Team Penske 2008 Overview
With the Penske Racing teams looking forward to an exciting and challenging 2008 season, the NASCAR, IndyCar Series and American Le Mans Series teams can all rely on the rich heritage and tradition of the organization to help pave the pathway for success.
Through all levels of competition this season, Penske Racing will be guided by experienced and talented technical, engineering and support staff. The driver lineups will feature veteran, winning drivers at the top of their game paired with promising young racers ready to carry the Penske Racing banner into the next decade.
The 2008
season began like no other in the history of Penske Racing as the team
came out and claimed victories in two of the biggest races of the
season. In February, Penske Racing earned its first Daytona 500 victory
in style with Ryan Newman capturing the checkered flag in NASCAR’s
premiere event and teammate Kurt Busch right on his tail in second
place for the team’s first-ever 1-2 Cup racing finish. The super start
to the season continued in March as Penske Racing produced the overall
and P2-class win in the prestigious 12 Hours of Sebring American Le
Mans Series endurance race, with Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and
Emmanuel Collard earning the victory in the Porsche RS Spyder.
In its 18th consecutive year of NASCAR competition in 2008, Penske Racing returns with two of Cup racing's top stars and an IndyCar Series champion anxious to make his mark in his first full season of stock car racing. Both Busch and Newman have experienced their share of success at the highest level of racing with Busch claiming the 2004 NASCAR Cup title and Newman being named the 2003 SPEED Channel Driver of the Year. They're joined in the Penske Racing stable this season by Sam Hornish Jr. While Hornish Jr. is a Cup rookie in '08, he certainly knows his way around a race car. The three-time IndyCar Series champion and 2006 Indianapolis 500 winner with Team Penske, got a taste of NASCAR racing last season and he's more committed than ever to becoming a winning stock car racer as his career enters a new phase.
Busch enjoyed a resurgence in 2007, qualifying for The Chase and finishing seventh in the final NASCAR Nextel Cup point standings behind a pair of victories, one pole position, 14 top-10 and six top-five finishes. After Pat Tryson took over as crew chief on the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge at mid season, Busch turned it on. He posted nine consecutive top-11 results to earn his way into The Chase and he looks to build on that momentum this season as Miller Lite celebrates its 18th year as primary sponsor on the No. 2 car.
In his eighth NASCAR season, Newman continues to be one of racing's fastest performers. He guided the No. 12 Alltel Dodge to five poles in 2007, ranking second among all Cup drivers. The 2002 Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year winner, scored three straight poles early in the season and he was the only driver to earn a pole sweep in '07, taking the top spot in qualifying in both races at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Newman fell just short of qualifying for The Chase but he emerged as the top non-Chase driver finishing 13th in season points. With Alltel back on board for the ninth consecutive season as the primary sponsor on the No. 12 car, Newman and the Penske team are expecting even better results in 2008.
After becoming the all-time winningest driver in
the Indy Racing League, Hornish Jr. makes the transition to NASCAR this
season driving the No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge for Penske Racing. In 2007,
Hornish Jr. learned from his experienced teammates Busch and Newman as
he made nine Busch Series starts before competing in the final two Cup
races of the season. Familiar with the Penske Racing heritage and
formula for success from his IndyCar Series experiences,
Hornish Jr. expects to be one of the top rookies in this season's field.
Penske Racing
200 Penske Way
Mooresville, NC 28115
