This year he wanted it back downtown and he wanted the event to be a celebration of Ind圜ar, of partner Chevrolet and of downtown Detroit. He wanted more for the city after its cleanup from the NFL title game, so he revitalized the Ind圜ar race on repurposed and dramatically cleaned Belle Isle. It was Penske who brought Ind圜ar back to Detroit after his 2006 stint as chair of Detroit’s Super Bowl committee. The race used to be downtown for both Formula One and an earlier version of Indy cars, but it became a hassle and fell off the schedule entirely. Penske cited mechanical failures, pit road mistakes and a letdown from Team Penske to Blaney as to why the driver had struggled to win.Īnd then he was talking about Detroit, where Penske Entertainment was the promoter of the downtown Ind圜ar event. He’s relentless, at any age, and offered a vociferous defense of Blaney’s 59-race winless streak finally snapped last Monday.

“That’s what we’re here for: to set goals for other people to try to achieve,” Penske said.

19 before Penske already was talking about a 20th. He leads the American return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans and is due to arrive in France on Tuesday with a three-car effort chasing a victory that has eluded him. The whirlwind week closed with a sold-out Sunday race in which Team Penske driver Will Power finished second, but Penske’s engine is still running at full throttle. Penske was in Detroit by Tuesday to oversee the return of downtown street racing for the first time in 32 years - a three-day festival for a reenergized city as Penske’s gift to his adopted hometown. There was zero time to bask in his press clippings. As any avid race fan would do.īlaney’s victory gave Penske a resume builder that somehow had evaded his illustrious career: Team Penske swept the two Memorial Day weekend races in the U.S. He watched on his cellphone as Ryan Blaney won the Coca-Cola 600 on a Monday, streaming the rain-delayed NASCAR race during the Indy 500 banquet. LE MANS, France (AP) - Roger Penske won the Indianapolis 500 on a Sunday and celebrated Josef Newgarden’s thrilling win as if it was the first for Team Penske, not a record-stretching 19th for The Captain.

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