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‘Team Penske’s First 500’ at IMS Museum celebrates 50 years, 500 wins, 2018 sweep

Image by Dave Friedman/LAT62 sharessharetweetemailBy: IMS | 18 hours ago
ABOVE: Roger Penske at Indy in 1969.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum invites the public, Museum members and the racing community to a special presentation, “Team Penske’s First 500,” honoring 50 years of winning for team owner Roger Penske’s namesake racing organization.

The mini-exhibit opens March 29 and runs through mid-November.

“Team Penske’s First 500” honors a trio of milestones: the team’s 50th anniversary at the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, Team Penske’s 500th win in major racing competition and a “Penske sweep” of major NASCAR Cup Series and NTT IndyCar Series events at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2018.

In May 1969, while a now-iconic driver named Mario Andretti took the checkered flag at the Indianapolis 500, Roger Penske entered a car in the Indianapolis 500 for the first time under the Team Penske banner, beginning a campaign that has rewritten North American motorsports history. Penske was inducted in the IMS Hall of Fame in 2002.

“Team Penske’s First 500” features five cars and historic memorabilia and runs concurrently with the Museum’s major 2019 exhibit honoring Andretti. Opening May 1, “Mario Andretti: ICON” presented by Shell V-Power NiTRO+ Premium Gasoline celebrates his 1969 “500” triumph and incredible driving career, which included a period with Team Penske.

The Team Penske Indy cars and NASCAR Cup Series stock cars in the display include:

• The 1969 No. 66 Sunoco-Simoniz four-wheel-drive Lola T152
• 1972 No. 66 Sunoco McLaren M16B
• No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevy-powered Dallara, winner of the 2018 INDYCAR Grand Prix (2.439-mile IMS road course) and the 102nd Indianapolis 500.
• No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Fusion driven by Brad Keselowski to victory at the 2018 Brickyard 400, the first Cup Series win at IMS for Team Penske.
• No. 2 Autotrader Ford Fusion driven by Keselowski to Team Penske’s 500th major win on Sept. 16, 2018 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway NASCAR Cup Series race.

The early Indy cars in the display hold special acclaim. The 1969 Lola T152, powered by a turbocharged Offenhauser engine, was piloted by a driver also making his “500” debut: IMS Hall of Fame member Mark Donohue. The New Jersey native and Brown University graduate rose through the road-course racing ranks but impressed immediately at the “500.”

Donohue qualified fourth and finished seventh at Indy in 1969– despite an electrical issue requiring a pit stop that consumed 10 minutes. He was named Rookie of the Year.

In 1972, Donohue gave Penske the first of a record-17 Indianapolis 500 victories with an Offy-powered McLaren, setting a race-record average speed of 162.962 mph in the process.

Team Penske’s dominance at highly competitive Indianapolis is summed up with one statistic: Three team owners are tied for second place in the “most wins” category — with five each. Fellow IMS Hall of Famers Lou Moore, Chip Ganassi and Michael Andretti currently occupy the second spot. Moore was dominant at the “500” before and after World War II, while Ganassi and Andretti remain fierce rivals to Penske in today’s NTT IndyCar Series.
IMS Museum, Indy 500, Penske, Historic, IndyCar

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End of the line for USAC’s Hoosier Hundred

Image by Gene Crucean362 sharessharetweetemailBy: Robin Miller | 2 hours ago
ABOVE: A.J. Foyt leads the pack at the 1966 Hoosier Hundred.




It was the second-richest race on the IndyCar schedule and only the Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500 paid more to win. It was sold out every year. It was nationally televised by ABC’s Wide World of Sports. It was celebrated with special sections from the city’s three newspapers — The Indianapolis Times, News and Star.




And it featured all the stars of American open-wheel racing.

For the better part of three decades (1953-75) The Hoosier Hundred was the most prestigious prize in dirt racing and only took a back seat to that other show run in Indianapolis during May.




“It meant everything if you were a young driver trying to make a name in USAC and it paid damn good too,” said A.J. Foyt, the all-time winner (six) of what became a fall classic in Indianapolis. “I loved that race and it’s a damn shame to hear it’s going away.”

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Foyt’s comments came on the heels of the announcement that this May 23rd will be the final time USAC’s dirt cars will perform at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. The historical mile oval is being converted from dirt to an all-weather surface of crushed limestone to be utilized year-round for harness training and parking for the Indiana State Fair.




The news was not a surprise because the horse contingent has been trying to get rid of auto racing at the Fairgrounds for years. And, to be honest, despite the efforts of promoter Bob Sargent, the annual dirt race on East 38th Street is a shadow of those glory days when 25,000 people packed the place.




From its early beginnings with Triple A, the Hoosier Hundred had no equal in stature and purses. Foyt, Al Unser (four wins), Jimmy Bryan (three), Rodger Ward (two), Mario Andretti (two), Bob Sweikert and Parnelli Jones grew their reputation and bank accounts.




“It was the biggest purse next to Indianapolis,” said Super Tex, who collected $18,268 for his victory in 1965 — equaling what Mickey Rupp made that year for finishing sixth at the Indy 500. “It paid $100 to lead a lap and I led 97 laps in 1966 and made $17,000 even though my brake pedal broke and I finished second.”
A.J. Foyt, Bobby Marshman, Parnelli Jones, Rodger Ward and Don Branson at the Hoosier Hundred drivers meeting in 1963. Image by John Mahoney.
The Hoosier Hundred was a big deal at the box office and the pay window because if you were an Indy driver then you also had to be adept on the dirt. DuQuoin, Springfield, Sacramento and the Fairgrounds were part of USAC’s Championship Trail and those places played to full grandstands because A.J., Ward, Mario, Rutherford, Ruby, Rufus, Hurtubise, Sachs, Marshman, Larson, McCluskey and the Unsers were always there.

But then USAC made the first of several fatal mistakes. In 1971, it removed the dirt races from the national championship and created a separate Silver Crown series. That didn’t have an immediate affect on attendance as Foyt, Andretti and Big Al still ran dirt races for a few more years but it gradually took its toll. Without Indy’s big names competing, the crowds began falling and national television no longer had any interest.

More importantly to USAC’s faithful, it cut the artery to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the future generations of midget and sprint car drivers because the versatility of running dirt and pavement was no longer required in IndyCar.

“They never should have taken the dirt cars out of the championship,” continued Foyt, who promoted the Hoosier Hundred from 1997-2001 and also tried a spring race called the Hulman Hundred. “That was a big mistake because car owners needed guys who could run dirt, road courses, short ovals and Indianapolis but that all changed. And not for the better.”

For now, Sargent will be trying to give the 64th and final Hoosier Hundred a memorable sendoff as Silver Crown boss Kody Swanson goes for a record fifth win a row (Al Unser scored four straight from 1970-73).

“The thing that’s really sad is that we were going in a positive direction and had a good crowd last year,” said Sargent, whose passion has kept places like Terre Haute up and running. “We may have a couple of options for 2020 but it’s too early to say what they are, so we’ll just concentrate on trying to fill the place next month.”

A.J. reckons he’ll try to talk Parnelli into one last trip to the Fairgrounds.

“The Hoosier Hundred was a big part of my career and the history of Indy cars,” said IndyCar’s all-time winner. “I’m just glad I was around for those days.”


A.J. Foyt, Hoosier Hundred, USAC, IndyCar

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Retro: Sonoma's first IndyCar race

Images by Cliff Mills128 sharessharetweetemailBy: Sonoma Raceway | 13 hours ago
On this day 49 years ago, Sears Point Raceway hosted the USAC Golden Gate 150 Championship Road Race. The event marked the first major open-wheel race on the 12-turn road course, which opened its gates for its first full season of racing in 1969. The 150-mile, $50,000 event attracted an incredible field of racers, including Dan Gurney, Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Bobby Unser, Mark Donahue, Johnny Rutherford, Gordon Johncock and Al Unser.

In addition to practice and qualifying on Friday, Saturday’s main event featured the 60-lap Golden Gate 150, as well as a stock car demonstration and motorcycle side car race.

Andretti claimed the pole for the race and led the first three laps, but Gurney took the lead on Lap 4 and never looked back before taking the checkered flag. Al Unser, Johncock and Rutherford rounded out the top-five finishers.
Gurney leads the pack at the Golden Gate 150.
Only eight of the 25 cars that started the race crossed the finish line. The bulk of the field was eliminated by mechanical issues.

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Al Unser at the 1970 Golden Gate 150. A month later he would win the first of his four Indy 500 victories.
After this event, major open-wheel racing wouldn’t return to the Sonoma Valley until 2005 when the Indy Racing League made its road course debut. The Argent Mortgage Indy Grand Prix, held Aug. 26-28, 2005, marked the first-ever event on a permanent road course in the 10-year history of the IRL, as well as the first top-class open-wheel race in Sonoma in more than 30 years.

Tony Kanaan did push-ups in victory lane after claiming victory in the 80-lap inaugural event.

Sonoma Raceway went on to host the IndyCar Series for 14 years, including the series’ championship finale from 2015-’18. Nine different IndyCar drivers posted wins in Sonoma: Kanaan (’05), Marco Andretti (’06), Helio Castroneves (’0, Dario Franchitti (’09), Ryan Briscoe (’12), Will Power (’10, ’11, ’13), Scott Dixon (’07, ’14, ’15), Simon Pagenaud (’16, ’17) and Ryan Hunter-Reay (’1.

Sonoma Raceway will celebrate 50 years of racing history and memories throughout the 2019 race season. Honoring the raceway’s history and memorable moments will be at the heart of the raceway’s efforts, including celebrations to mark significant milestones in the raceway’s history, signature celebrations at the raceway’s major events featuring drivers and legends, and plenty of throwback images and memorabilia.

Race fans are invited to get in on the fun by sharing their personal memories, stories and pictures from events at Sonoma Raceway at www.sonomaraceway.com/50 or on social media using the hashtag #Race50noma.
Indy cars through the Carousel at the 1970 Golden Gate 150.

Sonoma Raceway, Historic, IndyCar

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Tying some racing history together
See last post in thread:
See it before it goes away.

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Andretti unveils Mario ’69 tribute livery for 2019 Indy 500

253 sharessharetweetemailBy: Marshall Pruett 20 hours ago
Marco Andretti will pay tribute to his grandfather by wearing the dayglo red color Mario Andretti drove into Victory Lane at the 1969 Indianapolis 500 on the No. 98 U.S. Concrete/Curb Honda. The announcement was made Thursday morning on NBC’s TODAY Show in New York.

“I’m really happy we were able to pull this off, it’s a really cool way to honor Mario’s 50th anniversary,” said the third-generation Andretti driver, who’ll debut the livery next week in testing at Indy. “The color will be hard to miss on track and the car looks great. We’re all very thankful that U.S. Concrete was on board to run the livery and make this year’s car as special as possible. We can’t wait to have a shot at bringing this car to victory lane on May 26.”

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The elder Andretti was astonished to learn the colors and accents found on his winning Brawner-Hawk chassis would be transported from 1969 to his grandson’s entry for the 2019 Indy 500.
Mario Andretti, 1969 Indy 500. Image by LAT
“I was full of pride when I learned that my son Michael was paying tribute to me this way,” Mario said. “The effort his team is going through to present this commemorative car is flattering. Thank you to the team for that effort and also for acknowledging my part in Indy 500 history. I am honored to have Marco carry the design from my 1969 car. I hope this winning paint scheme will be a good omen for him and that he’ll get his first 500 victory. When I see the car, it will definitely be an opportunity for reflection. It’s humbling. It is a tremendous compliment to me that this team would look back at my victory and find it worthy of recognition.”

With the blessing of U.S. Concrete to use the No. 98 as a canvas to honor the Andretti family patriarch, a number of period-correct touches have also been added to the design. A retro Firestone logo, the block number style, and the initials “FB,” which Andretti carried 50 years ago near the front of the car to credit Frank Boeninghaus, the person who supplied the turbocharged Ford V8 that powered the Brawner chassis to victory, have been incorporated into the livery.
Andretti Autosport, Indy 500, Marco Andretti, Mario Andretti, IndyCar

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Happy Anniversary Roger Penske, you reinvented American racing

MILLER: How Roger Penske reinvented American racing

Mark Donohue, Penske, Chris Economaki. Image by Gene Crucean


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By: Robin Miller | 8 hours ago


It was 50 years ago when a fraternity house on wheels moved into venerable Gasoline Alley. The crew had collared shirts that said ‘Sunoco’, they polished the wheels of their Lola incessantly, and they scrubbed the floor of the tiny garage each night. A well-spoken young man with a coat and tie came into the media center and introduced himself as Dan Luginbuhl, the press officer for this Ivy League operation.

Well, not only was Indianapolis void of PR people back then, it had never seen anything like these sporty car racers with their baby-faced driver, sharply dressed owner, and spit-polished crew.

USAC’s old guard really didn’t know how to take them.

“I think it was more curiosity, like, ‘Who are these guys and why are they here?’” recalled Luginbuhl, who spent 40 years working full-time for Roger Penske and still adds his PR expertise on occasion. “Mark [Donohue] had run Riverside and one other IndyCar race before coming to the Speedway, and a few people knew about his success in sports cars.

“The USAC guys were very courteous and professional, and I think everyone was glad to have a new team coming in. There was no animosity; just curiosity.”

Of course, what nobody at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway could foresee in May 1969 was the impact Penske would have on Indianapolis and American racing in general. Just a few years after the rear-engine revolution changed the face of Indy, R.P.’s regimented style, attention to detail and sponsor presentation gave IndyCar racing a total makeover.

Penske singlehandedly gave IndyCar an upgrade – whether it wanted one or not. Towed race cars on open trailers was replaced by semi-trailers; teams began dressing in sponsor colors; crew chiefs suddenly started sharing space with guys called engineers; pit stops became an exercise in precision; and an element of professionalism soon permeated a paddock that had always been seat-of-the-pants racing.

Mario Andretti won his lone Indy 500 that year and recalls his first impression of The Captain:

“He made his mark very visible in sports cars, and he just had the look of somebody who would be successful,” said Andretti, who would race for Team Penske in 1976-’78. “He always did things first class, and he brought a whole new level of professionalism.

“I remember I thought it was welcome to have somebody with class coming into the series.”

At that time, people said that Penske would either be the best thing or worst thing to happen to IndyCar racing because his M.O. would drive up the price of racing. When he showed up with a McLaren for Donohue in 1971, the ante went up – just like the quality of teams and competition.

Penske with AJ Foyt in the early 1960s. Image by Gene Crucean


And when Donohue captured the 1972 Indy 500, it started a dynasty that continues today. Team Penske has won Indianapolis a staggering 17 times, with its own cars, customer models, standard engines, trick motors, fast pit stops and good strategy.

“Roger had a three-year program with Sunoco, and our plan was to be able to win the race by the third year,” continued Luginbuhl. “Mark was long gone [out in front] in ’71 before he had a gearbox problem, so it took us a fourth year before finally winning.”

From Donohue to Bettenhausen to Sneva to Andretti to Mears to Sullivan to Tracy to Castroneves to de Ferran to Montoya to Power to Newgarden to Pagenaud to all three Unsers, The Captain always went after the best available drivers and put the finest equipment under them.

The Captain joined Dan Gurney, Bob Riley and Captain Geometry (Antares), and began building his own cars sporting his name. And by the end of that decade, we had Lightnings, Parnellis, Wildcats, Fleagles, Vollstedts and a Kingfish as innovation was booming. Just like sponsorships and big events as Cleveland, Toronto, Vancouver, Portland, Road America and Mid-Ohio packed ’em in, and MIS, Milwaukee and Phoenix were pulling record oval crowds.

Penske asserted himself in every facet of open-wheel racing and it drew first-class teams owned by Jim Hall, Pat Patrick, Bob Fletcher, Jerry O’Connell, Bobby Hillin, Rick Galles and McLaren, which all joined All-American Racers in raising the level of competition to new heights. Backup cars became the rule rather than the exception, and road racing (which USAC had dabbled with in the ‘60s and ‘70s) and street circuits came to the fore when the USAC/CART war broke out in 1979.

“I think it sent a message to everybody, from Foyt on down, that presentation really counts, “ said Luginbuhl, referring to the 1980s. “You want your car to be competitive and fast, and it wasn’t long after that that most teams started looking the part. I think it helped everyone up and down the line sell sponsorship.”

Penske and Patrick spent their own money in launching CART, and there was no denying The Captain’s passion. He got PPG Industries to be CART’s title sponsor, and bought or built tracks to speed IndyCar’s growth.

There is no doubt that if R.P. had sold his team and focused solely on CART (see Bernie Ecclestone, Brabham, and Formula 1), it would have flourished way beyond what it eventually became in the early ’90s.

A time-honored part of Penske’s approach has been to outclass the opposition in every department, including drivers. Image by IMS


But as we prepare for the 103rd running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, the undeniable fact is that Roger Penske still covets an Indy win as much as he did back in 1969. Sure, his team has 204 victories and 15 championships, but it’s all those Baby Borgs that he cherishes.

His dad brought him to IMS in 1952, and he visited in the early ’60s as he was mapping out his career plans. An accomplished sports car racer who had some great duels with Parnelli and Gurney, R.P. had a chance to test an Indy car for Al Dean and Clint Brawner but turned it down to focus on starting his car business.

A fella named Andretti wound up with that ride.

All these years later, The Captain’s footprints are all over IndyCar racing, from appearance to accountability to hospitality. He’s the rabbit that Chip Ganassi and Michael Andretti are chasing and the yardstick for Ed Carpenter, Sam Schmidt, Dale Coyne, Trevor Carlin, Mike Shank, George Steinbrenner, Mike Harding, Ricardo Juncos and Dennis Reinbold.

He’s the smartest man I’ve ever met, and his business has grown from 55 employees in the late ’60s to over 60,000 today. He’s a billionaire and a hands-on boss that still jets all over the globe to manage the Penske Corporation.

He champions the unfair advantage because he knows how to play the game.

At 81, he still loves standing on his pit box and calling the race, but he lives for the month of May. Indianapolis was his goal before it became his calling card. And 50 years later it’s still the most important thing in his world.

Happy anniversary, R.P.

Image by Levitt/LAT



Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Roger Penske, IndyCar, Insights & Analysis