PENSKE RACE REPORT

Sam Hornish Jr. Leads Penske Production at Coca-Cola 600

CONCORD, N.C. – In the longest and most demanding race on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, Penske Racing drivers Sam Hornish Jr., Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman finished 13th, 16th and 21st respectively in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway Sunday night.

Hornish Jr. started 20th and despite falling one lap down early on, worked his way back onto the lead lap, capturing a career-best 13th-place finish in the Memorial Day weekend event.

“I’m really happy with how the Mobil 1 team performed tonight,” said Hornish Jr. “The car was good and it ran well. It took us a while to get our lap back but ultimately it was a good night for us. It’s like a win for me. It took me seven times at Indy to finally finish a race. We completed all 600 miles tonight so that feels good.”

Busch started the 600 from the eighth spot. Even though he was fighting a loose handling condition during the early laps, he made steady progress to scoot around Jimmie Johnson for the lead on Lap 67. He led twice for 64 laps and was running second on Lap 161 when a blown right-front tire sent him careening into the wall to bring out the second yellow flag of the race. Falling victim to another incident three-quarters of the way through the race, Busch’s No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge suffered additional damage but managed to post a 16th place finish.

Newman and the No. 12 Alltel Dodge team also endured a night of ups and downs during the Coca-Cola 600. After starting 38th and running as high as ninth during the 400-lap race, Newman was hit with a pit road speeding penalty and was later caught up in an accident which caused substantial damage to the car. As a result, Newman finished in 21st place, currently 14th in the NASCAR Cup point standings, 85 points shy of the 12th-place cut-off for the NASCAR Chase for the Cup.

Be sure to check out Busch and No. 12 Alltel Dodge crew chief Roy McCauley on the Team Cam at PenskeRacing.com this week as share their thoughts on the Pocono test and racing at the “Monster Mile”

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Helio Castroneves Finishes Fourth in Indy 500 to Lead Team Penske

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves came back from serious damage to his car to finish fourth Sunday in the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500.

Meanwhile, teammate Ryan Briscoe encountered trouble in the pits and finished 23rd.

Castroneves struck debris from a crash early in the race, but his crew repaired the No. 3 Team Penske Honda/Dallara and got him back in the race.

"Fourth place is definitely not what we expected,” Castroneves said. “We tried everything we could. We had a little issue with the debris. I was trying to avoid a slow car; I slammed on the brakes instead of hitting him. I pulled away and a piece of the debris hit my front wing, so we had to stop to change that. Let me tell you, wow, what a team.”

Briscoe was running well when he collided with Danica Patrick’s car in the pits. The accident forced Team Penske to park the No. 6 Honda/Dallara.

“From what I can see, there was still plenty of room on the right side for her to get around and there are people pointing fingers, but that's not the way we are,” Briscoe said. “We both have a brake pedal in our cars, and from what I can tell, there was still plenty of room for her to get around me. I was trying to get around (Dan) Wheldon, and I was staying in the middle lane. I got ran up in the back, and it's a shame."

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Incident Ends Nationwide Race Early for Sam Hornish Jr. at Charlotte

CONCORD, N.C. – Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the No. 12 Penske Truck Rental Dodge in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, experienced both highs and lows in the Carquest Auto Parts 300 Nationwide Series race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. After starting in the 13th position, Hornish Jr. led his first NASCAR race before an incident ended the night early for the Penske Truck Rental team. He finished the race in a disappointing 39th place.

On lap 66 of the race, Hornish Jr. was involved in a single car incident in the backstretch, damaging the No. 12 Dodge beyond repair. He went on to finish 39th at the checkered flag.

“We just got really loose out there,” said Hornish Jr. “We were decent at the beginning of the race but then got loose. I was just riding out there when a car got loose in front of me. I checked up to avoid hitting him and the Penske Truck Rental Dodge snapped around and went nose first into the wall. I’m really proud of this team and hate that we couldn’t bring home a better finish tonight.”

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Excited Fans Live Their Penske Racing Dream at Fan Fest 2008

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – The smiles on the faces of the people walking through Penske Racing’s massive, state-of-the-art headquarters told the story on Friday, May 23 as fans enjoyed all the fun and festivities of the Penske Racing 2008 Fan Fest.

Fans from all over the U.S., and even as far away as Canada, attended the event and some even camped out overnight at Penske Racing so they could get an early start to the festivities. From the moment the facility opened its doors first thing in the morning a steady stream of Penske Racing fans turned out to tour the home of the organization’s NASCAR, IndyCar Series and American Le Mans Series teams. Fans also got a chance to meet and get autographs from the three Penske Racing NASCAR Cup Series drivers Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch and Sam Hornish Jr., as well as check out the high-tech race cars driven by the Penske pilots and get their photos taken with some of the impressive trophies won by the team’s drivers over the years.

“It was great to spend the day interacting with the fans at the Penske Racing Fan Fest,” said Hornish Jr., driver of the No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge. “I really appreciate their support and enthusiasm for our Mobil 1 team. I always enjoy having the chance to speak one-on-one with the fans and see the items they have collected over the years. In a sport that can get pretty hectic, it’s nice to slow down and connect with the fans. It helps you remember how much it means to them each time you go out on the track.”