Briscoe out at Penske?  No!

UPDATE #2 Speculation regarding Ryan Briscoe's future at Team Penske appears to have been answered as SPEED.com reports the 30-year-old Australian will return to Team Penske for his fifth season with the Tim Cindric-led team.

After a somewhat disappointing 2010 season, Briscoe's deal to return to Team Penske for 2011 was done late last year, and after going winless for the first time since joining Penske's IndyCar operation in 2008, questions regarding his continued presence in the three-car outfit grew more frequent until his option was picked up Tuesday.

Ryan Briscoe

10/21/11 Ryan Briscoe is confident, though not certain, he will return to Team Penske in 2012. He said during last weekend's Las Vegas event that even though he hasn't signed for a fifth season, concerns circulated in recent months are overblown.

"Rumors have exploded more than they need to," he said.

Roger Penske wouldn't commit to being close to finalizing Briscoe's deal — or Castroneves', for that matter — but said he wants to keep the three-driver lineup intact as the team moves to Chevrolet. Indy Star

09/16/11 Ryan Briscoe's agent, Max Angelelli, said the Australian's return to Team Penske in 2012 is questionable given a lack of sponsorship. But Angelelli said he is willing to wait a bit longer to see if the team can assemble a program for Briscoe.

"Roger (Penske) and Tim Cindric have been really good to us, especially this year," Angelelli said. "Roger wrote the check for Ryan (this season). I have to wait to give them a chance to see."

Angelelli said he and partner Wayne Taylor, who own one of the better Grand Am sports car teams, strongly considered fielding an IndyCar program next year but decided it wasn't financially feasible. Indy Star