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Team Penske Craves Winning

Indianapolis, IN – Roger Penske and his elite corps of drivers and leaders addressed the media on the eve of Pole Day, the second most important day of the month at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

With an unprecedented 14 Indianapolis 500 wins, Penske and team president Tim Cindric along with drivers Helio Castroneves, Ryan Briscoe and Will Power are leaving no stone unturned in their search for another victory in the world’s most prestigious race.

“Each race has its own difficulties, opportunities, thrills and wins, but we put them behind us when we start focusing on next year’s race,” Penske said. “We know what it takes (to win), and we understand the type of preparation and reliability that are needed. When you look at our group, we probably have a combined 600 to 700 years of experience at this track, plus we have three drivers who could win this race. We are as focused as ever to win the race.”

Discussing his stable on drivers, Penske stated, “Helio (Castroneves) is back on his game. Will (Power) took a risk with us, and he’s given us a terrific response and has a chance to run with the team. Ryan (Briscoe) has more confidence than ever with us, and he’s gotten off to a great start this season.”

The highly successful businessman and team owner also heaped praise on Tim Cindric, who manages the team and sets the strategies to be followed.

Cindric indicated the Penske team started preparing for the 2009 race the day after the 2008 edition ended. “We felt we missed a step a year ago,” he said. “We felt we needed to be better this year. Everything we have done in the off season is focused on what happens here, whether we are running one, two or three cars.”

With the economic slowdown, Penske noted that the IndyCar Series deserves credit for keeping its costs under control. “Our cost to run this series is probably one-third of what it takes to run in NASCAR. Today, the average team can run the entire season for $4 to $5 million while it would cost upwards of $20 million in NASCAR.”

Mears, the four-time Indianapolis 500 winner, assists the Team Penske drivers wherever he can. Heading toward Pole Day, he has concentrated on assisting Power in his quest for speed. Even though racing has changed over the years, Mears believes the preparation followed by Team Penske was just as great years ago as it is today.

Capturing the pole position and qualifying the three cars among the first-11 qualifiers are the chief goals for Team Penske. But Penske and his drivers know the weather will play a major role in the weekend’s activities and the deciding when to make a qualifying attempt is another significant factor.

“With three good cars, our chances of being in the winner’s circle are much better,” Penske noted. “Each win is special. Whether we won last year or not doesn’t make any difference. We think we have come out of the box strong with our win at St. Petersburg and the way we ran at Long Beach and Kansas, we know we have momentum on our side.”

Said Briscoe, “This is the first time I don’t feel like a rookie here. I was a complete rookie my first time, then I had a year away before coming back in 2007 for a one-off race, and then I came back last year to get up to speed with oval racing. Coming off the race at Kansas Speedway has given me a lot of confidence going into the 500.”

For Castroneves, the two-time race winner is on a comeback journey and he may be more focused than ever. “My best therapy is to do with I love and what I know to do. Coming back to the race environment has been awesome for me,” he said.”

Discussing the importance of qualifications, Castroneves stated, “You try to squeeze a little more speed out of the car, but we never take unnecessary chances. You have to follow your instincts and let the track tell you what to do.” To date, he has two pole positions to his credit.

Power, the team’s newest driver, has enjoyed the mentoring provided by Mears and other team members. “As you go through the process of trimming out the car, Rick (Mears) is able to point you in the right direction as he has so much experience and understanding with the track. He has been a big help to me.”

Penske affirmed that each of his 14 victories has a special meaning, but he also indicated the pressure to win intensifies with each race.
And with each trip to victory circle, the proud owner upgrades his license plate to commemorate the win. “I would like nothing better than to change my plate to read ‘Won Indy 14’ to ‘Won Indy 15,'” he said, trying to downplay his thirst for victory.

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