"Roger Penske is the best": Detroit GP president credits IndyCar owner for being their organization's role model
The 2025 Detroit GP was a success with action throughout the race, whether it was overtakes, incidents or two drivers fighting on the narrow, twisty, bumpy track, where even a small mistake leads to a retirement. The Detroit GP President hailed Roger Penske after the race as he reflected on where the street race is scheduled in the IndyCar calendar.
Detroit GP President Michael Montri and chairman Bud Denker sat before the press after the 2025 race around the 1.6-mile street circuit. The duo reflected on the 2025 race and how it's been a hectic weekend for them and their team.
Amid this, a reporter asked the duo whether it is strenuous for them to be the very next race after the iconic Indy 500. The Indianapolis 500 is the biggest IndyCar race of the season, and following such a prestigious, high-action race is laborious.
Not only is the Detroit GP the race after the Indy 500, it also takes place the very next week after the iconic race. Montri suggested he's content with the positioning of the Detroit race in the IndyCar calendar, as he said:
“We love this position on the schedule. Let's start with that. No, it is. Look, on the event side of Penske Entertainment we have grown pretty quickly here in a short amount of time, and we have, as Bud mentioned earlier, a very small team of dedicated people that get it done. We are involved, obviously, on the event side in IMS, but they have their own team over there.”
Detroit GP chairman Bud Denker then detailed the specifics of his team, revealing how it was predominantly females, under 30, and that all of them were doers. Monti cut Denker short and added how Roger Penske himself is a doer and hailed the IndyCar owner for being their organization's role model.
“You're right, Roger Penske is the best. You talk about a doer, he's not going to ask anybody to pick up a piece of trash. He's going to pick it up,” added Montri.
Since 2012, the Detroit GP has taken place as the very next race after the Indy 500. Roger Penske took over the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar in 2019 but didn't make any changes to the schedule of the Detroit GP.
Roger Penske hailed FOX for Indy 500 coverage
FOX took over the broadcasting rights for IndyCar starting with the 2025 season. The American open-wheel racing series has seen growth in the average viewership. FOX began IndyCar promotions as early as the holiday season last year. After a successful Indy 500, Roger Penske came out and hailed FOX for being a key part of its success.
“When you think about the fans themselves, the demographics and the kids and the people were there, you have to be there and look at the impact that it has for the State of Indiana. Probably $1 billion dollars coming out of that race weekend and the rest of things we do there. So, I could only say FOX was a great quarterback,” said Penske (via Forbes).
The 2025 Indy 500 had an average viewership of over 7 million people, which was a 40+% increase over the 2024 Indy 500.