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Penske's Back

© Seth Ronald Eichhorn

Well, it's official. Marlboro Team Penske will return to the Indy 500 in 2001 and will also enter the Copper World 200 from Phoenix International Raceway in March in preparation for the "500". This will mark the first Indy start for a Penske owned car since 1994 when Al Unser Jr. won the race. In 1995 the Penske team failed to qualify with Unser and Emerson Fittipaldi, and withdrew from Indy racing after that attempt. Unser, now back in the IRL fold, drives for Galles Racing, historically one of Penske's chief rivals.

This year's Penske entries will include 2000 CART champion, Gil deFerran and Helio Castroneves. For deFerran this marks his second run at the Brickyard. The first ended in tragedy on the first lap, as deFerran was involved in a six car accident that took him out of the race and left him with a 29th place finish in the record book. At that time, he was driving for racing legend Jim Hall. Castroneves will carry the traditional "Rookie Stripes" in this his first attempt at the "500."

The Penske team tested in July with a G Force chassis and in October and November with the Dallara/Olds that will be the set-up for their return to IRL competition. The Penske entries will carry sponsorship by Marlboro for the events. "It means a lot to me, particularly the fact that I am going there with Marlboro Team Penske, which has a great history at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway," deFerran told reporters.

Team Penske has a long and storied tradition at Indy, dating back to their first win in 1972 with the late Mark Donahue in the cockpit. Their last win was by Unser's 1994 victory, with eight other victories in between. Always one of the dominate forces in open-wheel racing, Team Penske has always been the team to beat anytime they pulled into Gasoline Alley.

With this announcement, it looks like the Indy 500 is starting to return to its old self, with the top teams and drivers in competition. It's good to see the rift between the IRL and CART start to close and see the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" again start to live up to its name. This is the place for the best of the best to test their skills, regardless of sanctioning body affiliation, and with the return of Roger Penske's troops to the Brickyard, it moves ever closer to returning to it's rightful place in motor racing. I can only hope that more CART teams will put differences aside and join Team Penske as Mari Hulman George says those famous words in 2001.

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