion on the Elon Musk-led Tesla's way of doing things in 2017, he also talked about his love for IndyCar. Team Penske is one of the top outfits in the highest class of open-wheel racing in America and Roger has been the center of its development in recent years.

Penske, a former racing driver, has a special place in his heart for IndyCar. In line with this, he had the following to say back in 2017:

"Obviously, IndyCar is where my heart is because that's where we got started. We have four great guys who are competing for us. We can see the championship, but we have to execute," Penske told motortrend.

Team Penske has a solid roster of drivers for the ongoing 2025 season. They have Scott McLaughlin (third place finish in 2024 drivers' standings), who finished in fourth place in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Will Power (two-time IndyCar world champion - 2014 and 2022), and they also have the services of Josef Newgarden, who is also a two-time world champion (2017, 2019), alongside being a two-time Indy 500 winner (2023, 2024) as well.

The Mooresville, North Carolina-based team has so far managed six IndyCar owners championships in the sport, and the way things are going for them, Roger Penske could be seen lifting a few more IndyCar trophies in the next few years.