Japanese gigantic protests against Roger Penske’s monopoly and threatens to leave its rich of $ 300 million

“That having in the background is probably … in all ways a pity, right?” David Salters, president of Honda Racing Corporation, dropped these ominous words more than a year ago. That was just after Team Penske sent shock waves over Indycar with his push-to-pass scandal. Josef Newgarden lost his racing victory in St. Petersburg and Scott McLaughlin lost his second place.

Further worrying developments emerged within a year. Another scandal unfolded in the fold of Roger Penske and painted a serious light in his team. This motivates the Japanese car giant to pack his bags. That is all the more because of Penske’s monopoly in the empire of $ 300 million.

Bad news looms up for Roger Penske

Well, Honda’s contribution to the Indycar series has been huge. Behind the ownership of Roger Penske designs, tests and builds the engines that have won 14 of the last 21 IndyCar championships. Since 2004, Honda has won the Indianapolis 500 15 times. In short, the contribution of the Japanese car has been huge has probably helped to save Indycar after the Open-wheel civil war. However, since Penske took over Indycar in 2018, things have become complicated. The St. Pete scandal was continued prior to the Indy 500 2025, when the cars of Newgarden and Will Power turned out to have illegal weakening. These twin scandals are accompanied by something else.

Although Honda is an important stakeholder in Indycar, it has competition from another brand that receives the support of Roger Penske. Penske has a great importance in Ilmor Engineering, which designs and produces engines for Chevrolet, the biggest competitor of Honda. The contract of the Japanese brand expires after 2026 and it seems unlikely that Honda would renew. Journalist Adam Stern quoted Honda’s recent words from an article by Los Angeles Times about X: “Honda said on Thursday in a written statement that it has a lot of worries, including” the relatively high general costs to participate as a motor supplier “and” the potential (observed or real) conflicts of interest that can exist “with Penske’s ownership.”

There are apparently discussions about Teampenske that hand over racing rack tasks as soon as 2026 or 2027 to an outer body such as USAC or the FIA. Roger Penske clearly denied such a conversation in April: “I don’t want to leave this conversation with (all of you) knowing that I understand integrity, and there must be a clear line. For me I know what my work is, and hopefully I have enough credibility for everyone that we can be sure that there is no conflict.” However, this statement came before Penske fired three of his most trusted managers after the Indy 500 scandal. At the moment, a double blow, together with Honda’s upcoming departure, seems more than likely.

A leading Indycar veteran even pointed to more reasons for Honda to break the tires.

The list is growing longer

The HRC building is a hub of refined sparkle. It has become a one-stop shop for racing teams, housing extensive engine research and development activities. No dot of fat or oil can be found on its floors, because David Salters believes in promoting a “Clinical and professional” environment. That is how Honda Indycar wore so many championships and victories. However, this custom of excellence can soon leave the sport. Together with the Twin scandals and the biased property of Roger Penske, the promotion of an ever -highest number of races on the calendar (eight of the 17 in 2025) is not good at Honda. More than a year ago, the Japanese brand publicly called Indycar’s lack of return on investments.

That is why Towriss, CEO of TWG Motorsports, who serves as the head manager responsible for Andretti Global, ended his fears in May of Honda. He said, “I think so, yes. It seems like a real possibility. I hope it doesn’t happen, but I think it’s a real possibility.” He added that the combination of ROI concerns and independence conflicts can be the last nail in the coffin. “I think (Honda) has been vocal about costs, but then only the ownership structure of the series … they may want to see independence in certain areas.”

It is clear that the alarm bells sound loud for Roger Penske and his company. While Honda’s attitude unfolds, let’s see where this story brings us.