IndyCar Rolls Out New Team Charter System, Deal Excludes Indy 500

Source: Amber Pietz/Penske Entertainment / other

SPEEDWAY, Ind. — In a highly anticipated business move by the NTT IndyCar Series and Penske Entertainment, both entities confirmed Monday that the series will be implementing a new charter system for participating teams.

The charter agreement will commit ten participating teams to the series through at least 2031 and will guarantee starting spots in each race on the IndyCar calendar for each chartered team.

Every race, that is, except the Indianapolis 500.

“This is an important development that demonstrates an aligned and optimistic vision for the future of our sport,” Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO Mark Miles said. “I want to extend my sincere appreciation to our team owners for their collaboration and ideation throughout this process. Ultimately, we’re pleased to have a system in place that provides greater value for our ownership and the entries they field.”

This agreement also means that only chartered teams can qualify for Leaders Circle points, which is the annual award program that compensates each car that finishes in the Top 22 of the season point standings.

This means budding IndyCar teams such as PREMA Racing, or long-time one-off teams like Dreyer and Reinbld are no longer eligible for Leaders Circle points. It’s not clear yet what this will mean for PREMA Racing since they will be fielding two full-time cars in the 2025 season with Callum Ilott and a yet-to-be-named second driver.

The chartered teams and the number of chartered cars they will are AJ Foyt Enterprises (2), Andretti Global (3), Arrow McLaren (3), Chip Ganassi Racing (3), Dale Coyne Racing (2), Ed Carpenter Racing (2), Juncos Holling Racing (2), Meyer Shank Racing (2), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (3), and Team Penske (3).

“When you look back in the modern era of IndyCar racing, you will look at a few important moments, the first being the unification of the sport, the next being Roger Penske buying the IndyCar Series and IMS,” said Chip Ganassi. “I truly believe the third will be the charter system.”

“ECR will have announcements soon, and I don’t know that they would be possible without the help of a program like this,” said Ed Carpenter. “With this groundbreaking development, the new TV deal with FOX, and the momentum that had been building, INDYCAR’s future is very bright.”

As mentioned earlier, this deal excludes the Indianapolis 500, which means chartered teams WILL NOT be guaranteed a starting position in ‘The Greatest Spectacle In Racing.’ This will ensure the drama of bumping during qualifying for the race.

The new system will begin immediately. The first race under the new charter system will be on March 2nd at St. Petersburg.