Dallara Team Penske Indycar, 2008 Team Penske Indycar Pictures, News, Reviews, and Info | Conceptcarz.com - Pictures, Wallpaper, Pricing, Information, History

More Photographs

Penske Racing Historical Overview

Roger Penske is not only the most recognizable name in American motorsports, but a man who commands respect in the international racing community as well.

The 'Captain' has been racing and winning in the United States since 1958 and has scored victories in every series where he has competed. With 21 national championships, including 12 in Indy car racing, Penske Racing has often been referred to as the 'New York Yankees of motorsports.'

Roger Penske was one of America's most successful young road racers before electing to retire from driving in 1965 to focus on his first business - a Philadelphia Chevrolet dealership. However, racing remained a key element in Penske's overall business plan. He fielded Corvettes in the 1966 endurance races at Daytona and Sebring prior to joining forces with driver Mark Donohue to campaign a Lola T70 in the USRRC and Can-Am sports car series. Penske
Racing quickly found success with Donohue, winning two consecutive USRRC championships and three SCCA Trans-Am titles.

After three years of campaigning sedans and sports cars, Penske Racing and Donohue made their debut in Indy car racing, running a pair of USAC-sanctioned road races in 1968. The following year, the team made its debut in the Indianapolis 500 and Donohue finished seventh, earning 'Rookie-of-the-Year' honors.

With Donohue, Penske Racing quickly made its mark in the USAC Championship Series utilizing high standards of car preparation, presentation and development. Donohue finished second at Indianapolis in 1970 and he recorded the team's first Championship Car victory in the Pocono 500 on July 3, 1971. Donohue earned Penske's first Indianapolis 500 triumph less than a year later with an average speed that would remain the race record for a dozen years. Since then, Penske Racing has become synonymous with Indy car racing, with 134 victories, 170 poles and 12 National Championships. Penske Racing, however, is probably best known for its 14 Indianapolis 500 victories, four with driver Rick Mears.

Even though Penske Racing is legendary in open-wheel racing, it hasn't confined its endeavors to that form of motorsports.

Penske made its NASCAR debut in 1972, the same season the team earned its first Indy 500 victory with Donohue at the wheel.

Continuing to compete in NASCAR, the Can-Am Series and in Indy cars, Penske Racing also debuted its Formula 1 car in 1970s.

With legendary racers Tom Sneva, Mario Andretti, Rick Mears and Bobby Unser, Al Unser and Danny Sullivan competing for the team, Penske Racing established itself as an Indy car powerhouse throughout the 70s and 80s.

A Penske entry was fielded in NASCAR's premier series through 1977 with Donohue collecting one victory and Bobby Allison recording four wins. Penske reappeared in 1980 for a brief two-race stint with Missouri native Rusty Wallace, fielding a car for the young driver's NASCAR debut at Atlanta.

Following a 10-year hiatus from NASCAR competition, Penske Racing South was established in 1991 with Wallace and long-time Penske business associate Don Miller as the team's co-owners.

With the Indy car program continuing its remarkable production in the 90s with drivers like Emerson Fittipaldi, Al Unser Jr. and Paul Tracy, the team's NASCAR squad also began to develop a winning formula.

For 16 straight years, Wallace won at least one NASCAR race each season, tying him for third on the all-time list for the most consecutive seasons with at least one victory. He also finished in the top 10 in the series standings in 12 of his 15 seasons driving for Penske Racing. By the end of the 2005 season, 37 of Wallace's 55 career victories had come under the Penske Racing banner.

With legendary racers Tom Sneva, Mario Andretti, Rick Mears and Bobby Unser, Al Unser and Danny Sullivan competing for the team, Penske Racing established itself as an Indy car powerhouse throughout the 70s and 80s.

A Penske entry was fielded in NASCAR's premier series through 1977 with Donohue collecting one victory and Bobby Allison recording four wins. Penske reappeared in 1980 for a brief two-race stint with Missouri native Rusty Wallace, fielding a car for the young driver's NASCAR debut at Atlanta.

Following a 10-year hiatus from NASCAR competition, Penske Racing South was established in 1991 with Wallace and long-time Penske business associate Don Miller as the team's co-owners.

With the Indy car program continuing its remarkable production in the 90s with drivers like Emerson Fittipaldi, Al Unser Jr. and Paul Tracy, the team's NASCAR squad also began to develop a winning formula.

For 16 straight years, Wallace won at least one NASCAR race each season, tying him for third on the all-time list for the most consecutive seasons with at least one victory. He also finished in the top 10 in the series standings in 12 of his 15 seasons driving for Penske Racing. By the end of the 2005 season, 37 of Wallace's 55 career victories had come under the Penske Racing banner.

A new generation of open-wheel stars ushered in a new decade for Team Penske as Gil de Ferran claimed back-to-back CART titles in 2000 and '01 and Helio Castroneves scored consecutive Indy 500 victories in '01 and '02.

By 2001, Penske Racing flourished as a multi-car NASCAR operation with Wallace, Jeremy Mayfield and Ryan Newman leading the way on the track.

Team Penske first competed in the Indy Racing League in 2001 and it joined the series full time the following season.

Sam Hornish Jr. came aboard in 2004 and he led the Penske squad to its first IndyCar Series title in 2006.

Wallace retired from Cup competition after the 2005 season, closing the door on one of the most storied careers in racing. Kurt Busch, the 2004 NASCAR Cup titleholder, joined Penske Racing in 2006 as Wallace transitioned to the broadcast booth.

More than 30 years after winning at the highest levels of sports car racing, Penske returned to its roots late in the 2005 season, announcing an LMP2-class effort with Porsche in the American Le Mans Series. The squad had a remarkable homecoming, capturing the class championship with Sascha Maassen and Lucas Luhr in '06 before once again earning the title in '07 with teammates Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas.

Proven winners Busch and Newman lead the charge for the Penske Racing NASCAR program in 2008 with Hornish Jr. joining the mix as a promising rookie. The Team Penske IndyCar Series lineup looks as strong as ever with Castroneves ready to compete for the series crown and skilled racer Ryan Briscoe on board for his first season with the team.

With defending champs Bernhard and Dumas back for more and Maassen now paired with American road racing standout Patrick Long, ‘08 could also could prove to be a record-breaking year for the Penske Racing American Le Mans Series team.

History has taught us through the years that winning is a tradition carried on throughout all levels of Penske Racing and the 2008 season promises to add another exciting chapter to the chronicles of this storied organization.

Source - Team Penske

View more photos

Briscoe Leads Team Penske One-Two Sweep at Mid Ohio

Ryan Briscoe, driver of the No. 6 Team Penske Dallara/Honda, made a remarkable comeback Sunday, recovering from an early deficit to win the Honda Indy 200 and complete a one-two sweep by Team Penske at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

This victory was Briscoe's second win in his IndyCar Series career, Team Penske's seventh win at the legendary 13-turn Ohio road course and the 35th one-two finish in Penske's storied open-wheel history.

Briscoe, who started second next to teammate and pole-sitter Helio Castroneves, fell behind early as drivers struggled with rain tires on a rapidly drying track. Roger Penske, strategist on the No. 6 car, started the race on rain tires -- as did the rest of the field-- but Penske brought the car into the pits after a majority of the field to change to slick tires after Briscoe slipped from second to fourth place, then quickly had Briscoe come back in, out of sequence, as soon as the fuel window opened. This pit strategy propelled Briscoe into the lead, which he did not relinquish in the final 25 laps of the 85-lap event.

'The Team Penske car was awesome,' said Briscoe. 'We ran into a little trouble early on, but we came back. That was all Roger. That was his strategy.'

'It was the only chance we had,' said Penske. 'The strategy worked out. What a great drive for Briscoe. I think he's validated himself as one of the top drivers in the Indy Racing League. To finish one-two is just unbelievable.'

Briscoe also advanced in the championship standings, moving up three spots from eighth to fifth place. It was also his second victory of the season - in June, Briscoe recorded Penske Racing's 300th win with a victory at The Milwaukee Mile. Since then, he's struggled with bad luck, suffering on-track incidents in the last two races as a result of others‘ mistakes.

'Finally, something went our way,' said Briscoe. 'This is very sweet. What a weekend for Team Penske. It just feels so good to get this win. It's been a rough couple of weeks in the lead-up to here, and this one's sweet for sure.'

As Briscoe was winning, Castroneves, driver of the No. 3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda, was securing second place ahead of 2008 IndyCar Series driver points leader Scott Dixon. That shaved another five points off Dixon's lead, bringing Castroneves to within 58 points with five championship points races remaining in the 2008 season.

'Ryan drove a heck of a race,' said Castroneves, who chalked up his 27th IndyCar Series pole position on Saturday. 'I was just trying to do everything I could, but unfortunately I got held up in traffic. We just didn't have enough, so it's a shame. But second is good.'

The IndyCar Series season continues on Saturday, July 26 with the Rexall Edmonton Indy at City Centre Airport in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, which airs live on the ESPN television network at 5 p.m. EDT.

Source - Team Penske

Castroneves Third in Rain-Shortened Nashville Race

Team Penske's Helio Castroneves came within a few laps of victory Saturday night at Nashville Superspeedway, but the weather had other plans. Castroneves, who started from the pole position, finished third when rain forced an early end to the Firestone Indy 200, but, had the race gone a few laps longer, he likely would have won.

Instead, Scott Dixon capitalized on a mistake that kept him out on the 1.33-mile concrete oval and in the lead when the rest of the leaders pitted on the 148th lap, relegating Castroneves to a solid -- if somewhat disappointing -- podium finish when rain ended the scheduled 200 lap race after 171 laps.

'It's not the race we wanted to have, especially the way it finished,' said Castroneves. 'I was told that the Ganassi guys had four laps of fuel left. That's two minutes. If the rain had come two minutes later, we would have won the race. But sometimes you have to be more lucky than good.'

Castroneves continues to pursue Dixon for the IndyCar Series championship and is now 63 points behind the leader after 11 races in the 2008 season. He remains optimistic about his chances after Nashville. 'Third may not have been what we wanted tonight, but it's good enough to keep us in the championship fight,' he said.

Team Penske teammate Ryan Briscoe didn't fare as well, being forced out of the race on the third lap when Marco Andretti lost control and put Briscoe's No. 6 Team Penske Honda/Dallara into the wall. The damage done from the incident caused the retirement of the car, and Briscoe was scored in the 23rd position.

'We just can't get a break,' said Briscoe. 'We've had a big string of bad luck the last couple of races. I was trying to settle into the race and was running outside the No. 26 car, and he lost it and collected me. It's really unfortunate because we thought we learned a few things from Helio's setup that we hoped would help us, too, but we didn't have a chance to see. Hopefully we'll be able to put this all behind us moving forward and turn in a good result at Mid-Ohio.'

The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues on Sunday, July 20, with the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by Westfield Insurance at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The race will be telecast live at 1:30 p.m. (EDT) by ABC, with radio broadcast via the IMS Radio Network.

Source - Team Penske

IRL

Indianapolis

Historically known simply as ‘The 500' the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race is often shorted to either the Indianapolis 500 or the Indy 500. Originally the race was advertised as the ‘Liberty Sweepstakes' following WWI in 1919 before reverting the name to the ‘International Sweepstakes' name from 1920 through 1980. All references as the ‘International Sweepstakes' name was dropped following the 1981 race when the name ‘65th Indianapolis 500-Mile Race' was officially adopted. Since this time the race is always advertised this way and is complete with a unique annual logo and the ordinal has always been included.

‘The 500' is an American automobile race that is held annually during the Memorial Day weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway Indiana. One of the oldest and richest motorsports ever, the Indy 500 has one of the largest attendances, and radio and television audiences, of any single-day sporting event throughout the world. Since 1952 the race has been broadcasted live on radio by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network. On May 25, 2008, the 92nd running is scheduled and will mark the 63rd consecutive year of uninterrupted occurrence.

Carl Graham Fisher, an ex-bicycle racer and pioneer automobile dealer founded the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1906. Gleaning information from others in the automobile industry, Fisher deduced that poorly developed public roads were hampering research and development. Fisher proposed a facility of long straight-aways and sweeping turns to be used for both private testing and an occasional race pitting the automobiles of different manufacturers against each other. The original plan was to build the facility at French Lick.

On February 9th 1909 the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation was formed when 328 acres of farmland northwest of Downtown Indianapolis was bought by Fisher and his partners Jim Allison, Arthur Newby and Frank Wheeler. A 2.5-mile rectangular track was built. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway complex was built as a gravel-and-tar track and hosted a variety of small events before promoters chose to focus on just one major event. The track was then paved with 3.2 millions bricks following several deaths related to the unsteady racing surface.

The first race, a five mile long event, was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was on August 19, 1919. Louis Schwitzer took the checkered flag amidst over 12 thousand spectators. But it was a disaster as the track surface broke up and caused the deaths of two drivers, two mechanics, and two spectators. Following several unsuccessful automobile and motorcycle races, Fisher decided that a single extravaganza was needed.

The first 500 Mile Race was held on May 30th 1911. Besting 39 other drivers in the field, Ray Harroun won the race with an average speed of 74.59 mph in six hours and 42 minutes in a Marmon ‘Wasp', outfitted with his invention, the rear-view mirror. Admission was only $1, and 80,200 spectators were in attendance. Harroun was considered to be quite a hazard during the race as he was the only driver without a riding mechanic, who checked the oil pressure and let the driver know when traffic was coming.

An American driver at the wheel of an American car won the first race, though European makers began building their own vehicles to attempt a win at this race. European vehicles were raced from 1913 through 1919 before the onset of World War 1 allowed native drivers and manufacturers to regain their dominance of the race. The race was only 300 miles long in 1916 because Speedway management feared a shortage of vehicles due to the war in Europe. A total of only 21 cars competed in that race. In 1917 through 1918 the track shut itself down because of World War I. Engineer Harry Arminius Miller set himself up at the most competitive of the post war builders and his technical advancements allowed him to be indirectly latched to a history of success that lasted well into the mid 1970's.

The Indy 500 resumed in 1919 and Howdy Wilcox, the first driver to break 100 mph barrier won the race. Fisher announced that he no longer wished to operate the track prior to the 1923 race and a group led by Eddie Rickenbacker purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for around $750,000.

During the early 1920's Miller produced his own 3.0-liter engine that was inspired by the Peugeot Grand Prix engine that had been serviced in his shop by Fred Offenhauser in 1914. Jimmy Murphy won the 1922 race after Miller installed the engine into a Duesenberg. Miller went on to create his own automobiles that shared the ‘Miller' designation, powered by supercharged versions of his 2.0 and 1.5 liter engine single-seaters These vehicles won four more races for the engine up to 1929. Before being adjusted to the international 3.0-liter formulas, these engines won another seven races until 1938. In 1935 Miller's former employees, Offenhauser and Leo Goosen had already achieved their first win with the soon-to-become famous 4-cylinder Offenhauser engine. In both naturally-aspirated and supercharged form, this motor was now forever connected with the Brickyard's history with record of 27 wins, and a record-holding 18 consecutive years of wins.

Struggling to survive through the Great Depression, Auto racing went through a particularly tough year in 1933. Five men were killed, one was seriously injured and there was also a short-lived drivers strike. In 1941 World War II shut down the track.
By 1945 Eddie Rickenbacker was ready to depart the auto racing business. In 1945 the track was sold to Anton Hulman Jr who spent millions of dollars to improve the facility. This investment resulted in the 'Greatest Spectacle in Racing'. Since 1946 there has been an Indianapolis 500 every year, despite rain delays, deaths and a power struggle in auto racing circles.

Just before World War II, European manufacturers that had been gone from the Indianapolis 500 for nearly two decades made a brief comeback with the Maserati 8CM in 1941. Wilbur Shaw became the first driver to win consecutively in Indianapolis. Between 1950 and 1960 the 500 became part of the World Drivers' Championship where Ferrari made an appearance at the '52 event with Alberto Ascari.

It wasn't until the Indy 500 was removed from the Formula one calendar that European entries made their return to the race. In the 1961 race, Australian Jack Brabham drove his slightly modified F1 Cooper. Foreign cars eventually became the norm at the Indy 500 and foreign drivers began showing up on a regular basis, choosing the U.S. as their primary base for their motor racing activities.

Three-time race winner Wilbur Shaw envisioned a successful future for auto racing in Indianapolis, but needed someone to step in and assure that success. Indianapolis investment broker, Homer Cochran got Rickenbacker and Tony Hulman together and the deal was struck on November 14th, 1945. The Speedway was sold for $750,000. The race began to get the track road worthy by May of 1946. Hulman oversaw the Indianapolis 500 for over 30 years, until his death in 1977.

After having won the previous two races, Bill Vukovich was killed on the 57th lap while leading the race in 1955. During the 1958 race during the first lap, fifteen vehicles were involved in an accident that cost the life of driver Pat O'Connor. This accident began the mandate that all cars were required to be equipped with roll bars and all drivers must wear fireproof uniforms.

The Speedway began a large improvement project following the 1956 race, the centerpiece of which was an eight-story control tower. Thousands of new infield seats were also added to the Speedway, along with a tunnel built under the backstretch and a safer pit area walled off from the main stretch. In 1957 the 500 Festival began to organize civic events, and the Parade became a showcase event that drew thousands of people to the streets of downtown Indianapolis.

In 1960 tragedy struck, not on the track, but in the infield when a multi-floor homemade grandstand collapsed, killing two people and leaving forty people injured. During the 1964 race a fiery crash occurred that involved no less than seven vehicles. Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald, both popular drivers lost their lives. That was the final time that a front-engine car won the race, and the end resulted in a crusade by The Star's George Moore to ban gasoline and require the use of alcohol-based fuel.

10,400 seats were added to the Speedway to replace wooden grandstands, and in 1961, the double-decked Paddock grandstand was constructed on the main straightaway for an exorbitant price-tag of 1.4 million. In 1963 the Speedway motel was opened and the first track suites were built in 1973. A new Speedway Hall of Fame and Museum were opened in 1976.

In 1971, local auto dealer Eldon Palmer, driving a pace car, slid out of control, crashed into a photo stand and injured twenty-two people. The 1973 race is known and remembered as perhaps the worst race in 500 history. After being cancelled twice due to rain, it became, at 72-hours, the longest and deadliest race in Speedway history. One of the most well-liked drivers, Art Pollard suffered a fatal crash when his car hit the wall on pole day and flipped. Salt Walther's car tangled with Jerry Grant's on the first day of the race and set off a 12-car chain reaction that critically injured Walther and injured 13 other spectators. Two days later Swede Savage was injured fatally when during the race his car hit the wall, split in two and covered the track with flames. An emergency truck hit a crewman wile racing to Savage's accident.

In 1972 Offenhauser joined forces with European maker, McLaren and obtained three wins for the chassis, one with the Penske team and two for the McLaren works team in 1974. The final time the Offy would win a race, and its final appearance was in 1983 while its competitiveness steadily decreased.

Janet Guthrie became the first woman to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in 1977 only six years after the Speedway began allowing women in the pits and garage area.

In 1978 the Championship Auto Racing Team, CART was founded by six car owners that had an issue with the way the U.S. Auto Club was running Indy-style car racing. Prior to the 1979 race, there was some controversy when the Speedway rejected the entries of the CART teams based on the grounds that they weren't on good grounds with the USAC which sanctioned the Indianapolis 500. Federal court order reinstated the vehicles, though there were subsequent charges of turbocharger tampering by a few drivers. 35 vehicles started the race, the most since 1933, and an additional qualifying day was added to the race.

Following the end of the 1995 season, the Indy 500 was transferred to its fourth regulations ruling body since its inception. The race had been organized from 1911 through 1955 under the auspices of the AAA. AAA ended its auto racing divisions after the 1955 Le Mans disaster to concentrate on its membership program aimed at the general motoring public. Tony Hulman, IMS owner founded the United States Automobile Club in 1956, which took over the job of sanctioning of the race.

Though most of the racers didn't compete in the other races in the Championship, from 1950 through 1960, the Indy 500 also counted toward the World Driving Championship, which is now synonymous with Formula 1. Following the death of Tony Hulman in 1977, along with the loss of several important USAC officials in a plane crash in 1978, and due to control issues of monetary prizes and regulation amendments in the 1970's, several members joined together and formed CART. The Indy 500 remained with USAC for the next few years and became the only high-level race the body still sanctioned after its own series was discontinued after 1979. Though the same cars and drivers were in attendance, the race was temporarily removed from the CART calendar. Eventually this was resolved and the race again became part of the CART calendar in 1983. Race sanctioning continued to remain in the hands of USAC.

European technology began to take over, though American drivers continued filling the majority of entries at the Brickyard for the next few years. Beginning in 1978, the majority of chassiss's and engines were European. The only American-based chassis to win during the CART era was the Wildcat in 1982 and the Galmer in 1992. Ford engines were built in the UK by Cosworth while Chevy engines were constructed in Ilmor, UK.

Following the 1985 race, the old Gasoline Alley garages were demolished and replaced by 96 new garages in three concrete bunkers.

During the 1990's the Indy 500 lost a bit of its prestige when a fight among racing teams led to a competing race the same day in Michigan. In 1990 the grandson of Tony Hulman, Anton Hulman George was named president of the Speedway in January. He formed the Indy Racing League four years later and the conflict with CART only deepened. A few people saw this as an obvious declaration of war by George against Roger Penske, whose drivers had won a record 10 times at the Indianapolis 500. Supporters of George's decision shared his disapproval of Indy's lack of status within CART when it very obvious that it was the series' flagship, the increasing number of foreign drivers with large bank account that forced professional American racing drivers away. Meanwhile opposors accusing George of playing politics with the race and its heritage merely for a power play that furthered his own interests at the expense of the sport overall.

Promising to reward participants in its racing series with a guaranteed number of spots along with the best starting positions in the Indy 500, the IRL had its first race in 1996. Announcing that 25 of the 33 starting position would be reserved for the top 25 cars in the IRL points standings, this effectively left only eight entries for teams who had not competed in the first two IRL races. CART announced a competing schedule, which featured the U.S. 500 at the Michigan International Speedway on the same day as the Indy 500, which prompted the IRL to begin a lawsuit that challenged CART's use of the trademark IndyCar. A driver who had however qualified for three previous 500's, American Buddy Lazier, won a competitive but crash-filled race. The CART race had to be delayed when a massive pile-up occurred due the front-tow drivers colliding at the start. In 1997 the U.S. 500 was moved from being directly opposite from the Indy 500 to July, before being cancelled altogether in 1999.

Ten years later the Indianapolis 500 was regaining its luster as the rift within Indy Car circles began to heal. In 1993 Tony George announced that he was bringing NASCAR to the Speedway. In August of 1994 the inaugural Brickyard 400 was held. IRL attracted little known and inexperienced drivers, smaller teams and older cars during its first season in 1996. Due to this and other reasons, NASCAR's Daytona 500 has surpassed IRL's Indianapolis 500 in U.S. TV ratings.

Willie T. Ribbs, a black driver didn't qualify to race until 1991. Blacks did however race in Indianapolis from 1924 through 1936 in a 100-mile event called the Gold and Glory Sweepstakes. This race was held almost every summer at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

George's next move in 1997 was to specify new technical rules for less expensive vehicles and ‘production based' engines that outlawed the CART-spec vehicles. These cars had been the mainstay of the race since the late 1970s. Almost all of the CART teams and drivers did not compete in the race for the next few years. Though this situation allowed many American drivers to participate in an even that may not have been able to afford, a shadow was cast over the race. The absence of many of the top IndyCar drivers, and the disappearance of big-name sponsors and faster CART-spec car made many question George's decision.

A Formula One race, the U.S. Grand Prix was announced by George in December of 1998 that would be held at the track beginning in 2000. George invested tens of millions of dollars in preparation of that event. A 2.6-mile F-1 course had to be constructed, while 1.1 miles of existing track was used, and an additional 1.5 miles of track was built to snake through the infield. In preparation of the Formula One cars, 36 pitside garages were added with suites that overlooked the straightaway on top of those garages. A new media center and a new Master Race Control Tower were constructed and giant video screens were added for the fans of all three of the Speedway's races.

Numerous racing family have participated in the Indianapolis 500, these included the Unsers, Andrettis, Chevroletes, Rathmanns, Russons, DePAlmas, Bettenhausens, Mears, allisons, Carters, Snevas, Whittingtons and Vukovichs.

In 2000, Chip Ganassi, Juan Pablo Montoya and Jimmy Vasser, CART drivers returned to Indianapolis for the first time in 4 years when two weeks of the CART schedules were announced and allowed its teams to compete. Montoya put on a dominating performance and led 167 of the 200 laps before winning, somewhat humiliating the IRL teams.The following year Penske announced that he would once again enter vehicles in the Indy 500. Penske drivers Helio Castroneves and Gil de Ferran walked away with first and second place. CART drivers actually claimed the top five positions in the race, with the 6th place award going to Tony Stewart, a NASCAR driver driving for a CART team. Stewart is the only driver to complete the full race distance in both races on the same day.

Penske and Ganassi became permanet entrants in the IRL for 2002, with various other former CART teams joining them in switching sides. Honda and Toyota switched their engine supply from CART to IRL in 2003, and CART went bankrupt shortly afterwards with all rights and infrastructure purchased by remaining car owners.

In 2001 the 25th run of the festival's Mini-Marathon featured nearly 24,000 entrants from all over the world were competing. The following year Helio Castroneves won again for Penske, but unfortunately the win was quite controversial as Paul Tracy claimed to have passed Castroneves on lap 199 before a yellow light, and Tracy's owner Barry Green appealed this. The win was upheld originally by the IRL before Tony George served as the official arbitrator. On July 3rd George decided that the placement of vehicles after a caution is a judgment call of the officials and not subject to appeal.

A Penske driver claimed victory yet again in 2003 as Gil de Ferran finished first. Consequently teammate Helio Castroneves was denied his third win a row, though he did finish second, just 0.2990 seconds behind de Ferran.

The following year the start of the race was delayed by two hours, before beginning, only to be halted again shortly after. At lap 180 the race ended again, this the final time as the race continued. Pole sitter Buddy Rice took the checkered flag. Receiving the best showing of any women in Indy 500 history, 23-year-old rookie Danica Patrick led the 2005 race for several laps before finishing fourth. The 2005 race was won by Dan Wheldon. Wheldon, Patrick and her teammate Vitor Meira swapped the lead six times during the last 50 laps.

Sam Hornish Jr. won his first Indy 500 in 2006 as he finished just 0.0635 seconds ahead of Marco Andretti, 19 year-old amateur. Winning the second-closest Indy 500 ever, Homish passed Andretti on the final lap of the race. Danica Patrick finished eighth in her second year at Indianapolis.

Following a three-hour delay due to rain, the 07 winner was Dario Franchitti.

Continuing to operate as a separate series, the Champ Car World series had eliminated all oval races from its schedule by 2006. A deal was brokered before the 2008 series to reunite Champ Car and the Indy Racing League's IndyCar Series. This brought an end to the 11 year long split.

The Indy Racing League currently specifies all of the technical regulations for the Indy 500. Except for special low-drag adjustable ‘Speedway' wings that only used for the Indy 5500, the rules are the same as every other IRL IndyCar race. Teams are allowed to enter up to two cars on a given car number, while the second ‘backup' vehicle is given that number followed by a ‘T'. Both vehicles may be practiced during the month, even simultaneously. All vehicles must undergo and pass a rigorous technical inspection before receiving a sticker that signifies its eligibility to practice. Before and after qualification vehicles must past yet another inspection. The first one focuses on safety aspects while the second inspection is to detect any deviations from the performance guidelines from the performance guidelines set forth by the league.

The first two to three weeks of practice and qualifying prior to the race is known in racing circles as ‘the month of May'. ‘Bump day' is the final day of qualifying when the drivers are removed from the field of 33 by being out-qualified by faster vehicles, they are said to have been ‘bumped'. ‘On the bubble' are the drivers with the slowest speed in a full field, and the first in line to be bumped. ‘Carburetion Day' or ‘Carb Day' is the Friday before the race day when the final practice session before the race is held. Every year since 1972 on the Friday before the race the ‘Last Row Party' is held to benefit charity.

Stating ‘Gentlemen, start your engines!' has been revised to ‘Lady and Gentlemen' or ‘Ladies and Gentleman' when female drivers are competing in the Indy 500 race.

A long-standing tradition of the Indianapolis 500 has been for the victor to drink a bottle of milk immediately following the race. This tradition began in 1936 when Victor Louis Meyer asked for a glass of buttermilk, something his *** had influenced him to drink on hot days. This soon became a ritual as milk companies became influential sponsors of the race and wanted to promote their product. Today, a 10,000 sponsorship by the American Dairy Association is awarded to the winner if he drinks the milk in victory lane.

The Indianapolis 500 has been the topic of several movies, numerous TV shows, media and more recently, a Wii and DS game based on the race.

IndyCar

The IndyCar® Series is America's premier open-wheel auto racing series. Drivers race on oval tracks, permanent road courses and temporary street circuits.

Indy cars are open-wheel with an open-cockpit and an engine in the rear behind the driver. 'Open-wheel' refers to the wheels being positioned outside the car's main body, and the 'open-cockpit' encloses the driver's body only, leaving their head exposed to the air.

Indy cars were originally known as 'Championship cars' or 'Champ Cars.' However, because of their appearance at the annual Indianapolis 500, many people use the name 'Indy car' synonymously.

Fast and furious, these cars are among the fastest in the world and the most challenging to master. Speeds on ovals can range in excess of 210 to 220 mph (335 to 350 km/h), and on larger oval circuits, such as at Indianapolis, in excess of 230 mph (370 km/h).

The day before each race, a 'qualification race' determines the eligibility and starting position of each car based on its performance on the racetrack. There are separate qualifying procedures for road courses and for ovals – each with plenty of high-stakes, high-speed action.

In the 2008 season, the IndyCar Series schedule includes 16 events, including an international race in Japan.

2008 Dallara Team Penske Indycar
Year	2008
Make	Dallara
Model	Team Penske Indycar
Engine Location	Rear
Drive Type	Rear Wheel
Body / Chassis	Carbon Fibre
Weight	1530 lbs \| 694 kg
Combined MPG	0.00

Performance
Top Speed	230 mph \| 370.1 km/h Similar top speeds

Engine
Engine Builder	Honda
Engine Configuration	V
Cylinders	8
Engine	Honda Racing H17R
Aspiration/Induction	Normal
Displacement	3.50 L \| 213.6 cu in. \| 3500.9 cc.
Valves	32 valves. 4 valves per cylinder.
Valvetrain	DOHC
Horsepower	670.00 HP (493.1 KW) @ 8200.00 RPM
HP to Weight Ratio	2.3 LB / HP (Vehicles with similar ratio)
HP / Liter	191.4 BHP / Liter
Redline	10300
Engine Weight	280.00 lbs
Engine Electronics	McLaren-Honda
Fuel Type	98% Ethanol 2% Gasoline
Fuel Feed	Fuel Injected
Block	Aluminum Alloy
Ignition System	CDI
Crankshaft	Alloy steel, five main bearing caps
Pistons	Forged aluminum alloy
Connecting Rods	Machined alloy steel
	Vehicles with similar horsepower and weight

Dimensions
Standard Payload	0.00
Fuel Capacity	22.0 Gal
Seating Capacity	1
Exterior
Length	192.001 in \| 4876.8 mm.
Width	78.001 in \| 1981.2 mm.
Height	38.001 in \| 965.2 mm.
Wheelbase	120.001 in \| 3048 mm.
	Vehicles with similar dimensions