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Team Penske

American auto racing team From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Team Penske
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Team Penske (formerly known as Penske Racing) is an American professional auto racing organization that competes in the IndyCar Series, NASCAR Cup Series, IMSA SportsCar Championship, and the FIA World Endurance Championship. The team made its competitive debut at the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona[1] and has since participated in a wide range of professional motorsport disciplines, including Formula One, Can-Am, Trans-Am, and Australia’s Supercars Championship. Over the course of its history, Team Penske has amassed more than 500 race victories and secured over 40 championships across various categories of auto racing.[2] The team operates as a division of Penske Corporation and is owned and chaired by Roger Penske.

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Former logo used until 2013
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Team Penske No. 2 hauler set for parade down Las Vegas Strip – 2015
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IndyCar Series

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Team Penske currently fields three entries in the IndyCar Series: the No. 2 Hitachi Dallara/Chevrolet driven by Josef Newgarden, the No. 3 Dallara/Chevrolet driven by Scott McLaughlin, and the No. 12 Verizon Dallara/Chevrolet driven by Will Power. Among the team's most notable former drivers are four-time Indianapolis 500 winners Al Unser, Rick Mears, and Hélio Castroneves. At the 2024 Indianapolis 500, Team Penske claimed its record 20th victory in the prestigious event.[3] The team has also secured the IndyCar Series championship 16 times.[4]

The open-wheel division of Penske Racing was based in Reading, Pennsylvania from 1973 onward. During the Formula One and CART eras, the team’s cars were constructed in Poole, Dorset, England, which also served as the base of the Formula One operation.[5][6] On October 31, 2005, Penske Racing announced that, following the conclusion of the 2006 IRL season, it would consolidate its IndyCar and NASCAR operations at its facility in Mooresville, North Carolina. However, due to severe flooding in Pennsylvania in 2006, the relocation to Mooresville occurred earlier than originally planned.

IndyCar history

Early days

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Will Power's car at the 2010 Indianapolis 500
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Bobby Unser's Penske Indy car

Team Penske's involvement in IndyCar racing dates back to 1968, when Roger Penske first entered the series with a stock block-powered Eagle chassis driven by Mark Donohue. The team made its debut at the Indianapolis 500 in 1969, where Donohue earned the title of Rookie of the Year. In 1971, Donohue delivered Team Penske’s first IndyCar victory at the Pocono 500, and the following year, he secured the team’s first Indianapolis 500 victory in May 1972.

In 1978, Penske - alongside Pat Patrick, Dan Gurney, and several other prominent team owners - co-founded Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART). This new sanctioning body was formed in response to ongoing disputes with USAC, and it governed what were then commonly referred to as Champ Cars or IndyCars.

As of May 28, 2023, Team Penske has achieved:

  • 19 victories in the Indianapolis 500[7]
  • 18 pole positions at the Indianapolis 500
  • 200 open-wheel race wins across USAC, CART, and IRL (as of May 19, 2018)
  • 29 victories in 500-mile races
  • 13 open-wheel championships

In total, the team has made 1,463 starts in IndyCar competition, earned 231 pole positions, 71 wins from pole, and 47 double victories, including eight 1-2-3 finishes, beginning with the Pocono race on June 26, 1977, and extending through January 1, 2015.

Oldsmobile and Chevrolet engines era

In 2001, Team Penske returned to the Indianapolis 500 after a five-year absence, a result of the open-wheel split that followed the 1995 PPG IndyCar World Series season. The team competed using Oldsmobile engines. Later that year, Roger Penske announced that the organization would withdraw from CART and fully transition to the IRL IndyCar Series beginning with the 2002 season, this time with support from Chevrolet engines.

Toyota engines (2003–2005)

Following Toyota’s decision to transition from CART/Champ Car to the IRL IndyCar Series, Team Penske announced on April 2, 2002, that it would switch to Toyota engines beginning with the 2003 season.[8] The partnership began successfully, highlighted by Gil de Ferran’s victory at the 2003 Indianapolis 500.

However, performance began to decline in 2004, with the team achieving only two race wins, five pole positions, and three fastest laps, a noticeable drop from the previous year. This decline was attributed in part to driver errors and on-track incidents. In 2005, the team experienced a modest resurgence, securing three wins and two pole positions, though overall performance remained below expectations compared to earlier seasons.

Honda engines (2006–2011)

On October 31, 2005, it was announced that Team Penske would end its engine partnership with Toyota and switch to Honda, signing an initial five-year agreement.[9] This marked a renewed collaboration, as Penske had previously worked with Honda engines during the 2000-2001 CART Champ Car seasons. Following the announcement, the team confirmed Hélio Castroneves and Sam Hornish Jr. as its official race drivers.

Despite Honda's status as a single engine supplier in IndyCar at the time, Penske received de facto factory support, with engines delivered directly from Honda’s racing divisions in Japan and the United States, along with tuning assistance from Ilmor Engineering in Plymouth, Michigan. The partnership began strongly in 2006, as Sam Hornish Jr. won both the Indianapolis 500 and the IndyCar Series championship.

The Castroneves-Hornish Jr. pairing remained intact for 2007. The second year of the Honda partnership showed initial promise, with the team contending for both the Indianapolis 500 and the season championship. However, a series of driver errors and on-track incidents resulted in only two race victories, and the team failed to secure any major titles - its first such outcome since 2005.

On November 9, 2007, Sam Hornish Jr. announced his move to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for the 2008 season, driving full-time with Team Penske.[10] Four days later, Ryan Briscoe, who had previously competed in Champ Car and the American Le Mans Series, was announced as Castroneves’s new teammate.[11]

The 2008 season began slowly for Team Penske. However, Castroneves managed five top-four finishes, including two second-place results. Briscoe took time to adjust to the team and car setup, but ultimately earned his first IndyCar victory at the Milwaukee Mile, while Castroneves claimed a win at Infineon Raceway. Castroneves narrowly missed winning the 2008 championship, finishing second to Scott Dixon after the final round at Chicagoland Speedway.

In 2009, Verizon Wireless joined ExxonMobil (then McLaren’s fuel and lubricant partner) as an associate sponsor. The team introduced a third car, the No. 12, driven by Will Power, initially as a substitute for Castroneves. The entry featured primary sponsorship from Verizon and Penske Truck Rental.

The 2010 season marked Team Penske's fifth year with Honda and the first time since 1994 that it fielded a three-car full-time lineup, with Will Power joining Castroneves and Briscoe full-time. The team started the year strongly, winning the first three races. Power emerged as a championship contender, but a suspension failure at the season finale in Homestead-Miami dashed his title hopes. Penske concluded the season with nine wins, thirteen pole positions, and six fastest laps, most of which were achieved by Power.

On November 12, 2010, Team Penske confirmed that it would end its Honda partnership after the 2011 season, switching to Chevrolet engines for 2012. In the final year of the Honda era, the driver lineup of Castroneves, Briscoe, and Power remained unchanged. The team lost ExxonMobil as a sponsor (who moved to Stewart-Haas Racing in NASCAR), with Shell and Pennzoil becoming Penske’s official motor oil partners.

The 2011 season began with two early wins for Power, including his first career oval victory at Texas Motor Speedway. Heading into the final round at Las Vegas, Power trailed Dario Franchitti by 18 points. However, on lap 11, Power was involved in a tragic 15-car accident that claimed the life of Dan Wheldon, the defending Indianapolis 500 winner. The race was cancelled in Wheldon’s honor, and the championship standings reverted to their pre-race positions, awarding Franchitti his third consecutive and fourth overall title.

Team Penske ended the 2011 season with six victories, all by Will Power, while Castroneves and Briscoe failed to win a race.

Return to Chevrolet engines (2012–present)

For the 2012 IndyCar Series season, Roger Penske announced Team Penske’s return to Chevrolet engines, receiving full factory backing from General Motors. As part of this renewed partnership, the team benefited from free engines supplied formally by Ilmor Engineering - in which Penske holds a stake - and Chevrolet, along with access to official Chevrolet team vehicles, financial support, and technical personnel stationed at the team’s Mooresville, North Carolina base.[12]

Penske dominated the early part of the 2012 season, winning four consecutive races. Hélio Castroneves claimed victory in the season opener at St. Petersburg, followed by Will Power winning at Barber, Long Beach, and São Paulo. Although Ryan Briscoe struggled throughout the year, he managed a win at Sonoma. Power, however, came up short in the championship after a crash in the season finale. Briscoe left the team following the season to pursue other opportunities.

In 2014, after finishing runner-up in the championship three consecutive times (2010-2012), Will Power finally clinched the IndyCar Series Championship, adding another title to Team Penske’s legacy.[13]

The 2015 season began strongly, with Juan Pablo Montoya winning the opening race - his second with Penske since returning from NASCAR in 2014. Teammates Will Power, Hélio Castroneves, and new signing Simon Pagenaud finished 2nd, 4th, and 5th respectively. Power won at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, and Montoya captured his second Indianapolis 500 victory shortly after, once again finishing ahead of Power. Despite a strong campaign, Montoya lost the championship to Scott Dixon on a tie-breaker in the final race.[14]

Team Penske dominated the 2016 season, finishing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the final standings. Simon Pagenaud capped off the year with a commanding victory and secured his first IndyCar title, becoming the ninth Penske driver to do so. It marked Team Penske’s 14th championship, and their second in three years following Power’s 2014 win.[15]

In 2017, Penske signed Josef Newgarden from Ed Carpenter Racing. Newgarden quickly delivered, winning the championship that year and again in 2019, giving the team back-to-back titles. Meanwhile, Will Power and Simon Pagenaud claimed back-to-back Indianapolis 500 wins in 2018 and 2019 respectively. In 2020, although Penske drivers won more races than any other team, they missed out on both the Indianapolis 500 and the IndyCar championship, with Newgarden unable to defend his title against Dixon.

The 2021 season saw Team Penske expand to four full-time entries, introducing Scott McLaughlin, a three-time Supercars champion and former DJR Team Penske driver. This marked the first time since Rick Mears in 1978 that Penske signed a driver without any open-wheel racing experience. 2021 proved challenging - McLaughlin needed time to adapt, while all three former champions (Power, Newgarden, Pagenaud) endured their least competitive seasons with Penske. Power and Newgarden each had potential wins slip away due to mechanical failures at Detroit and Road America, and Pagenaud’s best finish was third place. The team’s performance at the Indianapolis 500 was also disappointing: none qualified in the top 15, Power was nearly bumped from the grid, and Pagenaud’s late charge to third was the team’s best result.

One highlight was Penske's technical partnership with Paretta Autosport, an all-female-operated team fielding Simona De Silvestro at the 2021 Indy 500. While De Silvestro failed to finish, she qualified for the race in the final grid spot thanks to a Penske-prepped chassis.

Despite struggles, McLaughlin was named both IndyCar Rookie of the Year and Indy 500 Rookie of the Year, while Newgarden finished runner-up in the championship for a second straight season.

For the 2022 season, Simon Pagenaud departed for Meyer Shank Racing, and Team Penske returned to a three-car lineup. Although the team again faced challenges at the Indianapolis 500, their overall performance improved significantly, winning four of the first seven races and nine overall. McLaughlin claimed his first IndyCar win at St. Petersburg, while Power and Newgarden both led the standings during the season. Ultimately, Will Power secured his second championship title at the season finale.

In 2023, Team Penske returned to victory at the Indianapolis 500, with Josef Newgarden winning the 107th running and becoming the first American winner since 2016. Despite this milestone, the rest of the season was underwhelming: only one driver finished in the top three in the standings, the team claimed just one road course win, and Will Power went winless for the first time in 16 years.

In 2024, controversy hit when Josef Newgarden was disqualified from his win at St. Petersburg due to illegal ECU software manipulation, allowing push-to-pass during restarts - explicitly against regulations. It was the first time Penske had a win stripped since Al Unser Jr.'s 1995 Portland victory. Unlike that instance, Penske did not appeal, and team president Tim Cindric received a multi-race paddock ban.

Despite the scandal, the team rebounded with a strong start: all three drivers secured wins in the first seven races, and Josef Newgarden went on to win his second consecutive Indianapolis 500, making him the first back-to-back winner since Hélio Castroneves. The victory marked Team Penske’s 20th Indianapolis 500 triumph, solidifying their legendary status in the sport.

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Team Penske garage at the 2024 Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s

1994 PPG IndyCar World Series

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1994 Penske PC-23 Speedway Oval Package. The car displayed was driven by Al Unser Jr.

The 1994 IndyCar World Series Championship marked one of the most dominant performances by any team in the history of American open-wheel racing. Under Roger Penske's leadership, the team not only found the key to winning but also discovered a way to outpace and outclass the competition throughout the season.

Powered by the revolutionary Penske PC-23 chassis paired with the Ilmor-Indy V8 engine, Penske’s lineup of Al Unser Jr., Paul Tracy, and Emerson Fittipaldi dominated the field. Across 16 races, the team amassed an incredible 12 wins, 10 pole positions, and 28 podium finishes, asserting near-total control of the championship battle.

The season’s defining moment came at the 78th Indianapolis 500, where Penske introduced the radical and controversial Mercedes-Benz 500I engine. Exploiting a loophole in the regulations designed for stock-block pushrod engines - such as the V-6 Buicks - the 500I featured an increased displacement of 650 cm³ and an additional 10 inches (4.9 psi/33.8 kPa) of turbo boost. This translated into a power output of at least 900 horsepower, with rumors suggesting it exceeded 1,000 hp, granting Penske an overwhelming advantage in qualifying and race pace.

Penske secured the pole position and the outside front row with their cars, dominated by the efforts of Al Unser Jr. and Emerson Fittipaldi. In the race, the duo controlled the field, with Unser Jr. ultimately taking the win after Fittipaldi clipped the wall exiting Turn 4 with 16 laps remaining, relinquishing the lead. Remarkably, only rookie Jacques Villeneuve finished on the lead lap alongside Unser Jr.

This dominant season saw Team Penske sweep the major titles:

  • Driver’s Championship: Al Unser Jr.
  • Constructor’s Cup: Penske PC-23
  • Manufacturer’s Cup: Ilmor-Indy V8 engine

However, the following year proved difficult; in 1995, Penske failed to qualify any cars for the Indianapolis 500, marking a surprising downturn after such dominance.

Drivers

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Penske's No. 3 Dallara-Honda at the 2007 Indianapolis 500
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Ryan Briscoe, Hélio Castroneves, and Roger Penske at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Miller Lite Carb Day in 2009

Sponsorship

Marlboro, the iconic cigarette brand, began its sponsorship of Team Penske at the 1989 Indianapolis 500 and served as the primary sponsor for all Penske IndyCars starting in 1991. This partnership helped define the team’s identity through the 1990s and early 2000s.

However, due to the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, which restricted cigarette advertising by name, Team Penske announced in late 2005 that Marlboro branding would no longer appear on their cars. Despite this, the cars continued to sport the distinctive Marlboro red and white color scheme, similar to how the Scuderia Ferrari and McLaren Formula 1 teams maintained Marlboro-inspired liveries while removing explicit branding.

By 2007, the IndyCar Series cars displayed only Team Penske insignia, removing Marlboro logos as well as sponsorship mentions from Mobil 1, although the familiar color scheme remained as a visual homage to the long-standing Marlboro partnership.

The formal end of the Marlboro relationship came in 2010, when Philip Morris USA discontinued its association with Team Penske after 19 years. Following this, the team adopted a new black and white livery with red trim, reflecting their new primary sponsor, Verizon Wireless. This updated design resembled the style of the McLaren Formula One team’s black-silver livery from 1997 to 2005, which had similarly reflected their Mercedes-Benz engine partnership and West cigarette sponsorship.

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NASCAR

Sports car racing

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Quick Facts Founded, Founder(s) ...

Trans-Am Series

Team Penske first competed in the Trans-Am Series with a blue Sunoco 1967 Chevrolet Camaro driven by Mark Donohue. This series was designed for “pony cars” like the Ford Mustang. Penske’s Camaros won the series championships in 1968 and 1969.

Afterward, Penske switched to a red, white, and blue American Motors-backed 1970 AMC Javelin, and later the restyled 1971 AMC Javelin AMX, which featured aerodynamic improvements like a tail spoiler, developed with Donohue’s input. American Motors won the Over 2.5-liter title in 1971 with Penske’s involvement.[16]

Following this success, Penske withdrew from the Trans-Am championship. Additionally, Penske Racing had an alliance with Jocko’s Racing, a pioneering Trans-Am team that won the 1976 Trans-Am Series championship driving a Penske-leased car.

Can-Am Series

Penske Racing entered a Lola T70 in the 1966 Can-Am Series for driver Mark Donohue, achieving one victory at Mosport. In 1967, Penske Racing fielded two Lola vehicles, driven by Mark Donohue and George Follmer respectively. In 1968, the team transitioned to the McLaren M6, the reigning series champion from 1967. That year, Donohue secured a win at Bridgehampton. Due to McLaren’s dominance in the Can-Am Series, Penske reverted to Lola cars for the 1969 season, although the team participated in only a single race at Mid-Ohio.

Between 1972 and 1974, Penske served as Porsche’s official partner in the Can-Am Series. In late 1971, Penske, in collaboration with Mark Donohue, contributed to the development of the turbocharged variant of the Porsche 917. George Follmer won the series in 1972, while Donohue achieved a dominant performance in 1973 with the advanced Porsche 917/30 model. Regulatory changes in 1974 limited Penske’s participation to a single race during that season.

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Porsche 917/30, in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen Museum

Endurance racing

A Lola T70 Mk IIIb entered by Penske was the surprise winner of the 1969 24 Hours of Daytona.

During the 1970 season, the competition between the 5-liter sportscars of Porsche and Ferrari turned to the advantage of the Porsche 917. In 1971, Ferrari decided to give up any official effort with the 5-liter Ferrari 512. To prepare for the 1972 season, the new works prototype Ferrari 312PB was presented and engaged by the factory in several races.

Roger Penske bought a used 512 M chassis that was dismantled and rebuilt. The car was specially tuned for long races receiving many unique features, among them were a large rear wing and aviation-inspired quick refueling system. The engine was tuned by CanAm V8 specialist Traco, and was probably able to deliver more than 600 hp (450 kW). As of today, it is unknown to what extent Penske's initiative was backed by Ferrari works. This 512M was painted in a blue and yellow livery and was sponsored by Sunoco and the Californian Ferrari dealer Kirk F. White. The car made the pole position for the 1971 24 Hours of Daytona and finished second despite an accident. For the 12 Hours of Sebring the "Sunoco" made the pole again but finished the race at the sixth position after making contact with Pedro Rodrigez's 917. Despite this misfortune, the car had proved to be a serious opponent for the 917. Not only this car was the fastest on track in Daytona and Sebring but it was also the car that had the shortest refueling time.

The presence of the 512 M "Sunoco" forced Porsche to pursue his effort of research and development on the 917: The 917K short tail was modified, and the 917 LH aerodynamics received further improvements. New Magnesium chassis were developed. An entirely new car, the 917/20 was built as a test-bed for future CanAm parts and aerodynamic "low-drag" concepts.

In Le Mans the "Sunoco" Ferrari was unable to break the 200 mph (320 km/h) barrier on the straight while the Porsche 917 LH were lightning-quick at speeds of over 240 mph (380 km/h). Mark Donohue qualified fourth anyway, which was the result of an aerodynamic configuration that favored downforce over drag, which helped in the twistier sections. The car did not have much luck in the race though.

American Le Mans Series

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Both of Penske's RS Spyders at the 2007 Generac 500 where they scored an overall victory

In April 2005, it was announced that Porsche would build an Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) sanctioned LMP2 Class Prototype that would be entered by Penske Racing in the American Le Mans Series and thus formally competed as DHL Porsche Penske Racing in a reference of Porsche Motorsport works team. The Porsche RS Spyder made its successful debut at the ALMS season final race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The "Porsche Junioren" factory drivers Sascha Maassen and Lucas Luhr finished 1st in LMP2 Class and 5th Overall in the 4–Hour Endurance Race. The livery of the Penske Racing American Le Mans Series team was inspired by Jordan EJ12's DHL Formula 1 livery driven by Giancarlo Fisichella and Takuma Sato.

In 2006, Penske Motorsports fielded two LMP2 Porsche RS Spyder in the American Le Mans Series, but did not run the 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. The Penske cars combined to win seven class victories and the overall win at Mid-Ohio. Penske Racing won the LMP2 team championship. Drivers Sascha Maassen and Lucas Luhr tied for first place in the driver's championship, while Timo Bernhard finished fifth, Romain Dumas finished sixth, and Emmanuel Collard finished tenth.

2006 team lineup:

In 2007, Penske Motorsports fielded two LMP2 Porsche RS Spyder Evo in the American Le Mans Series. Penske Motorsports for the 2nd year in a row did not compete in 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. Penske's two cars combined for eleven class victories and eight overall victories during the twelve race season. Penske won the LMP2 team championship, and team drivers Romain Dumas and Timo Bernhard finished tied for first in the LMP2 driver's championship, while Sascha Maassen and Ryan Briscoe tied for third place.

2007 team lineup:

Penske started their 2008 season with an overall win in the 12 Hours of Sebring. This was Porsche's first overall win in the race since 1988 in a Porsche 962.

2008 team lineup:

Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series

On December 4, 2008, Roger Penske announced that the Team Penske officially shut down its participation in the American Le Mans Series and thus defected to ALMS's rival Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series for the full 2009 season. The team utilized a Porsche-powered Riley with Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas as their official drivers.[17] However, in late 2009, Roger Penske announced that the team would shut down its Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series operations and be turned into the new No. 12 Verizon sponsored IndyCar for Will Power to run full-time in 2010.

IMSA

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Penske ran the Acura ARX-05 in the DPi class, to some successful results.

In 2017, it was announced that Team Penske would make a comeback to sportscar racing in IMSA's WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in a 3-year partnership with Acura, starting in the 2018 season, running 2 Acura ARX-05 DPis in the prototype (P) class. To prepare their debut in 2018 season, Team Penske took part in the last race of 2017, the Petit Le Mans using the Oreca 07 LMP2 (same framework that the Acura DPi was based on), placing third.

2018 line-up:

2019–2020 line-up:

In 2019 Team Penske won the drivers championship with Juan Pablo Montoya and Dane Cameron, while Hélio Castroneves and Ricky Taylor finished 3rd on the championship. In 2020 Team Penske won again the drivers championship, this time with Hélio Castroneves and Ricky Taylor. In the end of that season Penske left IMSA as the 3-year partnership with Acura reached its end.[18]

Penske would return to Endurance and IMSA in a partnership with Porsche for the new LMDh regulations. For the 2023 season, the team was the only one that fielded the Porsche 963 at the 2023 24 Hours of Daytona. With the No. 6 Porsche retiring due to a gearbox issue and No. 7 finishing in 7th place.[19]

Return with Porsche 963

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The No. 5 Penske-entered Porsche 963 competing at the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans

In May 2021 Porsche announced its return to FIA World Endurance Championship new category LMDh with Penske running their factory team.[20][21] They announced their return to both WEC and IMSA for 2023 season running two new Porsche 963 in each competition.[22] To prepare their return to WEC, Penske took part in WEC 2022 season with one Oreca 07-Gibson in LMP2 class.[23][24] Former Team Penske lubricant partner and supplier Mobil 1 rejoined as official team's lubricant partner and supplier from 2023 season onwards due to the Porsche partnership.

2023 line-up:

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Formula One

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Quick Facts Base, Founder(s) ...
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A Penske PC3 being raced in a Historic Grand Prix at the Lime Rock Park circuit in 2009

Penske competed in the Formula One World Championship as a chassis constructor from 1974 to 1977 and as a works team from 1974 to 1976. Although the cars were built at the British base in Poole,[25] the works team held an American licence.[26] Excluding the Indianapolis 500, Penske is, along with the All American Racers, one of only two American constructors to have achieved a win in a Formula One race.

In 1971 Penske had sponsored the McLaren car entered in the 1971 Canadian Grand Prix by the White Racing privateer team[27] and in the 1971 United States Grand Prix by the Kirk White privateer team.[28] At the Canadian Grand Prix Mark Donohue took the Penske-sponsored McLaren car to a podium finish. Penske returned three years later, in the 1974 Canadian Grand Prix, with their own works team as well as own chassis, the Penske PC1, a standard tub built around a Cosworth DFV engine and a Hewland gearbox. Donohue took the car to 12th place on its debut.

In 1975, Roger Penske mounted a full season attack with the PC1 car, Donohue managing to score a fifth place in the Swedish Grand Prix. However, the car was retired after the French Grand Prix and Penske entered a March 751 car for the next three races, scoring another fifth in the British Grand Prix. However, Donohue crashed the car in the final practice session of the Austrian Grand Prix at Spielberg and later died from his injuries. Penske missed the Italian Grand Prix, returning only for the United States Grand Prix, abandoning the March 751 car in favor of the PC1 car with Northern Irish driver John Watson.

For the 1976 season, Penske signed a sponsorship deal with Citibank and entered a brand new Penske PC3 car for Watson. Despite a fifth-place score at the South African Grand Prix at Kyalami, the PC3 car was evolved into the PC4 car, which was much more competitive, allowing Watson to score two podiums in France and Britain. Then, in the Austrian Grand Prix, the team scored their only Formula One win. So far this has been the last time an American-licensed constructor won a Formula One race.[29][30][31] Still, at the end of the year, Penske decided to withdraw from the sport to concentrate solely on Indycar racing, selling the remains of his European operations to Günter Schmid of Germany.

For the 1977 season, the car was entered by Schmid's ATS Wheels business and run by his privateer team ATS Racing Team. The ATS-Penske PC4, now painted yellow, debuted in the United States Grand Prix West with Jean-Pierre Jarier at the wheel, where the Frenchman scored the team's single point of the season. A second PC4 was eventually entered for Hans Heyer (who started the German Grand Prix despite failing to qualify) and Hans Binder (3 races) but the team's fortunes sank and Schmid quit after the Italian Grand Prix, before returning in the 1978 season with his own chassis. A third PC4 car was built by Penske for the Interscope Racing team, who entered the car in the United States and Canadian Grands Prix, driven by American Danny Ongais with no results.

In the 1979 season Penske designed and built the Rebaque HR100 car for wealthy Mexican 'gentleman driver' Héctor Rebaque. The car was entered for the final three races of the season, but either failed to qualify or to finish in each case.

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Supercars Championship

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In 2015, Team Penske entered the Australian V8 Supercars Championship, having purchased a 51% stake in Dick Johnson Racing in September 2014. The team was known as DJR Team Penske.[32] The team raced a single Ford Falcon FG X in 2015, initially with Marcos Ambrose driving car No. 17[33] and Scott Pye as a co-driver in the Endurance Cup. Following the Australian Grand Prix support race, Ambrose requested to step aside from driving to let Scott Pye become the main driver from Round 2 at Symmons Plains onwards. Ambrose then became the endurance co-driver in the Endurance Cup.[34]

In October 2015, DJR Team Penske announced a return to a two-car team in 2016 with Fabian Coulthard to drive car No. 12 and Scott Pye in car No. 17.[35] Roger Penske later confirmed that Ambrose elected not to continue as a co-driver in 2016.[36]

For the 2017 season, Scott McLaughlin joined the team and became the new driver for the No. 17 Ford Falcon FG X Supercar.[37] DJR Team Penske took out the 2017 Teams Championship, and in the following year Scott McLaughlin took out the 2018 Drivers Championship in the Australia Supercars Championship. In 2019 he took out his second Drivers Championship winning an Australian Touring Cars/Supercars record of 18 races and with co-driver Alex Premat, Scott McLaughlin won his first Bathurst 1000. In October 2020, Penske sold back its shareholding in DJR Team Penske.[38]

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Indianapolis 500 statistics

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Team Penske has the most Indianapolis 500 victories of any team in auto-racing history with 20 victories. In 1972, Penske driver Gary Bettenhausen led the most laps but lost an engine with 24 laps to go. His teammate Mark Donohue led the waning laps en route to Penske's first Indianapolis 500 victory. In 1979, Penske driver Bobby Unser led the most laps of the Indianapolis 500 while teammate Rick Mears won the race, from the pole.

Penske's next 500 victory was one of the most controversial finishes in IndyCar history. Penske driver Unser won the pole position and led most of the final 100 laps. On lap 140, Bobby Unser and former Penske driver Mario Andretti came out of the pits. Unser passed 11 cars under a yellow flag while Andretti passed 2 cars. Unser won the race but was stripped of the victory the next morning in favor of Andretti. After a lengthy appeal, Unser was reinstated the victory and was instead fined $40,000 ($104,000 in today's money). Unser retired from racing after the season was over in the fall-out of the controversy.

Penske's next Indy 500 win was with Rick Mears in 1984. Mears and former Penske driver Tom Sneva battled for the lead in the final 100 laps but after Sneva dropped out with a broken CV joint, Mears led the final 40 laps unchallenged to win by 2-laps ahead of the field. The next year, first-year Penske driver Danny Sullivan led the final 61 laps en route to his first Indianapolis 500 victory after winning a 4-lap shootout with Mario Andretti. In 1987, Penske driver Danny Ongais got taken out of the race due to injuries and former Penske driver Al Unser was tabbed as a temporary replacement. Unser won the race.

1988 was one of the most dominating performances by Penske Racing in the history of the Indianapolis 500. Penske's team members, Sullivan, Unser, and Mears qualified in the front row and proceeded to lead 192 of the race's 200 laps, 91 by Sullivan, 89 by Mears, and 12 by Unser. Mears won the race. In 1991, Mears won an 18-lap duel with Michael Andretti to win his 4th Indianapolis 500. Emerson Fittipaldi won the 500 in 1993 but angered American fans by drinking orange juice instead of the traditional milk.

In 1994, the Penske team, consisting of Al Unser Jr., Paul Tracy and Emerson Fittipaldi led 193 of the race's 200 laps, thanks to a new engine invented by Penske that went up to 1000 horsepower. The engine was later banned, which resulted in Penske Racing not qualifying a single car in the 1995 Indianapolis 500.

Due to the open-wheel split, Penske did not field a car at the Indianapolis 500 from 1996 to 2000. In 2001, Penske Racing crossed a picket-line by fielding the team in the 500, consisting of rookie Hélio Castroneves and Gil de Ferran. The duo proceeded to lead the most laps, en route to the victory, giving Penske Racing a 1-2 finish, the first time in the team's history. In a post-race interview, Roger Penske said that after the heartbreak in 1995, the win was the biggest of all his Indy 500 wins.

In 2002, Castroneves barely beat Paul Tracy to win his second consecutive Indy 500. Controversy overshadowed the race when videotapes appeared to have shown that Tracy was ahead of Castroneves at the moment of a final-lap caution. After a lengthy appeal, Castroneves' win was upheld on July 2. In 2003, Gil de Ferran won his first 500 and then retired when the season was over. Penske Racing has since proceeded to win the 500 in 2006, 2009, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2023, and 2024

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Penske Racing Museum

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Penske and Dallara Indy cars on display at the Penske Racing Museum in Scottsdale, Arizona

Opened in 2002, the Penske Racing Museum in Scottsdale, Arizona, is located within a complex of Penske Automotive Group car dealerships at the Scottsdale 101 Auto Collection. The two-story, 9,000-square-foot (840 m2) museum houses approximately 20 historically significant Penske Racing cars, along with trophies, artwork, engines, and other memorabilia dating from Penske Racing's earliest origins up to the present day. Displays are rotated regularly, but the museum focuses primarily on the team's successes in the Indy 500 and NASCAR, with lesser emphasis on F1 and sports car racing.

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Racing results

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USAC Championship Car results

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Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) results

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  • Gonzalo Rodríguez was killed during qualifying for the Laguna Seca race.
  • 1 The Firestone Firehawk 600 was canceled after qualifying due to excessive g-forces on the drivers.

IndyCar Series results

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  1. ^ Non-points-paying, exhibition race.
  2. ^ The final race at Las Vegas was abandoned after 12 laps due to Dan Wheldon's death.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

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IMSA SportsCar Championship results

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24 Hours of Le Mans results

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FIA World Endurance Championship Results

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Championships and major wins

IndyCar champions

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Indianapolis 500 victories

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IndyCar wins

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NASCAR Cup Series champions

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NASCAR Xfinity Series champion

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Daytona 500 victories

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Supercars champion

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Notes

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