For the first time in the history of the series a charter system has been introduced, which will provide a number of advantages to teams who have been part of the sport for multiple past seasons. 25 entries have been chartered for the 10 teams with full time entries on the grid in the past two seasons, with a maximum amount of three each until the end of 2031.
Chartered entries will be guaranteed a starting spot at all races on the IndyCar schedule, apart from the Indy 500, which will still follow the tradition and fill out its 33 starting spots on merit, as well as compete to make the cut for the Leaders Circle. This annual program is a very coveted end of the season bonus, as it awards the top 22 finishing cars in the standings with an extra million of dollars.
The system will not stop the arrival of new organisations and cars on the grid. On the other hand, it was instituted in order to preserve and acknowledge the importance of the teams which have contributed to the history of the sport so far.
Chartered entries will not be given out to newcomer team Prema Racing, set to join the American single seaters championship in the upcoming season, but a team owner can decide to sell one or more of his own, with the sale subjected to approval from IndyCar.
IndyCar and Penske Entertainment CEO Mark Miles commented on the news, saluting the new era of the sport
“This is an important development that demonstrates an aligned and optimistic vision for the future of our sport. 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,” he concluded, expressing his satisfaction with the introduction due to its potential.
Many team owners have praised the charter system, with Chip Ganassi already considering it among the biggest events in the recent history of the championship:
“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, and I truly believe the third will be the charter system.”
Michael Shank agrees with the owner of the championship winning team in highlighting the importance of the moment: “The charter agreement, to me, is the single-most important piece for the future of the series. I’m grateful that we all came together on this and thank the Roger Penske group for working with the team owners for getting it done.”
Larry Foyt from AJ Foyt praised the ownership’s ability in finding the right set of rules agreed on by all parts involved:
“I appreciate the efforts made by the INDYCAR and Penske leadership groups, as well as all the owners, to get this charter system started. It is incredibly challenging to get a large group of owners to agree on something, and certainly there was some give and take, but, in the end, I believe this is a path that is beneficial for all of the owners and for INDYCAR, while also maintaining the availability for open competition.”
