Team - Penske Racing
2009 Overview
New Elements Create Excitement for Penske Racing
Building on its rich tradition and 40-plus years of success in auto racing, Penske Racing enters the 2009 season with much anticipation and a renewed sense of excitement.
With consistency and talent at every level of competition, from its experienced technical, engineering and support staff to its championship-caliber drivers on the race track, Penske Racing has established a solid winning foundation. The organization will add to that successful formula in 2009 with key elements of change throughout the Penske Racing teams that compete in NASCAR, the IndyCar Series and the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series this season.
Beginning its 19th consecutive season of NASCAR competition in 2009, Penske Racing welcomes two new drivers and several new blue-chip partners to its lineup this season. The additions, paired with experienced and winning personnel and teams, provide high hopes for a strong performance on the track as Penske Racing looks to build on its winning effort in the 50th running of the Daytona 500 in 2008.
Former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kurt Busch returns for his fourth season at Penske Racing while accomplished open-wheel racer Sam Hornish Jr. also is back for the team after a promising stock car rookie campaign in 2008. Former Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year David Stremme joins the Cup Series lineup this season and Penske Racing will also compete with a full-season entry in the Nationwide Series with NASCAR rising star Justin Allgaier joining the team along with new sponsor Verizon Wireless.
Busch and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team demonstrated their capabilities at times last season and they'll be looking for even more consistent results in 2009. Highlighted by a victory at New Hamphire and a second-place finish at the Daytona 500, Busch produced 10 top-10 and five top-five results on his way to an 18th-place finish in the final Cup Series standings. With Pat Tryson returning as crew chief on the Miller Lite team, Dave Winston joining the squad to serve as race engineer and the 2004 Cup Series champion at the wheel, the team has set its sights on a return to Victory Lane and a spot in the Chase this season.
Making the full-time transition to NASCAR racing after a stellar career in the IndyCar Series, Hornish posted some solid results in the No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger in 2008. The 2006 Indianapolis 500 winner and three-time IndyCar Series champion posted three top-15 finishes, including the 2008 Daytona 500. He also raced his way into the annual All-Star Race and earned a seventh-place finish. After finishing second in the Cup Series Rookie-of-the-Year standings, Hornish and the Mobil 1 team are expecting a strong sophomore season in 2009. After taking the reigns of the No. 77 team last season, Travis Geisler returns as crew chief while Steve Reis joins the squad as race engineer. The No. 77 team also welcomes the Automobile Club of Southern California (AAA) and its affiliated clubs as a partner beginning this season. The Auto Club and AAA will be the primary sponsor on the No. 77 car for several races this season and will serve as an associate sponsor for the balance of the races, under the multi-year partnership.
The 2008 Daytona 500 champion No. 12 Penske Dodge Charger team welcomes a new driver behind the wheel in '09 as Stremme joins one of NASCAR's strongest teams. A veteran with 75 Cup Series starts entering the season, Stremme has also established himself in Nationwide Series competition, earning top rookie honors in 2003 and finishing 11th in the challenging series in 2008, despite not racing a full season. Verizon Wireless, through their recent acquisition of Alltel, will provide full season support for the No. 12 team. Roy McCauley will serve as the team's crew chief for the second consecutive season and Brian Wilson takes over as race engineer on the No. 12 after working in the same role the previous two seasons on the No. 2 Miller Lite team.
Allgaier, one of racing's top young talents, joined Penske Racing toward the end of the 2008 season and the team knows its future is certainly bright with the 22-year-old competing full-time for the organization in 2009. Allgaier will pilot the No. 12 Verizon Wireless Dodge Charger in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) as the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series champion continues his rise up the stock car racing ranks. Chad Walter joins the team as crew chief on the No. 12 NNS entry while Jonathan Hassler will serve as race engineer.
Penske Racing is excited that Verizon Wireless, the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, will serve as primary sponsor on the team's NNS squad. Verizon Wireless will also be an associate sponsor on the Team Penske IndyCar Series teams.
The 2009 season promises to be an exciting one for Team Penske as it once again contends for the IndyCar Series championship with the No. 3 and No. 6 Team Penske Dallara/Hondas. After finishing second and fifth in the series title chase in 2008 with drivers Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe, respectively, the team is aiming even higher this season, as it welcomes a new addition to its winning lineup.
After recording two victories, three pole positions and a non-points race win in his native Australia to close out his first season with Team Penske, Briscoe enters 2009 as a top title contender. The winning open-wheel and sports car racer produced Penske Racing's 300th all-time win last year at Milwaukee and he led a Team Penske 1-2 finish at Mid Ohio. Briscoe hopes to add to his victory total this season and with experienced Indy car engineer Eric Cowdin joining the team as race engineer and Roger Penske returning as race strategist, expect big things from the No. 6 team this season.
In January, another talented Australian driver joined Team Penske. Will Power was named to the squad as the driver of the No. 3 Team Penske entry for 2009 while Castroneves focuses on his court case in Miami. Power has quickly established himself as one of the rising stars of open-wheel racing as he earned three wins - including a victory last season at Long Beach, six poles and a Rookie-of-the-Year title in two plus seasons competing in the Champ Car World Series. Power joined the IndyCar Series in 2008 and he showed great promise in his rookie season, highlighted by a pole-winning effort at his home race in Australia. The No. 3 team has a wealth of experience and success in the garage and on pit lane with Ron Ruzewski returning as race engineer and Tim Cindric serving as race strategist.
If Castroneves has a timely and positive result to his trial, the personable Brazilian driver and former Dancing With the Stars champion will return to cockpit of the No. 3 car. One of the most popular stars in the IndyCar Series, Castroneves is coming off one of his finest seasons in 2008 when he recorded two wins and three poles en route to a hard-fought runner-up finish in the series championship. The two-time Indianapolis 500 winner nearly rallied to claim his first IndyCar Series crown after finishing second or better in the final six races of 2008.
Following three consecutive championship seasons in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), Penske Racing looks forward to a new challenge in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series in 2009. Penske Racing teamed with Porsche to claim driver and manufacturer titles in ALMS from 2006-2008. This season, the Penske-Porsche pairing looks to conquer a new frontier in the Grand-Am Series.
The team brings one of the winningest driver combinations in sports car racing to its 2009 lineup as Timo Bernhard of Germany and Romain Dumas of France will fight for wins and the Grand-Am title in the Penske Porsche Riley Daytona Prototype. After claiming 16 race victories and 15 pole positions over the last three seasons, with back-to-back class titles in ALMS for Penske Racing, Bernhard and Dumas hope to bring their success to the 12-race Grand-Am Series championship. The duo will pair with Briscoe at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the Crown Royal Cask No. 16 entry and then Bernhard and Dumas will carry the Penske/Porsche flag for the balance of the season.
With the winds of change blending with its consistent winning ways this season, Penske Racing looks forward to an interesting and challenging 2009. The organization is poised to add to its legacy of over 300 wins, 360 poles and 22 national championships as it continues to set the standard for motorsports excellence.
