
Fox Corporation Announces One-Third Interest Acquisition Of Penske Entertainment
The move comes with the intention of having high-profile racing and entertainment events, prioritizing quality digital content and having more promotion of the NTT INDYCAR Series and its drivers.
"This partnership is built on long-standing trust and a shared vision for the future," team owner Roger Penske said in a statement. "FOX sees the incredible potential across our sport and wants to play an active role in building our growth trajectory. Lachlan Murdoch and his team, starting with Eric Shanks, are committed to our success and will bring incredible energy and innovation to INDYCAR."
Penske Entertainment, a subsidiary of Penske Corporation, is a primary provider of sports and entertainment. It operates in a range of fields, including professional motorsports, truck leasing and transportation logistics. Penske Entertainment has more than 3,300 locations.
"We're thrilled to join the INDYCAR ownership group at such a pivotal time for the sport," FOX Sports CEO & Executive Producer Eric Shanks said in a statement. "INDYCAR represents everything we value in live sports — passionate fans, iconic venues, elite competition and year-round storytelling potential. This investment underscores our commitment to motorsports and our belief in INDYCAR's continued growth on and off the track. We're excited to help elevate the sport to new heights across all platforms."
This news comes against the backdrop of FOX Sports agreeing to a multi-year extension to maintain exclusive INDYCAR media rights.
The current 2025 INDYCAR season is the first year of the sport's respective races airing on FOX networks. At present, the sport is averaging a 31% increase in viewership year-over-year.
This year's running of the Indianapolis 500, which was won by Alex Palou, averaged 7.01 million viewers, which was a 41% increase from 2024 and a 17-year-high. The race also had more than 300,000 fans present.
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USA Today
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- USA Today
IndyCar dragged into controversy with Trump administration's ICE car, 'Speedway Slammer'
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USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
IMS owner asks Homeland Security to stop using IndyCar in 'Speedway Slammer' plans
See new story for the Department of Homeland Security's response. The owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway said it was caught off-guard by the use of an IndyCar chassis to help announce the Trump administration's plan to put ICE detainees in a northern Indiana detention facility – a facility that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem dubbed the 'Speedway Slammer.' 'We were unaware of plans to incorporate our imagery as part of (the Aug. 5) announcement,' Penske Entertainment said in a statement provided to IndyStar. 'Consistent with our approach to public policy and political issues, we are communicating our preference that our IP not be utilized moving forward in relation to this matter.' The company, which announced the sale of a 33% stake to Fox Corp. last week, fell short of publicly demanding any sort of retraction or issuing a formal cease-and-desist order to prevent future use of either the car imagery or the use of 'speedway.' Penske Entertainment doesn't own a trademark to the word, but it's closely associated with IMS and the Indy 500 in Indiana. On Tuesday evening, Noem posted on X: 'COMING SOON to Indiana: The Speedway Slammer. Today, we're announcing a new partnership with the state of Indiana to expand detention bed space by 1,000 beds. Thanks to @GovBraun for his partnership to help remove the worst of the worst out of our country. If you are in America illegally, you could find yourself in Indiana's Speedway Slammer. Avoid arrest and self deport now using the @CBP Home App.' Less than an hour later, the official Homeland Security account on X posted what appeared to have been an AI-generated image of a white present-day Indy car with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) branding all across the livery. The car carried the No. 5, which since 2020 has been the one used by IndyCar's lone Mexican driver, Pato O'Ward – the series' most popular active driver. It wasn't immediately clear whether the use of the 5 was purposeful to point to O'Ward or if it was happenstance. Outside the number, the car lacked any other connections to O'Ward's traditional black-and-papaya-colored chassis. A spokesperson for car owner Arrow McLaren declined to comment when reached by IndyStar regarding the matter. Of note, in October 2019, just over a week before he formally announced the purchase of the assets that would become Penske Entertainment, Roger Penske received the medal of freedom from President Donald Trump during the latter's first term. Earlier this year, Penske and IMS nearly played host to Trump for the Indy 500, which would've made him the first sitting U.S. president to attend the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, after Penske extended an invitation in April while he and members of his various race teams attended the White House for a celebration of the team's recent on-track accomplishments. Trump had mentioned he wished to make the trip, but the White House confirmed days before the race that the President would not be in attendance on race day at IMS. Penske Entertainment's understated attempt to distance itself from Tuesday's announcement and any future promotion of the program follows Indiana Gov. Mike Braun's Aug. 1 announcement confirming the state's formalized partnership with federal immigration authorities in conjunction with the state's Department of Homeland Security, the Indiana State Police, the Indiana Department of Corrections and the Indiana National Guard to 'assist in deporting individuals who are unlawfully in the U.S.' As part of that cooperation, Braun said, the state's Department of Corrections is working with ICE to make available up to 1,000 beds at the Miami Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison located about 70 miles north of Indianapolis at the former Grissom Air Force Base. Annie Goeller, chief communications officer for IDOC, said part of the facility has not been filled because of a staffing shortage. On Tuesday, Braun told IndyStar that the Trump administration hadn't yet established a timeline for when it planned to move forward on converting the military base into an immigration detention center. "When it comes to our state, we're going to cooperate ... as we're housing detainees that have broken the law after they entered illegally, we're going to cooperate with the federal government," Braun told the IndyStar. "When it comes to any of the other issues on due process and so forth, we want to make sure we're doing that the right way as well." Get IndyStar's motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. (This story was updated to include video.)


USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
Joel Klatt says only one thing will make Alabama football 2025 season a 'success'
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