The NTT IndyCar Series has announced the establishment of a new charter system within the series aimed at providing value for team owners.
Owners of 10 established teams have accepted charters for 25 entries. The number made available to each team owner was based on the number of full time entrants over the past two years, with each team capped at three.
Charters are meant to give team owners a more concrete value for their participation in IndyCar. In addition to physical assets such as cars, tools, and haulers, there is now an additional component linked to the actual entry into the series’ events.
The charters can be sold to other interested parties, with the value being determined by market interest.
“This is an important development that demonstrates an aligned and optimistic vision for the future of our sport,” said Penske Entertainment President and CEO Mark Miles.
“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.”
Guaranteed entries
Each chartered entry is guaranteed a place on the grid for each race except for the Indianapolis 500, where bumping will still occur based on qualifying alone.
The 25 chartered cars will race against a few unchartered entries at each event, with the only difference between the types of entrants being the guaranteed entry in the case of a maximum field size limit at that particular track.
The season-long battle for the Leaders Circle program, which awards a large monetary sum for the top 22 places entries, will also be eligible for chartered entries only.
“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,” said Chip Ganassi.
With the charters being capped at three per team, it is expected that larger teams will downsize to three cars for the upcoming season. This includes Chip Ganassi Racing, which fielded five full time cars this season and is expected to run only three starting in 2025.
There is little value to running a large slate of cars at each event now that only three are competing for the Leaders Circle program.
There was a lot of discussion and modifications to the charter system throughout the past year, with series owner Roger Penske working to get all the major team owners on board.
Now that all have signed the agreement, it is in place immediately and will be enforced beginning with the 2025 season opener from St. Petersburg.
The charter agreement as signed commits team owners to the system through the end of the 2031 season.
Chartered IndyCar teams for 2025
| Team | Entries |
|---|---|
| A.J. Foyt Enterprises | 2 |
| Andretti Global | 3 |
| Arrow McLaren | 3 |
| Chip Ganassi Racing | 3 |
| Dale Coyne Racing | 2 |
| Ed Carpenter Racing | 2 |
| Juncos Hollinger Racing | 2 |
| Meyer Shank Racing | 2 |
| Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | 3 |
| Team Penske | 3 |
