An outstanding Sports Car racer in his own right, Roger Penske (DOB: February 20, 1937) built the most successful team in motorsports history as the cars that he has fielded for a variety of world-class drivers have won 611 races, 674 pole positions and 44 national championships through the 2023 racing season. And much of the credit for what he has done can be based on the advice that his father Jay gave him as a youngster: “Effort Equals Results.”
Encouraged as a teenager to become an entrepreneur, Penske bought old cars, fixed them up and then sold them at a profit more than 30 times during a 10-year period. But another moment proved to be a sign of things to come when he and his father made the trip from their Cleveland, Ohio, home to the 1951 Indianapolis 500 where 14-year-old Roger got his first exposure to top-level motorsports; an endeavor that would one day be a major part of his life.
In 1958, Penske made his first Professional start at the old Marlboro (MD) Motor Raceway in an old Bob Holbert Porsche RS. Then the talented young driver – who in 1959 earned his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania – won the 1960 Sports Car Club of America F-Modified title in a Porsche RSK.
After attaining DuPont sponsorship, Penske won his first Professional race on the old 1.5- mile Vineland (NJ) Speedway Road Course in his red No. 6 Telar Special “Birdcage” Maserati on April 9, 1961. He then won three consecutive SCCA national events on his way to becoming D-Modified National Champion and Sports Illustrated named him “SCCA Driver of the Year.”
Penske also won: 1961’s Kimberly Cup as the SCCA’s Most Improved Driver; SCCA D-Modified national titles in 1962-1963; and, three (1960 and 1962-1963) SCCA President’s Cups for his “driving ability, competitiveness and success in the National Championship Runoffs.” And he finished eight (1961, No. 6 Cooper-Climax)) and ninth (1962, No. 14 Lotus 24-Climax) in the FIA Formula 1 United States Grand Prix in Watkins Glen, New York.
In 1962 Penske made international headlines when he won the Los Angeles Times Grand Prix at Riverside (CA) International Raceway and two other major races in California and Puerto Rico with his cutting-edge, aluminum-bodied, open-cockpit red No. 6 Zerex Special Sports Car – a machine that he built from a wrecked Cooper-Climax T53 Formula-1 race car.
He also won the final USAC Road Racing Championship in 1962 and the 1963 NASCAR Pacific Coast Late Model Riverside 250 in Ray Nichels’ black No. 02 Pontiac Catalina.
In addition to his efforts on these shores, Penske raced in Europe in 1963 – at the 24 Hours of Le Mans where he co-drove the North American Racing Team’s Ferrari 330 TRI/LM with Pedro Rodríguez and when he drove NART’s Ferrari 350 GTO to fourth in the GT 3.0 Class and eighth overall at the Royal Auto Club’s Tourist Trophy Race in Goodwood, England.
Penske then closed-out his driving career in 1964 with the unprecedented feat of winning all three races at Nassau’s Speed Weeks in the Bahamas using Jim Hall’s Chevy-powered Chaparrals (Governor’s Trophy and Nassau Trophy races) and his own Grand Sport Corvette Roadster (Tourist Trophy).
There was, though, one other chance for Penske to race as in 1965 Clint Brawner wanted him to take his Indy 500 Rookie Test in one of the Dean Van Lines Specials. But he opted to focus on his business commitments and EMPA Hall of Famer Mario Andretti got the ride and it launched his legendary career.
With race-car driving now behind him Penske concentrated on running his first Chevrolet
dealership in Philadelphia, and with hard work and a well-thought-out business plan his Penske
Automotive Group developed into the second largest dealership group in the world.
However, Penske did not forsake his interest in auto racing as in 1966 he formed Penske Racing in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, with EMPA Hall of Famer Mark Donohue as his driver. Then, over the years, this then-small operation grew to Team Penske (2014), a major force in national and international motorsports.
Penske also owned the 2-mile Michigan (1972-1999) and California (1997-1999) Speedways
and the old 1-mile Nazareth (PA) Speedway (1986-1988) and had interests in the 1-mile North Carolina Motor Speedway and 1.5-mile Homestead/Miami Speedway. And by 2007 his INDYCAR, NASCAR and Sports Car teams were based in a 424,000-square-foot building (with a state-of-the-art wind tunnel) on a 105-acres complex in Mooresville, North Carolina.
Penske has always used motorsports as a business tool and in 1969 he founded Penske Corporation, an international business enterprise headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. As chairman, Penske oversees a retail automotive, truck leasing, transportation logistics and professional motorsports concern that has “built its brand” to employ 70,000 people and manage businesses with consolidated revenues of more than $32 billion operating in over 3,660 worldwide locations.
And because of all of his efforts in the motorsports and business communities and for his civic involvement, Penske was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the nation’s highest civilian honor – by President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., on October 24, 2019.
Penske then added to his exceptional résumé on Nov. 4, 2019, when the Hulman Company board of directors unexpectedly entered into an agreement to be acquired by Penske Corporation. And Penske Entertainment – a subsidiary of Penske Corporation – acquired all the principal assets of the Terre Haute, Indiana-based company, including the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and IMS Productions on Jan. 6, 2020.
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| Team Penske Indy 500 Winners |
| (19 Victories – All-Time Record) |
1972: Mark Donohue, 162.962 mph
1979: Rick Mears, 158.899 mph
1981: Bobby Unser, 139.084 mph
1984: Rick Mears, 163.612 mph
1985: Danny Sullivan, 152.982 mph
1987: Al Unser, 162.175 mph
1988: Rick Mears, 144.809 mph
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1991: Rick Mears, 176.457 mph
1993: E. Fittipaldi, 157.207 mph
1994: Al Unser Jr., 160.872 mph
2001: H. Castroneves, 141.574 mph
2002: H. Castroneves, 166.499 mph
2003: Gil de Ferran, 156.291 mph
2006: Sam Hornish Jr., 157.085 mph
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2009: H. Castroneves, 150.318 mph
2015: J.P. Montoya, 161.341 mph
2018: Will Power, 166.935 mph
2019: Simon Pagenaud, 175.794 mph
2023: Josef Newgarden, 168.193 mph |
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| Team Penske Indy 500 Pole Winners |
| (18 – All-Time Record) |
1977: Tom Sneva, 198.884 mph
1978: Tom Sneva, 202.156 mph
1979: Rick Mears, 193.736 mph
1981: Bobby Unser, 200.546 mph
1982: Rick Mears, 207.004 mph
1986: Rick Mears, 216.828 mph
1988: Rick Mears, 219.198 mph
1989: Rick Mears, 223.885 mph
1990: Emerson Fittipaldi, 225.301 mph |
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1991: Rick Mears*, 224.113 mph
1994: Al Unser Jr., 228.011 mph
2003: Helio Castroneves, 231.725 mph
2006: Sam Hornish Jr., 228.985 mph
2007: Helio Castroneves, 225.817 mph
2009: Helio Castroneves, 224.864 mph
2010: Helio Castroneves, 227.970 mph
2012: Ryan Briscoe, 226.484 mph
2019: Simon Pagenaud, 229.992 mph |
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*Not the fastest qualifier. |
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| Team Penske Open-Wheel National Championships |
| (23 – All-Time Record) |
1977-1978 USAC – Tom Sneva
1979 CART – Rick Mears
1981-1983 CART – Rick Mears
1983-1984 USAC – Rick Mears
1985 USAC – Danny Sullivan
1985 CART – Al Unser
1987 USAC – Al Unser
1988 CART – Rick Mears
1988 CART – Danny Sullivan |
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1991 USAC – Rick Mears
1993 USAC – Emerson Fittipaldi
1994 CART – Al Unser Jr.
2000-2001 CART – Gil de Ferran
2006 INDYCAR – Sam Hornish Jr.
2014 INDYCAR – Will Power
2017 INDYCAR – Joseph Newgarden
2019 INDYCAR – Joseph Newgarden
2022 INDYCAR – Will Power |
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| Team Penske NASCAR Championships |
2010 Xfinity Series – Brad Keselowski (No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge)
2012 Cup Series – Brad Keselowski (No. 12 Miller Lite Dodge)
2018 and 2022 Cup Series – Joey Logano (No. 22 Pennzoil Ford Mustang)
2020 Xfinity Series – Austin Cindric (No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge)
2013-2015, 2017 and 2020-2021 Xfinity Car Owner
2022 NASCAR Cup Series “Rookie of the Year” – Austin Cindric
2023 Cup Series – Ryan Blaney (No. 12 Menards Ford Mustang)
2012, 2018 and 2022 Cup Series Car Owner |
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| Team Penske Road Racing Championships |
1968-1969, 1971-1972 and 1976 Trans-Am Series – Mark Donohue (Chevrolet Camaro & AMC Javelin)
1972 Can-Am Series – George Folmer (Porsche 917)
1973 Can-Am Series – Mark Donohue (Porsche 917)
2006-2007 American Le Mans Series – Prototype LMP2 (Porsche RS Spyder)
2019 IMSA SportsCar Championship – Dane Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya
2020 IMSA SportsCar Championship – Helio Castroneves, Ricky Taylor and Alexander Rossi
2020 IMSA SportsCar Championship – Team and Manufacturer (Acura ARX-05 DPI)
Team Penske Daytona 500 Victories
2008 Ryan Newman (No. 12 Alltel Dodge)
2022 Austin Cindric (No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang) |
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| Team Penske Daytona 500 Victories |
2008 Ryan Newman (No. 12 Alltel Dodge)
2022 Austin Cindric (No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang) |
Team Penske Notes
● Will Power’s 2022 NTT INDYCAR Championship and Joey Logan’s 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Championship made Roger Penske the first team owner to hold both of those prestigious championships at the same time.
● Josef Newgarden’s 2023 Indy 500 victory and Ryan Blaney’s 2023 NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 triumph at Charlotte (NC) Motor Speedway made Roger Penske the first car owner to win both of the major America events of Memorial Day Weekend. And Newgarden’s win was the first for Penske at IMS since he purchased the Speedway.
● On Sept. 16, 2018, Brad Keselowski’s NASCAR Cup Series 400 win at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the No. 2 Autotrader Ford Fusion was Roger Penske’s 500th victory as a car owner in all forms of motorsports.
● Roger Penske has competed as a team owner at the Indianapolis 500 since 1969. However, in a highly unusual situation, none of his cars qualified for the 1995 race.
● Team Penske’s 29 victories at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway include: 19 Indy 500s; two in NASCAR Racing on the 2.5-mile oval (2018 Brickyard 400 and 2012 Xfinity 250); and, eight on the 2.439-mile Infield Road Course: five wins in the INDYCAR Grand Prix (2015-2019); two in International GT Challenge Racing (October 2020); and, one INDYCAR 85 (August 2021).
● “The Captain” expanded his motorsports endeavors with Dick Johnson Racing to form DJR Team Penske (DJRTP) in the Virgin Australia Supercar Championships (2015-2020) and the team earned 56 wins, 62 poles and six championships – three owner’s titles (2017 and 2019-2020) and three driver’s titles with Scott McLaughlin (2018-2020) in red, white and yellow Shell V-Power Ford Mustangs.
● Roger Penske entered Formula 1 Racing as a team owner with Mark Donohue in 1971 but John Watson scored the team’s only F1 victory at the 1976 Austrian Grand Prix in the Ford Cosworth DFV V-8-powered No. 28 Penske PC4 001. However, due to racing commitments in the USA, Penske’s Formula 1 efforts ended after 1976. |
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