IndyCar's Long-Awaited Charter System Finally Launches

The long-awaited IndyCar charter system has been established and confirmed, with 10 teams accepting the terms of the charter.

The latest, approved system will enable immediate recording of 25 races in North America's premier auto racing series.

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“This is an important development that demonstrates a coherent and optimistic vision for the future of our sport,” said Mark Miles, CEO and president of Penske Entertainment, a subsidiary of Penske Corp., owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IMS Productions and the IndyCar Series.

“I want to express my sincere appreciation to our team of owners for their cooperation and ideas throughout the process. Ultimately, we are happy to have a system that provides greater value to our owners and the tickets they submit.”

This is the primary charter system introduced within the history of the IndyCar Series era. While a charter entry guarantees a guaranteed starting position on the grid for all IndyCar races, the one exception is the Indianapolis 500, where qualifying for the 33-car field based on merit stays a convention.

Entries must even be registered to qualify for the annual Leaders Circle program, an annual awards program that recognizes the highest 22 finishers within the previous yr’s championship standings.

The terms of the initial long-term charter agreements are valid until the top of 2031.

“I appreciate the efforts of the IndyCar and Penske leadership groups, as well as all of the owners, to get this charter system off the ground,” said Larry Foyt, president of AJ Foyt Racing.

“It’s incredibly difficult to get a large group of owners to agree on something, and there have certainly been some concessions, but ultimately I think this is a path that works for all the owners and for IndyCar while still allowing for open competition.”

Team owner Chip Ganassi shared similarly positive sentiments: “When you look back at the modern era of IndyCar racing, there are a few defining moments. The first is the unification of the sport, the second is Roger Penske purchasing the IndyCar Series and IMS, and the third, I truly believe, is the charter system.”

2025 IndyCar Registered Teams