No Improvement At Penske Racing

Posted by Jeremy Dunn Jul 16, 2008

The fact that Ryan Newman did not renew his contract with Penske Racing speaks volumes. The performance at PRS has been downright brutal ever since the tail end of the 2005 season. Newman and Kurt Busch had their bright moments in 2007, but they were inconsistent.

The drivers are not to blame. If you question Newman's ability, take a look at the 2004 champion Busch. Busch's performances has mirrored Newman's ever since he replaced Rusty Wallace in 2006. Even Wallace had a difficult time in his final years at Penske.

The bottom line is that Penske has the resources to be a upper echelon team. However, they cannot seem to break out of mediocrity, and if they do, it is momentary. Other than a three or four year span in the 1990's with Wallace, and in 2003 with Newman, Penske has never been a threat to Hendrick Motorsports, Roush Fenway Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, or even RCR.

It is not abnormal for a powerhouse team to fall behind. It happened with RCR following the passing of the late Dale Earnhardt. Childress revamped his operation, and after a year and a half of struggles, they began to vastly improve. Penske has not displayed any similar signs.

Busch is growing tired of the mediocre performances, and his contract expires at the end of 2009. If Penske continues as an also-ran, Busch will head to greener pastures.

Casey Mears and David Stremme are possible replacements, but they are significant downgrades. Jamie McMurray is another driver that may emerge as a candidate, but he is a downgrade as well. Martin Truex Jr would be a solid replacement, but why would he leave one midpack team for another?

With potential sponsorship issues on the 12 car, Penske may soon find himself in the same boat as his IRL adversary, Chip Ganassi.