How Penske Revved Up Rental Cars for INDY 500

​In a bid to ignite Penske brand awareness and spark interactions beyond the home removals category, the transportation company teamed up with MARTIN* to launch ‘Rev Up Your Rental’. 

Timed to launch ahead of the 110th Indianapolis 500, the campaign tapped into Penske’s partnership with INDYCAR and FOX Sports to tease a hidden INDY 500-themed Easter egg on the Penske Truck Rental website. Nestled alongside the standard lineup of trucks and vans, an INDYCAR – clad in the iconic Penske yellow – appeared as a rental option.  

However, when website visitors opted to rent the Penske INDYCAR, they were instead redirected to be in with a chance of winning one of two VIP INDY 500 experiences, transforming a routine truck rental interaction into an unexpected brand moment. 

Conceived by creative agency MARTIN*, the process saw the team work closely with FOX Sports to design a custom Penske INDYCAR that embraced recognisable design elements from Penske Trucks, making it feel like an extension of the Penske family tree. Bridging brand storytelling with humour (because who would really use an INDYCAR to move house), the campaign plays into Penske’s unique position across both transportation and racing. 

To find out more about how the campaign got into gear, LBB’s Abi Lightfoot spoke with Deric Nance, creative director, MARTIN*, and Mike Henry, VP, brand marketing at Penske Transportation Solutions. 

LBB> What was the creative brief for this campaign, and how did you initially respond? 

Deric> The brief was built around a simple idea: in racing and in moving, you win with Penske. We wanted to connect the performance and excitement people associate with Penske racing to Penske Truck Rental in a way that felt unexpected, entertaining, and authentic to the brand. 

Our first response was, honestly, “This could be really fun.” We knew there are a ton of passionate INDY 500 fans out there, and we wanted to reach them in a way that felt authentic to racing culture instead of feeling like a traditional sponsorship campaign. 

We opened the brief up to the entire agency and had dozens of ideas come in. The idea that quickly rose to the top was placing an Easter egg on the Penske Truck Rental website that acted as if you could actually rent an INDYCAR. We placed the car alongside the normal rental fleet so fans would stumble across it naturally while browsing the site. The page included specs and details about the INDYCAR just like the rental trucks, along with a product video that mirrored the style of Penske’s normal vehicle videos. Clicking through revealed a contest to win a trip to the INDY 500 instead. 

What we loved about it was how simple and believable it felt. For a split second, people genuinely wondered, “Wait… can I actually rent this thing?” That little moment of surprise made the campaign memorable and gave us a fun platform to extend into a larger activation at the INDY 500 itself. 

LBB> What were your primary considerations for building this feature into the website in a way that felt authentic to both INDYCAR and Penske?

Deric> One of the biggest considerations was making sure the experience didn’t feel like a banner ad or a gimmick dropped onto the site. We wanted it to feel like a natural part of the Penske Truck Rental experience, almost like fans discovered it on their own. 

That meant paying attention to all the little details. The INDYCAR had to be presented the same way the rental fleet is presented — with specs, features, imagery, and a product video that matched the visual language of the site. The more believable it felt, the more fun the reveal became. 

We also wanted to respect the INDYCAR audience. Racing fans know this world really well, so authenticity mattered. We weren’t trying to parody racing culture. We wanted to celebrate it while connecting it to Penske’s broader reputation for performance, reliability, and winning. That overlap is what made the idea feel true to both brands instead of forced together. 

LBB> Take us behind the scenes: how did this campaign come to life visually? Did you use any specific techniques or tools?

Deric> Since we didn’t have access to an actual INDYCAR designed like this, we had to get creative with how we brought it to life visually. We worked closely with FOX Sports to design a custom Penske INDYCAR that borrowed recognisable design cues from Penske Rental Trucks, so it immediately felt like part of the same family. 

From there, we used AI and 3D rendering tools to build a fully rotatable model of the car that we used to create an AI video designed to mirror the style and tone of the real Penske Truck Rental vehicle videos as closely as possible. The video uses the same environment, same product-focused camera moves, even the same voiceover talent. 

That attention to detail is what really sold the joke. On one hand, the idea of using an INDYCAR to help someone move is completely ridiculous. But because every part of the execution looked so authentic, people paused for a second and thought, “Wait… is this real?” That balance between believable and absurd is what made the idea work. 

LBB> Where did the inspiration to turn a routine brand interaction into an unexpected brand moment come from?

Mike> The Penske brand is all about moving things that move the world forward. We have deep ties to both racing and transportation across our businesses. We recently increased our sponsorship within the IndyCar series and wanted to create a deeper connection with consumers and our consumer truck rental brand. The iconic INDY 500 is a natural flagpole event to create something truly different that connects with consumers at a really personal level.

LBB> How did fans respond to the opportunity to win a VIP Indianapolis 500 experience? 

Mike> We’ve seen very positive reactions from IndyCar fans across social media channels and had a strong volume of entries. We have received some really heartwarming stories shared by these fans on what attending the INDY 500 means to them in terms of tradition, community and deep family connections. We were excited to provide a world class experience for the winners at the race. It will be an incredible memory for the winners. 

LBB> Tell us a little about the experience that winners had at the INDY 500? 

Deric> We selected two winners, and each got to bring three additional guests to the INDY 500 for a full VIP race weekend experience. That included premium race access, behind-the-scenes tours of the speedway, and opportunities to meet drivers and FOX Sports talent. 

But honestly, our favorite part was the custom activation we created for them at the race itself. Since the entire campaign played off the connection between moving and racing, we wanted to bring that idea to life in a way only Penske could. 

We drove two Penske rental trucks to the raceway and unloaded them outside the track to create a full tailgate lounge built entirely out of ‘moving day’ furniture – couches, recliners, side tables, lamps, a dining table, even a TV setup. The idea was to make it feel like someone literally moved their living room to the INDY 500. 

The night before the race, the winners and their guests had dinner there and hung out together surrounded by the energy of race weekend. It was equal parts tailgate, living room, and brand experience. The activation felt very true to the spirit of the campaign. 

LBB> How does this campaign build into Penske's broader marketing strategy? 

Mike> The INDY 500 is the premier race in all of motorsports and an American cultural institution. This short-term campaign around the INDY 500 is fully integrated with our creative branding, messaging and advertising across our digital properties and social media. Our truck rental brand strives to provide a premium experience for consumers. This VIP experiential event for race fans aligns well with the premium feel of the Penske brand.