Team Penske (formerly known as Penske Racing) is an American professional auto racing organization that competes in the IndyCar Series, NASCAR Cup Series, and the IMSA SportsCar Championship. The team made its competitive debut at the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona and has since participated in a wide range of professional motorsport disciplines, including Formula One, Can-Am, Trans-Am, and Australia's Supercars Championship. Over the course of its history, Team Penske has amassed more than 500 race victories and secured over 40 championships across various categories of auto racing. The team operates as a division of Penske Corporation and is owned and chaired by Roger Penske.
IndyCar Series Team Penske currently fields three entries in the IndyCar Series: the No. 2 Hitachi Dallara/Chevrolet driven by Josef Newgarden, the No. 3 Dallara/Chevrolet driven by Scott McLaughlin, and the No. 12 Verizon Dallara/Chevrolet driven by David Malukas. Among the team's most notable former drivers are four-time Indianapolis 500 winners Al Unser, Rick Mears, and Hélio Castroneves. At the 2024 Indianapolis 500, Team Penske claimed its record 20th victory in the prestigious event. The team has also secured the IndyCar Series championship 16 times.All 20 Indy Car Race Winners in Team Penske History, from Mark Donohue to Scott McLaughlin, Autoweek, date not specified. Available at: https://www.autoweek.com/racing/indycar/g32938291/team-penske-indycar-winners-donohue-newgarden/ (Accessed: 18 June 2025).
The open-wheel division of Penske Racing was based in Reading, Pennsylvania from 1973 onward. During the Formula One and CART eras, the team's cars were constructed in Poole, Dorset, England, which also served as the base of the Formula One operation. On October 31, 2005, Penske Racing announced that, following the conclusion of the 2006 IRL season, it would consolidate its IndyCar and NASCAR operations at its facility in Mooresville, North Carolina. However, due to severe flooding in Pennsylvania in 2006, the relocation to Mooresville occurred earlier than originally planned.
IndyCar history Early days
Team Penske's involvement in IndyCar racing dates back to 1968, when Roger Penske first entered the series with a stock block-powered Eagle chassis driven by Mark Donohue. The team made its debut at the Indianapolis 500 in 1969, where Donohue earned the title of Rookie of the Year. In 1971, Donohue delivered Team Penske's first IndyCar victory at the Pocono 500, and the following year, he secured the team's first Indianapolis 500 victory in May 1972.
In 1978, Penske - alongside Pat Patrick, Dan Gurney, and several other prominent team owners - co-founded Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART). This new sanctioning body was formed in response to ongoing disputes with USAC, and it governed what were then commonly referred to as Champ Cars or IndyCars.
As of August 11, 2025, Team Penske has achieved:
20 victories in the Indianapolis 500 18 pole positions at the Indianapolis 500 200* open-wheel race wins across USAC, CART, and IRL 29 victories in 500-mile races 13 open-wheel championships
In total, the team has made 2,064 starts in IndyCar competition, earned 231 pole positions, 244 wins, and 308 poles.
Oldsmobile and Chevrolet engines era In 2001, Team Penske returned to the Indianapolis 500 after a five-year absence, a result of the open-wheel split that followed the 1995 PPG IndyCar World Series season. The team competed using Oldsmobile engines. Later that year, Roger Penske announced that the organization would withdraw from CART and fully transition to the IRL IndyCar Series beginning with the 2002 season, this time with support from Chevrolet engines.
Toyota engines (2003–2005) Following Toyota's decision to transition from CART/Champ Car to the IRL IndyCar Series, Team Penske announced on April 2, 2002, that it would switch to Toyota engines beginning with the 2003 season. The partnership began successfully, highlighted by Gil de Ferran's victory at the 2003 Indianapolis 500.
However, performance began to decline in 2004, with the team achieving only two race wins, five pole positions, and three fastest laps, a noticeable drop from the previous year. This decline was attributed in part to driver errors and on-track incidents. In 2005, the team experienced a modest resurgence, securing three wins and two pole positions, though overall performance remained below expectations compared to earlier seasons.
Honda engines (2006–2011) On October 31, 2005, it was announced that Team Penske would end its engine partnership with Toyota and switch to Honda, signing an initial five-year agreement. This marked a renewed collaboration, as Penske had previously worked with Honda engines during the 2000-2001 CART Champ Car seasons. Following the announcement, the team confirmed Hélio Castroneves and Sam Hornish Jr. as its official race drivers.
Despite Honda's status as a single engine supplier in IndyCar at the time, Penske received de facto factory support, with engines delivered directly from Honda's racing divisions in Japan and the United States, along with tuning assistance from Ilmor Engineering in Plymouth, Michigan. The partnership began strongly in 2006, as Sam Hornish Jr. won both the Indianapolis 500 and the IndyCar Series championship.
The Castroneves-Hornish Jr. pairing remained intact for 2007. The second year of the Honda partnership showed initial promise, with the team contending for both the Indianapolis 500 and the season championship. However, a series of driver errors and on-track incidents resulted in only two race victories, and the team failed to secure any major titles - its first such outcome since 2005.
On November 9, 2007, Sam Hornish Jr. announced his move to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for the 2008 season, driving full-time with Team Penske. Four days later, Ryan Briscoe, who had previously competed in Champ Car and the American Le Mans Series, was announced as Castroneves's new teammate.
The 2008 season began slowly for Team Penske. However, Castroneves managed five top-four finishes, including two second-place results. Briscoe took time to adjust to the team and car setup, but ultimately earned his first IndyCar victory at the Milwaukee Mile, while Castroneves claimed a win at Infineon Raceway. Castroneves narrowly missed winning the 2008 championship, finishing second to Scott Dixon after the final round at Chicagoland Speedway.
In 2009, Verizon Wireless joined ExxonMobil (then McLaren's fuel and lubricant partner) as an associate sponsor. The team introduced a third car, the No. 12, driven by Will Power, initially as a substitute for Castroneves. The entry featured primary sponsorship from Verizon and Penske Truck Rental.
The 2010 season marked Team Penske's fifth year with Honda and the first time since 1994 that it fielded a three-car full-time lineup, with Will Power joining Castroneves and Briscoe full-time. The team started the year strongly, winning the first three races. Power emerged as a championship contender, but a suspension failure at the season finale in Homestead-Miami dashed his title hopes. Penske concluded the season with nine wins, thirteen pole positions, and six fastest laps, most of which were achieved by Power.
On November 12, 2010, Team Penske confirmed that it would end its Honda partnership after the 2011 season, switching to Chevrolet engines for 2012. In the final year of the Honda era, the driver lineup of Castroneves, Briscoe, and Power remained unchanged. The team lost ExxonMobil as a sponsor (who moved to Stewart-Haas Racing in NASCAR), with Shell and Pennzoil becoming Penske's official motor oil partners.
The 2011 season began with two early wins for Power, including his first career oval victory at Texas Motor Speedway. Heading into the final round at Las Vegas, Power trailed Dario Franchitti by 18 points. However, on lap 11, Power was involved in a tragic 15-car accident that claimed the life of Dan Wheldon, the defending Indianapolis 500 winner. The race was cancelled in Wheldon's honor, and the championship standings reverted to their pre-race positions, awarding Franchitti his third consecutive and fourth overall title.
Team Penske ended the 2011 season with six victories, all by Will Power, while Castroneves and Briscoe failed to win a race.
Return to Chevrolet engines (2012–present) For the 2012 IndyCar Series season, Roger Penske announced Team Penske's return to Chevrolet engines, receiving full factory backing from General Motors. As part of this renewed partnership, the team benefited from free engines supplied formally by Ilmor Engineering - in which Penske holds a stake - and Chevrolet, along with access to official Chevrolet team vehicles, financial support, and technical personnel stationed at the team's Mooresville, North Carolina base.RACER, (2019) Chevy, Penske explain new partnership, 17 July. Available at: http://www.racer.com/chevy-penske-explain-new-partnership/article/190710/ (Accessed: 18 June 2025).
Penske dominated the early part of the 2012 season, winning four consecutive races. Hélio Castroneves claimed victory in the season opener at St. Petersburg, followed by Will Power winning at Barber, Long Beach, and São Paulo. Although Ryan Briscoe struggled throughout the year, he managed a win at Sonoma. Power, however, came up short in the championship after a crash in the season finale. Briscoe left the team following the season to pursue other opportunities.
In 2014, after finishing runner-up in the championship three consecutive times (2010–2012), Will Power finally clinched the IndyCar Series Championship, adding another title to Team Penske's legacy.
The 2015 season began strongly, with Juan Pablo Montoya winning the opening race - his second with Penske since returning from NASCAR in 2014. Teammates Will Power, Hélio Castroneves, and new signing Simon Pagenaud finished 2nd, 4th, and 5th respectively. Power won at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, and Montoya captured his second Indianapolis 500 victory shortly after, once again finishing ahead of Power. Despite a strong campaign, Montoya lost the championship to Scott Dixon on a tie-breaker in the final race.
Team Penske dominated the 2016 season, finishing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the final standings. Simon Pagenaud capped off the year with a commanding victory and secured his first IndyCar title, becoming the ninth Penske driver to do so. It marked Team Penske's 14th championship, and their second in three years following Power's 2014 win.Autoweek, (2017) Simon Pagenaud, Chevrolet win finale, Verizon IndyCar Series championship for Team Penske, 17 September. Available at: https://www.autoweek.com/racing/indycar/a1854476/simon-pagenaud-chevrolet-wins-finale-verizon-indycar-series-championship-team-penske/ (Accessed: 18 June 2025).
In 2017, Penske signed Josef Newgarden from Ed Carpenter Racing. Newgarden quickly delivered, winning the championship that year and again in 2019, giving the team back-to-back titles. Meanwhile, Will Power and Simon Pagenaud claimed back-to-back Indianapolis 500 wins in 2018 and 2019 respectively. In 2020, although Penske drivers won more races than any other team, they missed out on both the Indianapolis 500 and the IndyCar championship, with Newgarden unable to defend his title against Dixon.