Roger Penske ‘highly unlikely’ to pursue $5 million at Vegas

Penske says no to go at $5M prize

According to team owner Roger Penske, it's "highly unlikely" his team will field a fourth car for a non-IndyCar driver to win a $5 million bonus at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

After having the championship slip from his grasp at the season finale in 2009-10, Penske said he prefers to keep focus on the title with drivers Power, Ryan Briscoe and Helio Castroneves— all of whom won races last year.

"I'd much rather win the championship than win the $5 million," Penske said. "I think there's other things we could do along the way to create more buzz. Now there might be some people who want to do it, and if they do, that's fine."

When IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard announced the promotion last month, he seemed to expect IndyCar powerhouses such as Penske and Target Chip Ganassi Racing would field cars. Told of Penske's comments Saturday afternoon, Bernard downplayed the necessity of having the auto racing magnate vying for the $5 million but not the significance.

"It's important: I'll be very clear on that," Bernard said. "It'd be a big disappointment if he didn't. I don't want to put words in his mouth. But Penske's a winner. If he could win $5 million, I'm sure he'll take every opportunity to do that.

"There's plenty of cars we can run, but it would be a big disappointment if we didn't have Mr. Penske." USA Today