The Penske Era - 2020-Present

On November 4, 2019 Roger Penske (Penske Corporation) purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from the Hulman Family and thus began the Penske Era at IMS.

Due to the global pandemic, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced on March 26, 2020 that the ‘500’ was postponed to Sunday August 23rd where it was to be run with spectators however, on August 4th it was announced the ‘500’ would be run without fans for the first time in its history.

The badge depicts the logo for 2020 with the May 24th date and measures 1 1/4” long by just under 1” at the widest point. The sale of bronze badges was cut off at some point in June or July* so if one ordered them for delivery before then they could get the presentation tin. Initially, badges were going to be honored, but once it was announced on August 4th there would be no fans the badges were relegated to souvenirs like the tickets.

The 2021 badge features the 2021 logo and measures 1” long x 1 1/4” at the widest point. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, one had to show proof of vaccination in order to get either badge and to enter the garage area and pits which meant one had to pick up their badge in person from the credential office. With this being the case, there were no presentation tins made as they are for mail orders only. In past years, badges were available to the public at the credential office for $25 and this held true for the bronze badge, but NOT the silver. The only way one could get a silver badge was to buy one prior to the race, use a silver badge voucher or a race team hard card. It is estimated no more than *2500 silver badges were produced making it one of the toughest badges in the last 50 years. It is uncertain if any silver badges will be released to the public.

The 2022 badge features the 2022 logo along with Helio “Spider-Man” Castroneves climbing the fence after winning his fourth ‘500’. It measures about 1 1/4” by 1 1/4” at the widest points. In past years, badges were available to the public after the race at the credential office for $25 but, as of June 1, 2022 there were no bronze badges available for sale which is the opposite of last year where silver badges weren’t available. It is uncertain if any bronze badges will be released to the public.

The 2023 badge features the 2023 logo along with the Thunderbird fly over from 2022. It measures 1 1/2” side to side and about 1 1/4” top to bottom. Both bronze and silver badges were available after the race. For those that purchased a bronze badge it came with a commemorative metal tin, at right, to store it in. These were also available after the race if one wanted one for a silver badge.

The 2024 badge features Johnny Rutherford in the #3 McLaren that took him to the first of three Indy 500 wins. It measures 2” side to side and about 1 1/2” top to bottom. Both bronze and silver badges were available after the race. For those that purchased a bronze badge it came with a commemorative metal tin, at bottom right, to store it in. These were also available after the race if one wanted one for a silver badge.