TEAM PENSKE

Penske. The name is synonymous with racing and success. Roger Penske has been racing and winning since 1958, scoring victories in every series in which he’s competed. With 20 National Championships to its credit — including 12 in Indy car racing — Penske Racing is often referred to as the New York Yankees of motorsports.

Since Philip Morris USA joined forces with Penske in 1990, the red-and-white cars have been a symbol of achievement. Together, two of the biggest names in motorsports became a powerhouse, winning 77 races in 17 seasons, including seven Indianapolis 500s and four National Championships.

The 2007 Indy Racing League IndyCar Series season will see Penske Racing enter its 40th year of open-wheel racing competition as they attempt to defend the 2006 IndyCar Series title and earn a record 15th Indianapolis 500 win, giving them four Championships in eight years and five Indianapolis 500 victories in seven years. Last season, drivers Helio Castroneves and Sam Hornish Jr. combined to win eight races, including the Indianapolis 500, and nine poles, adding to the following records:

  • 132 Indy Car wins
  • 12 Indy Car National Championships
  • 14 Indianapolis 500 victories
  • 163 pole positions

The story began when Roger Penske, one of America’s most successful road racers, retired from driving in 1965 to focus on his business, a Philadelphia Chevrolet dealership. He fielded Corvettes in endurance races at Daytona and Sebring in 1966 before teaming with driver Mark Donohue to compete in USRRC and Can-Am sports car races. Donohue later won two USRRC and three SCCA Trans-Am Championships.

In 1968, Penske and Donohue moved to Indy car racing, competing in two USAC-sanctioned road races. In 1969, the team entered the Indianapolis 500 for the first time; Donohue finished seventh and was named rookie of the year. Penske’s team quickly became one of the best in Indy racing, finishing second at Indianapolis in 1970 and winning an Indy-style race for the first time in 1971 at Pocono. In 1972, Donohue scored Penske’s first Indy 500 victory with an average speed that stood as a record for 12 years. Donohue was the first in Penske’s long list of great Indy car drivers. Among the others were:

  • Tom Sneva, who won USAC National Championships in 1977 and 1978 and was the first driver to surpass 200 mph at Indy.
  • Rick Mears, who won four Indy 500s and CART Championships in 1979, 1981 and 1982.
  • Danny Sullivan, whose spin-and-win at Indy in 1985 is perhaps Penske’s most famous Indianapolis 500 victory.
  • Emerson Fittipaldi, who posted Penske’s ninth Indy 500 win in 1993.
  • Paul Tracy, who won five CART races for Penske in 1993.
  • Al Unser Jr., who teamed with Fittipaldi and Tracy for Penske’s best season in Indy car racing in 1994; the team won 12 of 16 races, with Unser claiming the CART Championship.
  • Gil de Ferran, who won consecutive CART Championships in 2000 and 2001 and the Indy 500 in 2003.
  • Helio Castroneves, who won the Indy 500 in 2001 and 2002, the only driver to win the race in his first two attempts.
  • Sam Hornish Jr., who won Penske’s first IndyCar Series Championship and fourteenth Indianapolis 500 in 2006.

Team Penske is led by Penske Performance president Tim Cindric, who joined the Team in 1999 and has been credited with its renaissance, including de Ferran’s CART Championships, Hornish Jr.’s IndyCar Series Championship, and Indy 500 wins in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2006.

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Sam Hornish, Jr.