Penske Entertainment is preparing to deliver a significant increase to its Leaders Circle program. Prior to the Leaders Circle initiative, smaller teams were more prone to folding as the bigger teams earned the majority of prize money. In its modern guise, guaranteed prize money is awarded to the top 22 finishers in the previous season’s IndyCar Series Entrants’ championship. The amount of the stipend has changed throughout the years, but on average, a Leaders Circle contract has contributed approximately $1 million per qualifying entry. For those at the lower end, the anticipated growth to almost $1.7 million for each Leaders Circle would contribute just over 20 percent of their yearly needs.