Can Roger Penske Find The Path to Oz?

This is the Statt Mann Baby. Time to Scatt a little bit.

Let me start by saying I don’t know Roger Penske personally. I’ve had maybe three or four conversations with him through the years. Maybe one without a microphone.

But looking at a brilliant billionaire businessman from a distance, I’ve come to the conclusion he isn’t the man to lead IndyCar out of the wilderness. Primarily, his money might find the path to Oz, but it won’t pave it with Yellow Bricks.

That’s even though he comes from a generation that thinks money is the answer to everything that ails anything, even IndyCar. And next, the people he’s siloed himself with don’t appear to be people capable of thinking outside the box IndyCar is in.

They’re just as buttoned down as Roger looking for investors to bring money into a situation that money won’t fix. IndyCar needs new markets and audiences it can sell to advertisers. If money was the answer, CART and Champcar would still be in business.

The push-to-pass drama from this week is a distraction.

Leadership is IndyCar’s problem. Roger’s money might have saved the series. But Roger’s money won’t lead it to the mountaintop.

It hurts to say this BUT, these specific rich old white men don’t appear to know the GPS directions nor the Google instructions to even find the answers. If they do, they’d better speak up quick.

At the moment, our audience is larger than theirs.

Peace.