Mark Donohue’s No. 6 Trans Am Javelin racecar on
display at IMS Museum. (The Tomaso Collection)
Although should we break out Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys are Back” song for
Team Penske’s IndyCar operation yet?
Talk about pressure, as the weight of Team
Penske sweeping the “Desert Double” at Phoenix Raceway fell solely upon Ryan
Blaney’s shoulders. Yet the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Champion didn’t faulter,
even after suffering two Pitstop miscues. Including a penalty for being outside
of His Pit Box!
Turned
on Thy Telie’ with some twelve laps remaining. Planning to “watch”, Err listen
again to the We’ve lost Dale Earnhardt 25 Years later program slated for 4PM
Pacific.
But due to the race having a record 12
cautions, as typical, it went long! And thus I got to hear the FOX TV Booth
Boyz’ prattle on about what Blaney needed to do to win the race, who was the
favourite after winning last November at Phoenix.
Thus I heard Mike Joy say that Blaney had
passed 49 cars enroute to victory! His 18th win, capping a “Clean Sweep”
weekend for El Capitano’ at Phoenix during His 60th Anniversary celebration.
As Friday, High Noon saw Team Penske debutante
David Malukas capture His maiden IndyCar pole. Before Josef Schlick’ Newgarden
won the IndyCar race Saturday afternoon, with “Big Dave” (Malukas) finishing
third.
Joey “Sliced Bread” Lagano claimed the NASCAR
pole Saturday, before Blaney dramatically swooped past then leader Ty Gibbs
with some nine laps remaining for His and Team Penske’s first win of the
season…
Knowing that Penske Racing didn’t make its
Indianapolis 500 debut until May of 1969, I was slightly Cornfuzed over this
being El Capitano’s, nee Roger Penske’s 60th year of racing. Although knowing
He had “dabbled” in Trans Am with the late Mark Donohue in those nasty Sunoco
Chevrolet Camaro Z/28’s,albeit those weren’t until 1967.
Thus I’d either forgotten, or more likely
unaware that Penske Racing made its “official” debut as a racing team at the
inaugural 24 Hours of Daytona on February 5, 1966.
Penske entered Chevrolet’s first L88 big block
427cid V-8 Corvette racecar with drivers Dick Guldstand, Ben Moore and George
Wintersteen finishing 11th overall and first in the GT Class. Then followed up
by finishing an impressive ninth overall and first in the GT Class at the
notorious 12 Hours of Sebring!
1966
No. 9 Roger Penske Development L88 Corvette restoration
As of the “Desert Double” at Phoenix Raceway,
Team Penske has amassed a staggering tally of 660 wins! With multiple drivers
titles and an unprecedented 20 Indianapolis 500 victories.
Mark Donhue scored Penske Racing’s first USAC
Championship Car win at Pocono Raceway in 1971. With Newgarden’s w’ being the
team’s 247th victory, Aye Darumba!
According to my porous Open wheel Racing
records. I’ve got Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing tied with 17 National Championships
apiece, i.e.; USAC, CART, IRL, CCWS and IndyCar. But that’s just my unofficial
reckoning…
On the NASCAR front, I always associate Rusty
Wallace in the Miller Beer No. 2 Stock Car with Team Penske…
Thus it was funny learning that Penske Racing
actually made its NASCAR debut at Riverside in 1972. With Mark Donohue driving
a patriotic red, white and blue AMC Matador, “affectionately” known as the
Flying Brick due to its over-square shape.
The team dabbled off ‘n on before running its
first full season effort with Bobby Allison in 1976, finishing third overall.
Rusty Wallace made two starts for Penske in
1980, before the team went on hiatus for eleven years.
Penske returned fulltime to NASCAR in 1991.
When Wallace brought His Miller Beer sponsorship to Penske from the suspended
Raymond Beadle Blue Max operation. With Penske fielding Pontiac’s for Wallace…
Ryan Newman scored Team Penske’s first Daytona
500 victory in 2008. With Brad Keselowski scoring the team’s first Cup
championship in 2012, its final season with Dodge. Having run the “blue Oval”
(Ford) since 2013.
Joey Lagano has
scored all three of His Cup titles driving for El Capitano aboard those iconic
yellow Pennzoil/Shell No. 22 racecars. While the team has won the Daytona 500, the sports crown jewel
three times. As Lagano won in 2015, and Austin Cindric, son of then Team Penske
president Tim Cindric was a shock winner in 2022.
Mike Joy was quick to point out it was Team
Penske’s 157th win when Blaney crossed the stripe Sunday afternoon at Phoenix.
Yet Rick Hendrick and His eponymous Hendrick
Motorsports have triple Team Penske’s Cup titles with 15. Along with double the
Cup victories at 320. As I know sometime last year? Hendrick surpassed “The
King”, nee Richard Petty and Petty Enterprises for most career wins in NASCAR.
While I would have loved being the proverbial
“Fly on the Wall” during the Penske celebration held at His Scottsdale
facility. Arse-sumedly His Penske Racing Museum where all six current Team
Penske drivers gathered for this momentous occasion…
Inside the Hidden Gem of
Team Penske Racing History
Adding icing to the cake. Porsche Penske
Motorsport hqas swept the “36 Hours of Florida” this year. Beginning with a
Three-peat for the team’s No. 7 Porsche 963 and Felipe Nasr at the Rolex 24.
And then the No. 7 won again at the 12 Hours of
Sebring, where Roger Penske was serving as the Grand Marshall. Capping the
team’s 661st victory…