By alley - Mar 25, 2016, 8:31 AM ET

INDYCAR: Penske against flyaways

Legendary team owner Roger Penske has no interest in expanding the IndyCar schedule to incorporate races outside of North America.

On his appointment in late 2012, CEO Mark Miles flagged his interest in taking the series to venues such as Dubai, in addition to an existing race in Brazil. After it dropped off the calendar, an attempt to return to Brazil in 2015 was unsuccessful, while IndyCar last raced in Japan in '11 and Australia in 2008.

IndyCar has condensed to a 16-race, North American schedule in recent years, a mix Penske says he has wants to maintain.

"I would like to have 15 or 16 good races," he said. "I don't want to have 18, 19 or 20. I'm not interested in going overseas. I think if we run our series over here we'll be a lot better off. Our sponsors – 95 percent of them – are U.S. domestic companies.

"If we are going to give them the benefit, notoriety and the business-to-business relationships we have to have to maintain these sponsors as we do, it's hard to do it in Abu Dhabi and places like that."

IndyCar currently has one race in Canada while Formula 1 and Formula E have taken top-line motorsport back to Mexico City in the last six months, with the World Endurance Championship heading there in September.

Penske wants to rebuild IndyCar's status in the United States, but is open to competing in Mexico and having more races in Canada. Before its merger with IndyCar, the rival Champ Car series raced in Mexico City (BELOW) until 2007.

"I have no problem going to Canada and Mexico," he added. "There are a lot of people in the northwest United States that like racing. Getting these tracks and date equity is so important.

"If we moved the Indianapolis 500 date around I don't know if 300,000 would go there. There is something about that. A lot of people go there because it's a happening. People go to Long Beach because of the restaurants and the bars – everybody has a good time so they go down to Long Beach.

"Toronto is that way. Mid-Ohio is getting good crowds. But when you decide to race at Milwaukee six weeks before the race, the promoter doesn't have a chance. The front office here is good. We have good cars and good racing. I think we have a good opportunity."