McLaren clinched the World Constructors' championship with a 3-4 finish in Singapore, but only one half of the lineup felt like celebrating. The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters had a season finale for the ages. The inevitable happened in Charlotte. NASCAR is also simultaneously seeing two of its greatest performances in the lower divisions happen, and it could all be for nothing in a month's time. Marc Márquez at least broke his collarbone after he clinched the world championship. IndyCar teams might be getting a little more money at the end of next season. Perhaps they should be getting more than that.
Spending Roger Penske's Money
They say it is easier to spend other people's money, and that is true, especially when it is a lot of money. Spending $20 is hard, $20 million however? Piece of cake.
Roger Penske will be spending a little more of his own money next year, or at least IndyCar will be spending a little more money after Fox purchased a stake in the series. Racer Magazine's Marshall Pruett reported last week IndyCar is preparing to increase the Leader Circle prize to each entry at the end of the 2026 season. An increase of $500,000 per the 22 entries would mean an additional $11 million in the Leader Circle purse. Each entry would receive around $1.7 million as the base payment.
Such a boost is nice to see considering the cost of fielding a full-time entry has essentially doubled in just a little over a half a decade. What once could be done for around $5 million for the full season has inched closer to $10 million. Something had to change or at least adjust to keep up with the times, but more should be done.
This isn't just about the base payments for the Leader Circle program. It is good that these teams get a foundation to start with each year, even if that foundation is a little thinner than it used to be, but money can be used to drive attention. People get excited when the lottery creeps ever closer to $500 million. You don't hear much celebrating about the guy who won the $50 million prize. The $500 million prize winner gets your attention.
Nobody will tune in because 25 cars will be competing for 22 spots that will now get $1.7 million for 17 races of work. That is essentially $100,000 per race.
If IndyCar wants attention, it should do something attention worthy.
In golf, the Fedex Cup might bill itself as the playoffs, but no one looks as the winner as the undisputed champion in golf. It does pay $10,000,000 to win to win the final event, The Tour Championship. That is noteworthy and a reason to tune in. And that is just one event. Golf is not hurting for big money events.
Scottie Scheffler won over $3 million for winning The Open Championships. Scheffler also got closer to $3.5 million for winning the PGA Championships in May. Then there is this event called The Masters, and Rory McIlroy got a cool $4.2 million for winning it. The Players' Championship isn't even a major but McIlroy took home $4.5 million for winning that event a month after The Masters.
Throughout the golf season, there are multiple events that draw your attention.
When it comes to the IndyCar season... well, we all know the joke that is one race in May and a bunch of filler for the rest of the year.
There is only one IndyCar race that pays anything worth the damn for winning. Álex Palou took home $3.8 million for winning the Indianapolis 500 this year. How much did Palou take home for the other seven victories he had in 2025? As far as we know, with the Leader Circle funding, winning a race only pays an additional $30,000. That means in seven races, Palou took home an additional $210,000.
At least the championship earned Palou $1,000,000.
We can inflate a race's importance on name, location and history, but the truth is if the prize is not flashy race prestige is only going to take it so far. If IndyCar wants all of its races to be taken seriously, then the series must take them seriously.
This is where we get to Roger Penske's wallet.
The man is set. He isn't struggling. He can part with some cash, funnel it to the teams and drivers, and he will still be fine. He likely would never notice it is missing.
An $11 million injection could be coming to the base payments, but there should be a significant infusion of what each race pays and that should be a selling point for each event.
Let's remove the Indianapolis 500 for a moment, because that race is fine. There are 16 other races on the schedule.
Roger Penske could take $16 million dollars and have every race pay at least $1 million to each winner. That would get everyone's attention. Win a race, bring home $1 million.
Let's go a little further than that, because not all races are made equally. Some should be more than $1 million.
Shouldn't Long Beach pay a little more than $1 million? We act like it is one of the five most historic races in the United States and you can win more on a scratch off ticket from the convenience store than the race itself. That should get an additional $1 million for the winner. Road America is one of the best attended races of the year. That should be worth a little more. If Nashville is going to be immediately after the World Cup Final, that night race should have a little extra on the line too.
If IndyCar is worried about viewers tuning out if a championship is clinched early, those last few races could pay even more. How about $3 million for each Milwaukee race? How about $4 million for the Laguna Seca finale? Now, if Laguna Seca is paying $4 million, then we will need to boost the Indianapolis 500 winner's share and make that at least $6 million.
Then there is the championship. The championship cannot be worth equal to one race victory at Detroit or Markham, Ontario. Let's get the championship up to $5 million. The champion will likely have a few race victories. It will be a healthy year in the bank account for the champion.
With $1 million to win the other 16 races outside of Memorial Day weekend, plus the additional million for three races, plus the additional $2 million for the Milwaukee races, then the additional $3 million for the finale, the $2.2 million to increase the Indianapolis 500 share and the $4 million for the championship increase, it would cost Mr. Penske $32.2 million.
You might be saying, "How can we do that? Do you realize what that would do to Mr. Penske's bank account? It isn't fair."
If Roger Penske spent $32.2 million to award the winners and champion in the IndyCar series, Roger Penske would still be a handsome billionaire after all the checks cleared. This would not financially ruin him. He would be fine. He is going to be fine. The series he owns is another story.
It would be tough to make it back, but maybe spending just north of $32 million is what it will take to draw in more viewers.
You must imagine some would be curious to tune in if there was that much money on the line. There would be something to sell at every race. The drivers would have something to shoot for. It could cause an influx of followers who will be wondering who gets a payday and they could keep showing up to see whose week it will be. With an increase in viewers, sponsors become more intrigued and are willing to spend more in the series. If done right, it could pay for itself.
It would at least give people a reason to tune in for Gateway on a Sunday night in June June or Arlington in March when it is against the NCAA tournament. It makes the Mid-Ohio race a little more interesting and it would help against the competition of a NASCAR race possibly happening at the same time. There is something to push that is intangible and people understand the value of. That is a hell of a lot more compelling than a playoff spot.
I get it. This is easier said than done, but wouldn't the attention from the announcement alone be worth it? IndyCar has a six-month season, and then it is radio silent. Talk about launching a cannonball from the top platform. People would have a reason to talk and at least take note of when next season begins. There is nothing IndyCar can do between and the first race of 2026 that would generate such attention. It doesn't matter if it is a third manufacturer joining the series, announcing the return of Michigan or stunningly hiring Max Verstappen to be on the grid. Money talks. People listen when it speaks.
They say you have to spend money to make money. IndyCar has its sugar daddy. It shouldn't be afraid to flaunt the cash for a few eyeballs.
Champions From the Weekend
You know about McLaren, but did you know...
Ayhancan Güven won the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters championship with finishes of fifth and first from Hockenheim. Güven passed Marco Wittmann on the final lap of the finale, giving the Turkish driver an additional five points as he defeated Lucas Auer by four points for the championship. Thomas Preining won the first race of the weekend.
José Antonio Rueda clinched the Moto3 championship with his ninth victory of the season from Indonesia.
Winners From the Weekend
You know about Preining, Güven and Rueda, but did you know...
Fermín Aldeguer won MotoGP's Indonesian Grand Prix, his first career victory in the class. Marco Bezzecchi won the sprint race. Diogo Moreira won the Moto2 race, his third victory of the season.
George Russell won the Singapore Grand Prix, his second victory of the season.
Shane van Gisbergen won the NASCAR Cup Series race from Charlotte, his fifth victory of the season. Connor Zilisch won the Grand National Series race, his tenth victory of the season. Corey Heim won the Truck Series race, his tenth victory of the season, and a single-season record for the Truck Series.
Coming Up This Weekend
The 68th Bathurst 1000.
Petit Le Mans ends the IMSA season.
The 3 Hours of Barcelona ends the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Season.
World Superbike has its penultimate round from Estoril.
Super Formula has its penultimate round from Fuji.
NASCAR begins its semifinal round in Las Vegas.
