PENSKE RACE REPORT - SEPT 9, 2008

Penske Racing's Kurt Busch Emerges As Top Dodge at Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. – Penske Racing drivers Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman and Sam Hornish Jr. finished 10th, 33rd and 38th respectively in Sunday's weather-delayed Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway.

After Tropical Storm Hanna forced NASCAR officials to cancel Friday's qualifying session and postpone the race until Sunday, Busch started 20th and consistently moved toward the front. Busch and his No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge team's top-10 result was the highest-finishing Dodge driver in the final "regular season race," setting up the field for this year's "Chase for the NASCAR Championship." Busch is currently 19th in the 2008 NASCAR Cup Series driver standings.

Newman's No. 12 Alltel Dodge started 16th and ran in the top 15 for a large portion of the race. However, a pit road incident with just 40 laps remaining left Newman with substantial damage to the right front of the car and dropped him from 14th on the track to an eventual 33rd-place finish. Newman is now 16th in the NASCAR Cup Series driver points standings with 10 races to go in the 2008 season.

Hornish and the No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge finished 38th on Sunday afternoon. Starting from the 37th spot, Hornish and the team worked tirelessly to adjust the Mobil 1 Dodge during the race. The group was able to achieve a good balance on the race car but ultimately finished two laps down to the race winner. The No. 77 Mobil 1 team is now 37th in the 2008 NASCAR Cup Series owner points standings, a mere 17 points out of 35th place.

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Helio Castroneves Wins at Chicago, Finishes Second in Title Chase

JOLIET, Ill. – Helio Castroneves, driver of the No. 3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda, won Sunday’s PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway in a thrilling fashion – not only did he fight back from a last-place starting position, but, pushed by teammate Ryan Briscoe, he took the checkered flag a mere 0.0033 seconds, or 12 1/8 inches, ahead of second-place finisher Scott Dixon.

The finish – second-closest in IndyCar Series history - was not without controversy. Scoring monitors initially showed Dixon as the winner, but video replays showed Castroneves hitting the finish line first. Whenever scoring monitors show a margin of victory of 0.006 or less, IndyCar Series officials revert to photo evidence to determine or clarify the winner and the precise margin of victory. Within minutes of the cars reaching the finish line and Dixon being named the unofficial winner, Castroneves was declared the official winner. He received the news from a reporter and immediately began jumping with joy on live television.

"I won!" Castroneves screamed. "I knew I'd won!"

Briscoe earned his fifth podium result of the season while finishing a close third.