IndyCar News: Drivers Raise Serious Questions Over Team Penske Oval Track Selection Bias

Saajan Jogia | Jul 30, 2024

Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin (3) and Arrow McLaren driver Alexander Rossi (7) leads a pack of cars into Turn 1 during the NTT IndyCar Series hybrid test Tuesday, June 11, 2024, at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wisconsin. / Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

With four of the five remaining races to take place on oval circuits, which is believed to give Team Penske an edge, Scott Dixon voiced his concerns to the media. He hinted that Roger Penske, the owner of both the IndyCar series and Team Penske, may have had a hand in designing the schedule to maximize his team's advantage.

The series has faced significant attention and scrutiny lately over the evolution of its schedule in recent years. In the early races of the 2024 calendar, no oval track events were included until IndyCar headed to Indianapolis for the prestigious 500.

Previously, an oval race at Texas Motor Speedway served as a crucial warm-up for the Indianapolis 500, allowing drivers to adapt to the specific challenges of oval-track racing before the series' premier event. Now though, the final stretch of the schedule features a series of oval races: one at Gateway, two at the Milwaukee Mile, and another at Nashville Superspeedway.

With a Penske driver winning every oval race thus far, there is a strong expectation that Penske will continue to dominate the remaining oval events. Thus, it is quite natural that drivers like Scott Dixon—a Honda driver for Chip Ganassi Racing—might be frustrated by the heavy emphasis on oval races.

The six-time IndyCar champion wondered if the oval sweep toward the end was "tailored" to benefit Penske. He told Motorsport.com:

“We’ve got one road course left.

“What is it, four short tracks [referring to the rest of the oval tracks]? Should be good for the Penskes, I guess. Whether it was tailored that way, I have no idea.”

Dixon is happy that Chip Ganassi had provided a great car for him at Iowa’s oval double-header. However, he remains doubtful about being able to fight the Penskes. He added:

“Milwaukee will be interesting.

“They’ve really got to work on the formula for those tracks because nobody wants to just follow the leader.

“Unfortunately, with the repave at Iowa, that kind of ruined the best short track we’ve had for a good five, ten years.”

However, it isn't only Dixon who has raised his voice concerning the questionable IndyCar schedule. PlanetF1.com reported that in several off-record talks, team members of Honda have revealed that the management has been unable to understand the concerns of most teams on the grid this season.

The report also highlighted various grievances from team personnel and drivers, including issues with management, controversial changes to the calendar, and ongoing scandals involving Team Penske. These factors have contributed to growing dissatisfaction as the season unfolds.