When Roger Penske purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in early 2020, some questioned if it was a conflict of interest for Penske, as owner of the most successful IndyCar team, to also own the Speedway and IndyCar. Many of his fellow racers did not believe this would be an issue. They knew Penske and believed, as he indicated, he would not be involved in the active running of Team Penske.

Penske was not the first owner of IMS to also own a race team. In fact, the ownership of a race team by owners of IMS goes all the way back to its early days.

The Speedway, concerned about flagging interest in the Indianapolis 500 which had started in 1911, active recruited European manufacturers to participate in the 1913 race. They were very successful with teams entered from Great Britain, France, Germany and Italy. Peugeot driver Jules Goux, like many European drivers, had difficulty negotiating the track. After several days of frustration and tire failures, Goux reached out to Carl Fisher for recommendation of a technical advisor. Fisher suggested Johnny Aitken, former driver for the National team. After watching Goux on the track, Aitken told Goux he was entering the corners too high and too fast. He also suggested different shocks and Firestone tires. Aitken’s suggestions must have been beneficial as Goux led 138 laps and won the Indianapolis 500.

In the 1914 Indianapolis 500, there were 45 entrants, twelve of whom were from Europe. All twelve Europeans not only qualified but dominated the race. The first four places were won by Frenchmen Rene Thomas in a Delage, Arthur Duray in a Peugeot, Albert Guyot in a Delage and Jules Goux in a Peugeot. After 300 miles, Thomas was in control of the race and had a lead of 15 miles over the second-place car. The top finisher for the United States was Barney Oldfield who was 30 miles behind when Thomas crossed the finish line.

In the fall of 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was assassinated plunging Europe into war. Participation in the 1915 Indianapolis 500 dropped to only 24 racers. After the race, Aitken suggested to Jim Allison that IMS start its own race team. Following through on Aitken’s suggestion, the four IMS owners (Fisher, Allison, Arthur Newby and Carl Fisher) and Pop Myers purchased two Peugeots from Europe and commissioned Indianapolis-based Premier Company to build three additional race cars. They incorporated Team Speedway with $20,000 in capital and hired Aitken as the manager, chief engineer and primary driver. Aitken hired Gil Anderson and Tom Rooney as additional drivers.

Eddie Rickenbacker, who would gain notoriety as a flying ace after the United States entered World War I, had driven a Maxwell for the fledgling Maxwell Company team in the 1914 race. After his team was dissolved, he approached Allison and Fisher about starting a second racing team. Fisher and Allison purchased two Maxwells and hired Rickenbacker to head the Prest-O-Lite Team.

In the 1916 Indianapolis 500, Aitken started from the pole, Rickenbacker from the second position and Gil Anderson started third. To qualify for the race, a driver had to go one lap with an average speed of 80 mph.  The race, shortened to 300 miles in order to appeal to more spectators, was won by Dario Resta in a Peugeot. The field had only 21 entrants, seven of which were by the IMS owners. Only two of the Speedway related racers finished the race. Pete Henderson (Prest-O-Lite Team) finished sixth while Howdy Wilcox, (Speedway Team Company) finished seventh. Gil Anderson (Speedway Team Company) went out on lap 75 with an oil line issue for 13^th, Johnny Aitken went out on lap 69 with a valve issue for 15^th, Tom Rooney (Speedway Team Company) crashed on lap 48 for 17^th, Charlie Merz (Speedway Team Company) went out on lap 25 for 19^th, and Eddie Rickenbacker (Prest-O-Lite Team) went out with a steering issue on lap 9 for 20^th.

When the United States entered World War I, Allison canceled the Indianapolis 500. As soon as the Armistice was declared on November 11, 1918, plans were made to run a race in 1919. The Peugeot raced by Aitken in the 1916 race was brought out of storage. With the return of Europeans to the race, the field swelled to 42 entrants. Speedway Team Company had three vehicles entered in the race. Allison’s Peugeot was driven by Howdy Wilcox who was a crowd favorite. He was the first driver to break 100 mph in a qualifying run. Jules Goux, the 1913 winner of the Indianapolis 500, and George Buzane were hired to drive Speedway Team Company Premiers. The pole was taken by Rene Thomas. The race was won by Howdy Wilcox, who had started from the second position, with an average speed of 88.05 mph. Goux finished third. Buzane crashed during practice and did not start the race.

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