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May 28-30, 2021 | Indianapolis, IN | 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500

The 2021 Indianapolis 500 averaged 5.55 million viewers on NBC (5.58 million including additional streaming data not tracked by Nielsen), marking the largest audience for the race since 2016 (6.01M). Viewership surged 51% over last year’s all-time low of 3.69 million for a race that aired three months later than originally scheduled. Helio Castroneves’ thrilling win, which peaked with 7.13 million from 3:15-3:30 PM ET, also posted a 2% increase over the 2019 race (5.49M).

The Indy 500 was the top sporting event of a weekend that included the Coca-Cola 600 and a full slate of NBA playoff games.

The Indy 500 had 135,000 fans in attendance, which was the largest crowd for a single event during the coronavirus pandemic. That 135,000 number represents about 40 percent of the venue's capacity and was completely sold out for 2021.

Our select group came together to enjoy the spectacle and reconnect with business partners, customers and other fellow employees.

Opening up the Paddock to the Virtual World

Build on programs designed for the 2021 Daytona 500 and Pennzoil 400, we built a specialized Virtual Paddock for fans to enjoy and learn about Shell Motorsports. The platform also hosted a fun and engaging session with Jamie Little, Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden that was open exclusively to Shell employees. It provided a chance to get to know the drivers and learn more about what it takes to win the most famous race in the world.

Rate the Shell-Pennzoil Virtual Paddock employee engagement | 69 total responses

We Supported the Virtual Paddock with Custom Content Across Business Units

Annual Media Event at Penske Hospitality

In normal years, we host the annual media luncheon for all the industry media at the Indy 500 to come together and hear from Penske directly along with key updates from the Shell-Pennzoil team. This year we went with a more intimate gathering of media members for a breakfast that highlighted the growing partnership between Penske and Shell that includes their leading sustainability efforts at the race track and around the world. The event was well received and brought even more excitement to the race week.

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→ SpeedSport News

→ Speedway Digest

→ TeamPenske.com

→ Shell.com

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Back to the Track at Long Last

It was a thrill for customers, partners and employees to get back onsite together after a prolonged time away from the excitement of the race track. We facilitated safe and controlled visits to the pit lane and grid and had unique access to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway thanks to the ever-expanding business relationship with Penske Corporation.

Rick Mears Exhibit at the IMS Museum

Open all weekend for the largest event in the world since early 2020, the uniquely curated exhibit dedicated to Penske and Pennzoil legend Rick Mears did not dissappoint.