Roger Penske: A Leader Then AND Now

There was an intersting item posted on Speednet recently by Mr. Bryan Weber. The posting was a letter written in 1972 by none other than Roger Penske. The contents of the letter could have been used as rough draft for the formation of the Indy Racing League. The letter content follows:

September 8, 1972

To: Board of Directors and Officers, United States Auto Club
Ref: Proposed Engine Changes for 1973 and 1974
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My team has participated in the United States Auto Club USAC Championship Series for the last four years, and other forms of racing since 1966 which include Can-Am, Formula A, NASCAR, World Championship Endurance and Formula 1.

We have found that the pre-race costs of running a car in this year’s USAC Championship Trail have far exceeded any of the other forms of racing. After careful analysis of my budget and expenses, one realizes quickly that the major costs are caused by the tremendous investment of maintenance of our turbocharged engine program. In order for my team to continue in the future, drastic changes must be made in the present engine rules in order to decrease the cost.

It is also quite distressing to note that in spite of the huge investment in engine programs, the reliability record of USAC Championship cars is extremely poor. It is a shame to go to USAC Championship races with drivers such as Unser, Andretti, Donohue, Revson etc. entered, yet only 20% of the field finish such as we did at Milwaukee or go to a 500 mile race and have a poor showing such as was experienced at the past California 500. The cars didn’t break down; the drivers didn’t break down; the engines were the cause of the majority of the dropouts.

At the present time there are two turbocharged engines which are competitive -- the Foyt Ford and the Drake Offenhauser. I have used for my example the cost of a complete USAC Offy turbocharged engine (the latest short stroke version). This engine is complete with injector, turbocharger, wastegate, clutch, flywheel, header and Spaulding ignition. This engine dyno-tested and ready to run as purchased from the R&D Engineering Co. will cost $31,500.00. Component system costs breaks down as follows:

Injector Kit 1100.00
Turbo Kit 2873.00
Header 1100.00
Spaulding Ign. Kit 750.00
Clutch A Flywheel 1064.00

A bare engine without the above systems will cost approximately $24,500. Anyone who is seriously competing in the present Championship Trail cannot expect to do so with one engine. Therefore, you must invest in at least two engines in order to be prepared to race.

It is of interest to relate engine costs to car costs. The present price for a 1972 Eagle complete is $36,000. We are well aware that these cars are not only competitive but of very high quality. One doesn’t need two or three cars to run; however, he must have at least two engines and they must be of a current configuration if the car is to be competitive and finish races.

I therefore ask as a member of the Board of Directors and an Officer of USAC that you consider the following.

Leaving the present wing, chassis and engine rules as they are for 1973, I suggest that for 1974, the engine rules be changed to include the following types only:

The use of stock production type engines as listed in Paragraph C Page 64 of the present USAC Rules book should be retained. In conjunction with a stock production engine, I would have one other type engine available, that being a 4 litre race engine. There will be no superchargers or turbochargers allowed. The 4 litre limit on racing engines will last for one year and will be reviewed at the end of the 1974 season to insure that it does not have a competitive edge over the current stock block formula. If it is felt by the USAC Board and Officers that the 4 litre engine has an advantage, USAC will have the authority to reduce the displacement to make it equal in performance to the stock production engine. The basic stock block formula should be fixed for three years.

Roger Penske
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Roger Penske is a very wise man. It made sense then and it makes sense now. There is no reason to spend over two million dollars on a engine lease program for one year. The 4 litre engine program just makes sense (cents).

Bryan Weber

In the recent article published by The Indianapolis Star, Roger Penske was also quoted concerning.... "My goals for CART.....". This is interesting considering Adrew Craig is supposed to be the man in charge of CART.

Last year, Racer Magazine listed Roger Penske as a 9.5 out of a possible 10 in the "Movers and Shakers of IndyCar" category. Tony George was rated a 9. It is obvious that both men are very powerful in the Indy Car arena. For the past two years, both sides have went their seperate ways and had little or no communication. Nothing can be accomplished by total silence. Thank you Roger Penske for providing a rough draft formula to make Indy style racing affordable and competitive. Thank you also for starting the healing process between CART and The IRL.

Terry Callahan
February 28, 1997