RACER No. 332: The 2025 IMSA Preview Issue

There’s an image in the new issue of RACER magazine that stopped me in my tracks. It’s Roger Penske, an all-business expression on his face, with every one of his “Baby Borg” trophies – one for each of his 20 Indianapolis 500 wins as a team owner.

Michael Levitt’s shot is an amazing visual reminder of what Penske’s already achieved. But even more amazing is what “The Captain” still wants to achieve (more Indianapolis 500 wins being top of the list), and his undiminished desire and motivation to accomplish it.

That was encapsulated in a convention our editor-at-large, David Malsher-Lopez, had with Penske after he’d been presented with his 20th Baby Borg, a mini version of the Indy 500’s gargantuan Borg-Warner Trophy that the winning driver and owner get to keep – this one being in recognition of Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden’s second 500 win last May.

Talk of that 20th victory was good natured, if somewhat perfunctory for a man who doesn’t really do looking back.

But talk of the next win, the 21st? That’s when Penske started firing on all cylinders. And, as he noted, that 21st win isn’t something he hopes happens sometime in the future; it’s front and center in Team Penske’s 2025 mission, it pretty much defines the organization, and anything other than a win must be construed as a failure.

Roger’s undiminished will to win, while impressive in itself, informs the whole Team Penske universe – which is why, as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship gets under way with the Rolex 24 At Daytona and this issue of RACER includes our usual comprehensive 2025 IMSA season preview section, it seems more than likely that Porsche Penske Motorsport will retain the trio of GTP championships it earned last season.

And while we’re at it, how about PPM’s parallel FIA World Endurance Championship program securing the Hypercar class manufacturers’ title it narrowly missed out on last season. And maybe a 24 Hours of Le Mans victory, too?

Hey, this is Roger Penske’s team we’re talking about. The surprise is when they don’t win.

Back to that 2025 IMSA preview section, it’s a deep dive into all four classes of the WeatherTech Championship, covering all the key storylines and setting you up for another stellar season of North America’s premier sports car racing series.

We also explore some of the storylines ahead of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series, take a look at the upwardly trending Haas F1 team’s bang-for-the-buck way of going racing, and sit down with NTT IndyCar Series fan favorite Pato O’Ward to find out what’s going to make him a full-on title contender this season.

Add in an inside take on McLaren’s 2024 F1 constructors’ title from CEO Zak Brown, NHRA Top Fuel champ Antron Brown’s motivational masterclass, and a visit with one of the WRC’s rising stars and we think there’s something for everyone in RACER No. 332.

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