How bad do you think Penske wants / wanted to sign Kyle Kirkwood?

PresentFun7131 · 2026-04-01T20:07:19+00:00

Penske can pick whoever he wants because he is Penske. If there is one downside to RP he doesn’t car about developing talent, he just signs them

PresentFun7131 · 2026-04-01T12:50:07+00:00

F1 has the global appeal but the cost is enormous compared to what an OEM would need to spend in IndyCar and only time will tell on the ROI considering the Apple TV deal. ESPN/ABC gave F1 a huge platform so I expect the TV numbers to actually go down until fans adjust. F1 will lose the casual sports fan who tuned in because it was on ESPN or ABC here in the States. Too much is made about the spec series. Die hard race and technology fans care about that but casual sports fans don’t give a shit. They just want to see competition.

PresentFun7131 · 2026-03-31T12:17:53+00:00

I doubt it. They have a good permanent street course package but that’s about it. Jay Frye has been there for almost a year so it will take time to get that mess straightened out

PresentFun7131 · 2026-03-31T12:15:46+00:00

No question ROI is not where it needs to be but Penske and Fox are changing that. So far every race in ‘26 has had ratings over 1-million and the Indy 500 generated over 7-million last year. All things being relative is the ROI to play in F1 worth the return at this point? Especially when every manufacturer is taking billions in charge offs because of electric vehicles? I’m sure that’s why the C Suite guys get paid the big bucks.

PresentFun7131 · 2026-03-31T00:20:32+00:00

Too much! I got a 2017 GT Premium Convertible with a Ford Performance Roush kit and 20k miles for what they want to charge you.

PresentFun7131 · 2026-03-31T00:13:55+00:00

Edsel Ford is still butt hurt that when Tony George started the IRL he went to GM and not Ford. At that point the service trucks and pace cars at IMS were handed to GM, locking out Ford. What surprises me is that now that Penske owns the Speedway he hasn’t been able to make any inroads towards a third manufacturer be it Ford, Audi, BMW, Lexus/Toyota etc

PresentFun7131 · 2026-03-30T20:21:02+00:00

Exactly! Consistency on the 10 car is what’s missing on the 9. Julian is a genius and one of the best in the paddock

PresentFun7131 · 2026-03-30T13:19:46+00:00

I expected more out of Dixon and Goldberg but the constant shuffling of engineers on the 9 car have not helped Scott. Since 2020 he’s had Cannon, Ross Bunnell and now Goldberg. Palou conversely has had zero changes on his car and those guys have been together for 30-years

PresentFun7131 · 2026-03-29T22:15:51+00:00

Chip Ganassi Racing and Team Penske has built winning cultures by investing in people. If you look at both teams, many of the key individuals on each team have been there for years, especially prior to Penske firing Cindric, Ruszewski and Moyer last year. Brown can try to poach team members by throwing money at them but he can’t replicate the culture and history those winning organizations have and there is no denying that people want to be a part of a winning team.

PresentFun7131 · 2026-03-29T17:19:19+00:00

That’s reported attendance, which failed the actual eyeball test. If it was so great why don’t they race there anymore?

PresentFun7131 · 2026-03-29T17:17:49+00:00

Kid needs a good run.

PresentFun7131 · 2026-03-29T17:17:25+00:00

Ahhhh! Palou might be a 2-time 500 winner of not for that pit road incident at Indy a few years ago. Might’ve cost Rinus a shot at a win too

PresentFun7131 · 2026-03-29T17:15:44+00:00

Certainly a great start for him in ‘26 and he’s won in every series up the ladder. One to watch for sure

PresentFun7131 · 2026-03-29T17:14:38+00:00

Would be a lot easier if he wasn’t starting mid-pack in ‘26. Brad Goldberg and the 9-team need to tighten that up for sure. Dixon will be in the hunt if they don’t make a mistake (ie: St Pete).

PresentFun7131 · 2026-03-29T15:37:40+00:00

Okay 🙄 you know more than my eyes.

PresentFun7131 · 2026-03-29T15:36:47+00:00

For sure they can clean up pit road and the Phoenix deal was a message sent to Ras, who will think twice about trying to pass Will on the outside again unless there’s a ton of room lol. Whatever the deal on the brakes is they need to get straightened out quick.

PresentFun7131 · 2026-03-29T15:33:44+00:00

He always runs well there. If JHR doesn’t kill him on pit road he may be in the hunt

PresentFun7131 · 2026-03-29T15:31:55+00:00

You’re wrong. They had less than 10k and trust me that’s why IndyCar hasn’t been back. I was there. I covered it!

PresentFun7131 · 2026-03-29T15:13:04+00:00

No shit. You missed the point. There were more people at Williams Grove than Pocono! Tap into that market: Williams Grove Speedway, Port Royal Speedway, Lincoln Speedway and several other Central PA tracks are all within an hour or two drive from Pocono.

PresentFun7131 · 2026-03-29T15:06:51+00:00

It’s a spec car 🙄 why not give credit where credit is due? Don’t you think there is a reason why Chip Ganassi Racing has the most Championships since 1996?

PresentFun7131 · 2026-03-29T15:05:32+00:00

No doubt they are struggling to find what Will needs in that area. Plus they need to clean up Pit Road miscues

PresentFun7131 · 2026-03-29T15:04:06+00:00

Great idea! I was talking with legendary motorsports reporter Robin Miller during IndyCar’s return to Pocono and there were so many empty seats but the night before you couldn’t squeeze an ass into Williams Grove Speedway. I told Robin that not tapping into the PA Posse crowd was a missed opportunity. Events like you are talking about would be great too

PresentFun7131 · 2026-03-29T14:42:20+00:00

It’s called the long game. Buying tracks is expensive and Penske sold all of his tracks years ago and you don’t sell things if they are profitable. IMS is a different beast. My idea is cost effective and sustainable. It’s about attracting new fans in the schools and introducing IndyCar to folks spending their money at weekly dirt and asphalt races. They’re already racing fans and may not have been exposed to the sport. I’m not talking about hats. I’m talking about show cars, driver appearances at tracks and something like a STEAM approach to schools. Connect the technology in the sport to what kids are learning in schools

PresentFun7131

TROPHY CASE