Last updated: October 2026
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indianapolis 500, are run by one company, Penske Entertainment, and it's hiring its 2027 Season interns now. On 17 October 2026 its TeamWork Online board listed 12 internship-category roles in Indianapolis, from Social Media Intern INDYCAR to Sustainability, Ticket Sales and Credentials, and two other 2027 roles, Communications and Client Services, had already closed. These are season-long internships that start between December 2026 and February 2027 and run to July, August or September. Here's the cycle in plain words: you apply in fall 2026, you start in winter, and you work the Month of May and the summer race calendar.
Quick Facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Where to apply | Penske Entertainment board on TeamWork Online, linked from the IMS College Program page. Questions: collegeprogram@brickyard.com |
| Application window (2027–28) | Open now for the 2027 Season (12 roles, posted in roughly the last month). Two 2027 roles are already closed. Applications for the 2028 Season expected ~Sep to Oct 2027 |
| Rolling? | Closes role by role. No deadline is printed; Communications and Client Services closed about a month after posting |
| Eligibility | Currently enrolled in an accredited undergraduate or graduate program. Field Marketing also accepts recent graduates (21+ preferred). Credit and GPA aren't stated |
| Duration | Season-long: starts December 2026 to February 2027 and ends July to September 2027. Hours ramp up in May, with 40+ hours a week on several roles |
| Compensation | Both Field Marketing roles say "paid". Other postings list non-exempt (hourly) status but no wage. No amounts are published |
| Return offers | Conversion rate not published. The College Program page calls Event Staff "the starting point" and internships practical experience |
| Locations | Indianapolis, IN, in person (IMS grounds and INDYCAR offices). A few roles include 1 to 3 INDYCAR race trips |
| # Programs | One program, the IMS College Program internships, with 12 open roles in 4 groups |
Twelve 2027 Season internships are open now, two have already closed, and the next intake is expected around September to October 2027.
IndyCar's roles lean on social content, fan engagement, ticketing and event operations, so a finished project gives you a concrete example for your application. Externships are short, remote programs where you complete a real project for a real company, most commonly over 8 weeks. The Beats by Dre Creative Advertising Strategy Externship fits the social and field marketing roles, and the Pinterest Gen Z Consumer Behavior Externship fits fan engagement. Explore all Externships.
What Is an IndyCar Internship?
An IndyCar internship is a season-long role with Penske Entertainment, the company that owns INDYCAR, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IMS Productions and Motorsports Events Management. The roles sit in the IMS College Program and run from about December 2026 or January 2027 through July, August or September. Interns work in Indianapolis on the series (INDYCAR roles) or on the Speedway and its events (IMS roles). Race teams such as Andretti, Ganassi and Rahal hire separately, and Team Penske and Penske Automotive Group are different companies. The College Program page lists internships plus a separate Event Staff track.
When Do IndyCar Internship Applications Open for 2027–2028?
Penske Entertainment runs one intake a year for a season-long class. The 2027 Season roles went up in roughly the last month, for starts between December 2026 and February 2027, a lead time of about 2 to 5 months. The Internet Archive's captures of the same TeamWork board show the same fall rhythm in earlier cycles: 2025 Season interns were on the board by 25 to 30 September 2024, and 2026 Season interns were captured between October and December 2025. Two 2027 roles have already closed, so treat each role as having its own clock. The 2028 Season intake is a projection from those patterns.
Twelve 2027 Season internships are open and two have already closed. The earliest start is December 2026 (Ticket Sales Representative). Apply now; roles close one at a time.
Start dates for the 2027 Season class. Ticket Sales begins in December, and most other roles start in January or February, with the first INDYCAR event trips for credentials staff, including the season opener in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The Month of May and the 111th running of the Indianapolis 500 on 30 May 2027. Several roles move to 20 to 40+ hours a week, including weekends.
Brickyard Weekend (22 to 25 July) and the IMSA weekend (16 to 19 September). Most internships end between July and September, depending on the role.
Applications for the 2028 Season are expected, based on three straight cycles of fall postings. Roles close one at a time, so watch the board from early September.
How to read this page: our dates come from tracking previous recruiting cycles and daily posting data. Treat them as informed estimates based on historical patterns, not confirmed dates. The company's official careers page is always the most current source. If a role is posted there, go by that, even if this page suggests the window hasn't opened yet.
Why You Must Apply the Week Applications Open
IndyCar's roles close one at a time with no printed deadline. Two 2027 Season internships, Communications and Client Services, have already closed, about a month after they were posted, so treat every role as having its own clock. Each department hires for a specific job, and a hiring manager can begin screening the day it goes up. If a department fits your major, apply this week rather than waiting for a reminder.
Which IndyCar Internship Programs Should You Target?
Penske Entertainment posts one requisition per department. These were the 12 open 2027 Season roles on 17 October 2026.
| Group | 2027 Season roles | Dates as posted | Key skills |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social & field marketing | Social Media Intern INDYCAR; Social Media Intern IMS; Field Marketing Intern; Field Marketing Ambassador | Jan to Sep 2027 (Social from Feb) | Photo, graphics and short-form video; events; fan sign-ups |
| Guest experience & tickets | Guest Experience Programs Intern; Guest Experience Administration Intern; Ticket Operations Intern; Ticket Sales Representative Intern | Dec 2026 to Jul 2027 | SCORE ticketing, Excel, phone sales, hiring and onboarding |
| Credentials | Credentials Representative Intern INDYCAR & IMS; Credentials Representative Intern IMS | Jan to Aug 2027 | Customer service, point-of-sale software, organization |
| Facilities & sustainability | Facilities Intern; Sustainability Intern | Jan to Aug 2027 | Work orders, Excel, event operations, data tracking |
Roles are on the Penske Entertainment board. Communications Intern and Client Services Intern for 2027 have closed. The College Program's separate Event Staff track is part-time event work for rising freshmen through recent graduates, applied for through an interest form, and it isn't an internship.
What Are the Eligibility Requirements?
The College Program page and the postings set these rules:
• Enrollment: currently enrolled in an accredited graduate or undergraduate program. Field Marketing roles also accept recent graduates of a four-year college, and the Facilities Intern accepts associate's degree students.
• Field of study: most postings list preferred majors, such as marketing, communications, sports management, event management or public relations.
• Availability: weekends, holidays and event days. The Social Media roles require availability for all INDYCAR or IMS events in the period, and the Month of May is the busiest stretch.
• Age and transport: Field Marketing prefers applicants 21 or older and requires reliable transportation to events.
• Credit, GPA and work authorization: not stated in the postings we read.
Can Freshmen or Graduates Apply?
Freshmen are welcome on the Event Staff track, which takes rising freshmen through recent graduates, but that's a part-time event job, not an internship. The internships require current enrollment, with the two Field Marketing roles also open to recent graduates. If you're graduating, check each posting's education line before applying.
What Skills Does IndyCar Look For, and How Do You Build Them?
The postings we read in full share a core, then diverge by department. Communication and availability: all six ask for written and verbal communication and for weekends and event days. Initiative and tools: five want a self-starter and five name advanced computer skills, Microsoft Office or the SCORE ticketing system. Service and organization: four stress customer service and four ask for organizational skills or multitasking. The social roles add Adobe Creative Suite and social listening tools, Ticket Sales names Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and Sustainability names Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
What IndyCar looks for in interns
Skills across 6 IndyCar intern & analyst job descriptions · 2027 Season postings, projecting the 2028 Season
Method: full-text read of six 2027 Season postings on Penske Entertainment's TeamWork board on 17 October 2026 (Field Marketing Ambassador, Guest Experience Administration, Ticket Operations, Facilities, and the two Credentials roles). The other open postings add Adobe and social listening tools, Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Excel, and are covered in the prose above.
How Is Demand for Marketing Interns Moving Right Now?
Marketing intern postings · Sep vs Aug 2026
vs 1,424 in August
For IndyCar applicants: the 2027 Season roles are open now and close one at a time, while most corporate marketing internships for summer 2027 are still posting. Apply to IndyCar this week and keep applying elsewhere.
Daily US job-posting counts, Sep 1–30 vs Aug 1–31, 2026. Covers under half of US postings; shows direction, not market size.
Build These Skills Before You Apply
Each skill below comes from a 2027 Season posting and maps to a remote Externship you can finish while the roles are open.
| Skill (from real JDs) | JD evidence | Externship that builds it |
|---|---|---|
| Social content and brand storytelling | Social Media Intern INDYCAR: photography, graphics and short-form video for @INDYCAR and @INDYNXT | Beats by Dre Creative Advertising Strategy |
| Fan engagement and audience insight | Field Marketing roles: engage attendees, sign fans up for giveaways and grow the database | Pinterest Gen Z Consumer Behavior |
| Ticketing and sales data | Ticket Sales and Ticket Operations roles: SCORE ticketing, up to 400 calls a week, Excel | Breaking Games E-Commerce Data Analysis & Strategy |
Finish the project before you interview and link it in your application. Hiring managers screening a dozen similar applications for one department notice finished work.
What Is the IndyCar Application and Interview Process Like?
Penske Entertainment doesn't publish an interview format. Here's what the postings and the College Program page show:
1. Pick the role on TeamWork Online. Browse the Penske Entertainment board and filter for internships, or use the "View Internship Opportunities" link on the College Program page.
2. Click Apply Now, then finish the follow-up screen. The postings say that after you click and are redirected, you must fully complete the application process on the follow-up screen to be considered.
3. Optionally note interest in the Leadership in Motorsports Program. The College Program page says interviews for it happen after acceptance into the internship program.
4. Interview and offer. Interview steps and offer timing aren't published. Email collegeprogram@brickyard.com with questions.
Match your availability to the calendar: May is the peak, and the race weekends are weekends.
What Students on Reddit Say
Reddit has one on-topic thread about the Speedway's program, and two older threads about race-team internships, which are a separate path. Treat all three as background.
A former sport administration major said internships are the way into sports jobs and that they never even got a rejection when they applied to the Indy 500 internship as a senior, so getting an interview is a very positive sign. Another commenter who did an Indy 500 internship called it the most fun they had.
On race-team engineering internships, one commenter who interned with INDYCAR and a development-series team said you have to know someone. That thread is about teams like Andretti and Ganassi, which hire separately from Penske Entertainment.
A high schooler asking how to get into an IndyCar team was told to contact Indianapolis-based teams and that the best bet is a May internship, when teams are most likely to take on an extra pair of hands.
How Do You Stand Out for an IndyCar Internship?
Three moves. First, choose your brand and say so. INDYCAR roles are about the series (social, credentials, race trips) and IMS roles are about the venue (events, tickets, guest experience); tell them which calendar you want to work. Second, show the work. For social roles, bring a portfolio of photos, graphics or short-form video and name the tools the posting lists, such as Adobe and social listening software. For ticket sales, expect heavy phone work, up to 400 calls a week by the posting's count. Third, plan for the Month of May. Several roles go to 40+ hours a week with weekends, so line up your availability before you apply. Penske Entertainment doesn't publish an applicant count or a conversion rate, so ask your supervisor which full-time paths exist.
What Other Companies Should You Consider?
If you're aiming at IndyCar, these programs sit closest by sport or by work.
- NASCARstock-car series and sanctioning body with its own internship programGuide →
- Formula 1global open-wheel series with its own company programGuide →
- Hendrick MotorsportsNASCAR race team, a separate path from series and venue rolesGuide →
- Live Nationlive-events alternative to Speedway event operations rolesGuide →
- ESPNsports media alternative to IMS Productions broadcast workGuide →
Our sports internships summer 2027 guide maps league, team, media and betting programs in one place.
FAQ
Can I still apply for a summer 2026 IndyCar internship?
No. Penske Entertainment's 2026 Season internships are over. What's open now is the 2027 Season: 12 roles on TeamWork Online, starting between December 2026 and February 2027. Two other 2027 roles, Communications and Client Services, have already closed, so apply promptly.
When do IndyCar internship applications open?
They're open now for the 2027 Season. The same board showed fall postings for the 2025 and 2026 Seasons, so the 2028 Season intake is expected around September to October 2027. That timing is a projection from three cycles of archived captures, not a confirmed date.
Who runs the IndyCar internship, INDYCAR or the Speedway?
Penske Entertainment, which owns INDYCAR, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IMS Productions and Motorsports Events Management. It isn't Team Penske or Penske Automotive Group, and race teams such as Andretti, Ganassi and Rahal hire separately for their own internships, so look at those teams' sites for those roles.
Are IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway internships paid?
Partly stated. The Field Marketing Intern posting lists paid internships and the Field Marketing Ambassador posting says paid seasonal position. Other postings list hourly non-exempt status but no wage. No dollar amounts are published, so confirm pay at the interview stage.
How long is an IndyCar internship?
It's season-long. Roles start between December 2026 and February 2027 and end between July and September 2027. Hours are light early on, often 10 to 15 a week, then climb in May to 20 to 40 or more with weekends for the Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard Weekend.
Who can apply for an IndyCar internship?
Students currently enrolled in an accredited undergraduate or graduate program. The two Field Marketing roles also accept recent graduates, and 21 or older is preferred. Credit, GPA and work authorization aren't stated in the postings we read. The Event Staff track is separate part-time work.
Where are IndyCar internships located?
All 12 open roles are in Indianapolis, Indiana, in person, at the Speedway grounds and the INDYCAR offices. A few roles include travel: Credentials may go to two or three INDYCAR races, including the season opener in St. Petersburg, and Sustainability up to three events.
Do IndyCar interns get full-time offers?
Penske Entertainment doesn't publish a conversion rate or class size. The College Program page describes Event Staff as the starting point to get your foot in the door and internships as practical experience. Ask your supervisor which full-time roles past interns have moved into.
IndyCar's 2027 Season internships are open now and close one role at a time. Apply this week, and if you want a project to show for it, a remote Externship takes about 5 to 10 hours a week.
About the Author
Bifei Wang has spent 17 years focused on human flow and the growth of young professionals, spanning international education, career training and coaching, and recruitment process outsourcing. Over 7 years at Extern, he has had one-on-one sessions with thousands of students exploring careers in consulting, finance, tech, marketing, and data, giving him a firsthand view of how the job market has shifted for early-career professionals and what it actually takes to break in.
