Roger Penske’s racing dynasty

Roger Penske has built a racing dynasty

Roger Penske is celebrating his 50th year as a team owner. Team Penske debuted in 1966 in the 24 Hours of Daytona, won its first title in the U.S. Auto Club National Championship in 1977 and has a record 16 victories in the Indianapolis 500.

Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, Penske is guaranteed to collect his 14th career championship across three Indy car series: USAC, CART and IndyCar.

The only question remaining is whether Simon Pagenaud will score his first IndyCar title or Will Power will collect his second.

PENSKE BY THE NUMBERS

(through 2015)

13: Championships (across three series)

16: Runner-up finishes (across two series)

8: Drivers who have won an Indy car title under Penske — Rick Mears, three in CART; Tom Sneva, two in USAC; Al Unser, two in CART; Gil de Ferran, two in CART; Danny Sullivan, one in CART; Al Unser Jr., one in CART; Sam Hornish Jr., one in IndyCar; Will Power, one in IndyCar.

7: Combined times Helio Castroneves (four) and Power (three) and have been runner-up for the IndyCar title.

5: Times a Penske runner-up finished 10 points or fewer behind the champion — Juan Pablo Montoya (lost tiebreaker to Scott Dixon in 2015, 3 wins to 2); Power (-3 in 2012); Power (-5 in 2010); Emerson Fittipaldi (-8 in 1993); Mears (-10 in 1989).

4: Times Penske drivers were 1-2 in final standings — 1979 CART, Mears and Bobby Unser; 1981 CART, Mears and Bill Alsup*; 1994 CART, Unser Jr. and Fittipaldi; 2014 IndyCar, Power and Castroneves.

2: Titles since Penske left CART to join IndyCar in 2002. Hornish beat Dan Wheldon in 2006 in a tiebreaker, with four wins to Wheldon’s two. Power topped Castroneves by 62 points in 2014.

*-Alsup ran two races in his own car in 1981.

PENSKE’S CHAMPIONSHIP AND RUNNER-UP FINISHES

USAC National Championship
1977: Tom Sneva champion
1978: Tom Sneva champion

CART
1979: Rick Mears champion; Bobby Unser runner-up
1980: Bobby Unser runner-up
1981: Rick Mears champion; Bill Alsup runner-up
1982: Rick Mears champion
1983: Al Unser champion
1985: Al Unser champion
1988: Danny Sullivan champion
1989: Rick Mears runner-up
1993: Emerson Fittipaldi runner-up
1994: Al Unser Jr. champion; Emerson Fittipaldi runner-up
1995: Al Unser Jr. runner-up
2000: Gil de Ferran champion
2001: Gil de Ferran champion

IndyCar
2002: Helio Castroneves runner-up
2003: Gil de Ferran runner-up
2006: Sam Hornish Jr. champion
2008: Helio Castroneves runner-up
2010: Will Power runner-up
2011: Will Power runner-up
2012: Will Power runner-up
2013: Helio Castroneves runner-up
2014: Will Power champion; Helio Castroneves runner-up
2015: Juan Pablo Montoya runner-up
2016: Simon Pagenaud

Sources: Racing-Reference.info, Team Penske