Team Penske Unveils 50th Anniversary Celebration Plans

Team Penske, which owns more Indy car wins (178) and Indianapolis 500 victories (16) than any team in the sport’s history, has unveiled plans for the year-long celebration of its 50th anniversary in motorsports in 2016.

“Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Team Penske” will be a multi-faceted program that includes media and fan engagement, sponsor partnerships, special events and more. The commemoration kicks off Jan. 20 with a gathering of current and past Team Penske drivers in all disciplines in Charlotte, North Carolina, and will include a special Team Penske exhibit at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum to debut in February in conjunction with the 100-day countdown to the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.

The IMS museum display will not only feature cars representing each Team Penske driver’s first win at IMS, but will also include vehicles, artifacts and trophies from Penske’s rich motorsports history.

“We are very proud of all Team Penske has accomplished over the last 50 years,” team owner Roger Penske said. “The celebration of our 50th anniversary is truly a credit to the hard work, preparation and execution of our teams over the years. The 2016 season will be a special one in our history as we have the opportunity to reflect back on our heritage while continuing to produce and win at a high level each week on the racetrack.”

Beginning as Roger Penske Racing in 1966, competing in sports car and endurance events, Team Penske has grown into one of the most successful racing teams – and sports teams – in the world. The team won its class in the 24 Hours of Daytona in its first start and since then Team Penske has produced a combined 424 wins, 487 pole positions and 28 national championships in Indy cars, NASCAR, Formula One and sports cars.

Bourdais Added to Ganassi Lineup For Rolex 24 At Daytona

Four-time Indy car champion Sebastien Bourdais has been added to the roster of Chip Ganassi Racing drivers who will pilot the Ford GT in the Rolex 24 At Daytona endurance sports car race Jan. 30-31.

Bourdais, who competes in the Verizon IndyCar Series with KV Racing Technology and owns 34 career Indy car wins, will join American Joey Hand and German Dirk Muller in the No. 66 Ford GT. German Stefan Mucke will be paired with Australian and long-time Indy car driver Ryan Briscoe and England’s Richard Westbrook in the No. 67 Ford GT. The two cars will compete in the GT Le Mans category.

Ford created the all-new iteration of the iconic GT to mark the 50th anniversary of the company’s 1-2-3 sweep of the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Ford GT40. Ford started its march to Le Mans 50 years ago with a win at the Rolex 24 At Daytona that included Indy car great Lloyd Ruby as one of the drivers.

The Ganassi team, which has won the Daytona 24-hour race a record six times, announced last week that reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon and Ganassi IndyCar teammate Tony Kanaan will return to defend their 2015 Rolex 24 win in the No. 02 Ganassi Ford EcoBoost Prototype. Dixon and Kanaan will again team with their NASCAR stablemates, Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson.

“We’re proud to have the defending Prototype champions from last year, along with the excitement worldwide with the reintroduction of the Ford GT,” said team owner Chip Ganassi. “I think we’ve built a very strong effort for the 2016 race in the Prototype class, which gives us two more solid chances to get to victory lane.”

Others scheduled to drive in the Rolex 24 include Verizon IndyCar Series drivers Mikhail Aleshin, Townsend Bell, Ryan Briscoe, Jack Hawksworth, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Simon Pagenaud, Spencer Pigot and Graham Rahal and Mazda Road to Indy drivers Jose Gutierrez and Sean Rayhall.

Montoya’s Indy 500 Win Earns Autoweek Moment Award

It was one of the most exciting and dramatic races in 99 editions of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, so it is fitting that Juan Pablo Montoya’s 2015 victory at the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” should be honored in the inaugural Autoweek Awards announced by the popular car culture magazine.

Autoweek is recognizing individuals or organizations in seven categories that contributed to the advancement and continued relevance of car culture and motorsports last year. Montoya’s Indy 500 triumph, which saw him rally from 30th place to win by 0.1046 of a second in the fourth-closest finish in race history, captured the 2016 Autoweek Moment Award.

“The Indy 500 has produced so many great races and great moments in races,” said Rory Carroll, Autoweek’s content editor. “Even recently when a lot of top-level racing has become less than compelling to watch, Indy seems to have found a recipe for great competition and this year’s ‘500’ is a great example of that. You had, obviously, the spectacle that always comes with that race, and a lot of action during the course of the race. But the way it ended, four lead changes in the final 14 laps, with (Scott) Dixon, (Will) Power and Montoya was arguably the best finish in any major race this year. Our staff certainly thought so.”

Or, he will recommend other natural treatment if it is too soft cialis pills mild. Much of the misunderstanding in gender relations occurs purchase female viagra in relation to it. cialis buy usa Kamagra relaxes the muscles and helps in a proper quantity. Lee Davis and Joe Breeze will lead the reporting team, with additional contributions from NASCAR Insider Marty Smith as well as ESPN buy cialis from canada The Magazine’s Ryan McGee. Montoya’s 2015 victory was his second Indy 500 career win. It also marked the 16th for team owner Roger Penske, more than any other.

“I am honored to receive the 2016 Autoweek Moment Award, but I really look at it as a team award,” Montoya said. “I wouldn’t have been in position to win the 2015 Indianapolis 500 without the hard work of everyone at Team Penske, specifically the guys on the No. 2 Verizon Chevy team. Anytime you win an Indy 500 for Roger Penske, it is a huge deal. Hopefully we can make it two in a row this year for the 100th running of the race.”

Montoya’s winning car will be part of the IndyCar display at the North American International Auto Show that runs Jan. 11-24 at Detroit’s Cobo Center.

Veteran Public Safety Official To Fill Senior Position At Hulman Motorsports

Veteran public safety official Michael G. Bates will join Hulman Motorsports as Senior Director of Safety and Security beginning Jan. 14. Bates takes on this new position after serving as Deputy Chief of Police for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, heading IMPD’s Homeland Security Division and playing a leading role in safety and security planning for Super Bowl XLVI, several NCAA Final Fours, Big Ten Conference championships and NFL playoff games.

“Keeping everyone safe and ensuring a worry-free trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and all Verizon IndyCar Series venues will always be mission critical,” said Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman & Company, the parent of IMS and the Verizon IndyCar Series. “Mike has been an outstanding leader of safety and security efforts for every major event Indianapolis has thrown in recent years, including the Super Bowl. He knows what it takes to develop and execute a world-class public safety plan at high-profile venues and he is the right individual to take on this responsibility for us.”

Bates has served as deputy chief at IMPD since 2010, leading more than 250 sworn officers and 20 civilian employees within the Homeland Security Division. In that time, he has coordinated IMPD and inter-agency safety and security efforts for all large events in the city. Units under his supervision have been charged with monitoring terror threats, protecting visiting dignitaries, analyzing traffic patterns and flow and tracking aviation activities. Bates began his career as an officer patrolling the city’s West District and worked his way up to sergeant, lieutenant, captain, commander and finally deputy chief in his nearly 30-year law enforcement tenure.

“I’m honored to join the team at Hulman Motorsports and work on behalf of racing fans from across the country and globe who see the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and other IndyCar venues as second homes,” Bates said. “No one hosts major sporting events better than the city of Indianapolis and I’m proud to say our safety and security planning is a major contributor to our stellar reputation. I plan to take the lessons I’ve learned and the relationships I’ve built throughout my public safety career and put them to good use in this new role.”

In his new role at Hulman Motorsports, Bates will be responsible for developing, refining and implementing IMS and IndyCar safety and security plans. At IMS, he will be responsible for the development, implementation and coordination of public safety and security, emergency preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation plans, exercises, procedures and staff programs. At IndyCar, he will be responsible for defining policies, procedures and best practices for public safety, security and emergency preparedness for the Verizon IndyCar Series races, then implementing and executing plans in cooperation with race promoters and track venues.

Hunter-Reay, Hinchcliffe Ring In New Year Memorably

Verizon IndyCar Series drivers Ryan Hunter-Reay and James Hinchcliffe found memorable ways to ring in the New Year. Hunter-Reay drove the “pace car” for the 127th annual Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, while Hinchcliffe attended the NHL’s Bridgestone Winter Classic in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Honda, which supplies engines to Hunter-Reay’s Andretti Autosport Verizon IndyCar Series team, asked him to lead the parade of floats and bands in its new Acura NSX on New Year’s Day while his family watched from the grandstands. While it was at a snail’s pace – 2.5 mph – to what he is accustomed, Hunter-Reay filed it away in the memory books.

“I never thought I could drive so slow for so long!” said Hunter-Reay, the 2012 Verizon IndyCar Series and 2014 Indianapolis 500 champion. “But the crowd was absolutely amazing for the entire 5.5-mile parade route. Today really makes me want to jump back into my Honda-powered Indy car and put my foot down and race. I am ready for some speed, for sure!”

Later in the day, the Hunter-Reays attended the 102nd Rose Bowl Game, which Stanford won 45-16 over Iowa.

A native Canadian, Hinchcliffe was right at home for the Winter Classic, played Jan. 1 on the specially created outdoor rink at Gillette Stadium, the home of the NFL’s New England Patriots. Hinchcliffe watched the Montreal Canadiens defeat the Boston Bruins, 5-1, and attended other special events over a three-day period as a special guest of IndyCar partners Firestone and Honda.

On New Year’s Eve, “The Mayor of Hinchtown” was up close for the NHL alumni players’ game, where he was interviewed on the live broadcast by IndyCar’s Canadian broadcast partner Sportsnet. The rink remained intact Jan. 2 for a public skate, where Hinchcliffe donned a pair of skates and took to the ice with youngsters from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston.