LOUDON, N.H. – The 2016 season is the 50th for Team Penske, and owner Roger Penske already has had plenty of reason to celebrate.
Last Sunday, Penske drivers finished 1-2-3 in the IndyCar championship final standings, with Simon Pagenaud winning the title and teammates Will Power and Helio Castroneves second and third, respectively.
The icing on Penske’s cake would be a second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship, to go with the one Brad Keselowski won in 2012, and driver Joey Logano says there’s already significant pressure to deliver a another title to the Captain.
“They finished 1-2-3, so holy moly,” Logano said of his IndyCar counterparts. “I don’t know if you want to call it added pressure, but I think there’s plenty on us already, and I think we’re better under pressure. I like that. Fifty years for Team Penske. For them to do that on the 50th Anniversary is very special and it’s really cool to be somewhat a part of that.
“I feel like I’m part of the team–even the IndyCar team. There are a lot of guys that are cross-pollinated throughout our company… It makes the NASCAR guys want to go out here and continue this awesome year that Team Penske has had so far, and Brad and I have a great shot at it.
“What if we finished one-two at Homestead? How cool would that be? We have an amazing opportunity to do that. We’ve got a long ways to go to get there, but we can do it.”
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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