Team Penske Headlines TMS Media Day
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The success of Team Penske in both the Verizon IndyCar Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was the main topic of conversation Tuesday during the Texas Motor Speedway Media Day held at the House of Blues in Dallas. The Team Penske duo of defending Duck Commander 500 champion Joey Logano and defending INDYCAR champ Will Power headlined the afternoon that previewed the fast-approaching Texas Motor Speedway race season.
For the organization run by legendary motorsports owner Roger Penske, success has come quickly this season in both series. Logano got the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season rolling in grand fashion in February by capturing the Daytona 500. Logano currently is second in the point standings while teammate Brad Keselowski, who also secured a victory in the young season (Las Vegas), sits in fourth.
The Verizon IndyCar Series opened its season in St. Petersburg, Fla., this past weekend and Penske showed its muscle there with Team Penske drivers sweeping the top four qualifying positions, including the pole by Power, and then Juan Pablo Montoya and Power finishing 1-2, respectively, in the race.
“Obviously, a great start for the IndyCar guys last week to have all our cars up at the
top was pretty special,” Logano said. “For Team Penske, that was a big deal. We didn’t get the win we wanted at Martinsville, but we were close (3rd) and that is something to be proud of and hopefully we can keep that momentum through the rest of the season.”
The wins by Logano and Keselowski should secure each of them a berth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, which comes on the heels of a 2014 season where both drivers were Chase qualifiers and posted a combined, single-season organizational record 11 Sprint Cup Series victories.
One race into the Verizon IndyCar Series season, Team Penske gave notice they plan to successfully defend the series championship and it could potentially be all four drivers vying for the crown. That success can be traced back to the leadership of Penske.
“That comes from the top and that’s how (team owner) Roger (Penske) runs his businesses and his race teams,” Power said. “It’s a pleasure to drive for Roger because, as a driver, you are given the best opportunity to win week in and week out and you can’t ask for any more than that.”
For Power, he expects the success to continue for Team Penske throughout this season.
“When I look at the IndyCar side we have four really strong drivers,” said Power, whose teammates consist of Montoya, Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud. “The engineering group and the work behind that is exceptional. As drivers, we keep finding things to get faster. I think it is the same on the NASCAR side. They have become just about the best team in NASCAR. They have two really strong drivers and it’s that same combination that makes it work.”
