Penske Tag

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer As the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is making preparations for the historic 100th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, it is a wonderful time to take a trip down memory lane and examine the rich history of this uniquely American event. Each of the 99 previous races has produced a winner that will forever have his name etched in motor racing history. 67 race winning drivers, and two relief drivers have their images on the Borg-Warner Trophy. There are, however, an untold number of heartbreakingRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer This coming weekend the Verizon IndyCar Series will return to the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL, as they continue their 2016 season. The race weekend is slated for April 22-24, 2016. About the Race The Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama is round four of sixteen for the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2016. The event is held on a permanent road course, the first of five such races on the calendar. The defending race winner is Ed Carpenter Racing’s Josef Newgarden. The young driverRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer The 42nd annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach for the Verizon IndyCar Series is now in the books. Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud took the win, followed closely by Target Chip Ganassi driver Scott Dixon. He are five takeaways from the latest edition of one of IndyCar’s crown-jewel events. 1 ) Simon sez After a decidedly lackluster first season with Team Penske, that left him 11th in the final standings, Simon Pagenaud is off to a ferocious start in 2016. His two second-place finishes, combinedRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer The Verizon IndyCar Series held its final practice before qualifications for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Team Penske, with their four-car juggernaut, swept the top of the charts led by 2014 Series Champion, Will Power.  Power’s Penske teammates, Simon Pagenaud, Helio Castroneves and Juan Pablo Montoya took positions two through four, respectively. With a lap 1:06.89, pacing the circuit at 105.918 mph, the Australian driver topped the time charts in the morning session, completing pre-qualifying efforts that saw Penske cars lead both theRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer Hulman & Co., the parent of IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, have announced a mulityear partnership with MillerCoors, the second-largest brewer in the United States. The sponsorship arrangement will see the brewer named as the Official Beer and Cider of the Verizon Indycar Series.  Coors Light will serve as the lead brand of the IndyCar partnership. However, other MillerCoors products will be integrated into the program, most notably, Henry’s Hard Soda, whose logo will adorn the Penske car of Juan Pablo Montoya at Indianapolis inRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer With the Texas Motor Speedway celebrating its 20th anniversary, there is good reason to reflect on the great racing that the venerable 1.5 mile oval has given us over the years. In looking back, I often wonder about the one race that wasn’t held. The 2001 Firestone Firehawk 600 for the CART Series. When the Texas Motor Speedway was still under construction, track manager and promoter, Eddie Gossage, had a vision that would see the new race track host all of the major American racingRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer Emerson Fittipaldi has a racing résumé that has given him a solid place in Motor Racing history. Having won Formula One Championships in 1972 and 1974, he embarked on a second racing career in the CART series.  Racing during the heyday of American open-wheeled racing, Fittipaldi earned two Indianapolis 500 victories and the 1989 season title. After hanging up his helmet in 1996, Fittipaldi began a series of successful business ventures in his native Brazil, including clothing lines,  real estate development, digital media, sales, servicesRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer AVONDALE, AZ. April 2, 2016 – Heading into tonight’s Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix, Honda teams are left scratching their heads as Chevrolet-powered cars swept the first ten grid positions led by Penske Racing’s Helio Castroneves. After completing a two-day test in February, all the Verizon IndyCar Series teams reported that track conditions were remarkably different upon returning to the 1.022 mile oval.  The track had hosted the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in the interim and, despite a power-washing of the surface, quiteRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Contributing Writer Team Penske driver, Will Power, took the pole for today’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, but immediately seemed out of sorts following the session. Complaining of nausea and a headache, speculation was that he has picked up a stomach bug or flu. Power had crashed in Friday’s opening practice and was evaluated by the IndyCar medical staff. At the time, he appeared to have no lingering effects, and was cleared to continue to practice and qualify. After qualifying, when Power began to display these symptomsRead More