Have a FaceBook, Twitter, or other social networking account?

Link them to your fanatic account!

Add An Account

TAKE ME TO...
NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Busch, Hornish Want To Deliver For Penske
Roger Penske-owned cars have won the Indianapolis 500 15 times, but he’s 0-15 in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted July 25, 2009   Speedway, IN
Hornish has already delivered an Indy 500 victory for Penske, passing Marco Andretti just a couple of hundred feet from the checkered flag in 2006 in one of the most dramatic Indy finishes ever. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
When talk turns to Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Roger Penske, the story ought to be called “A Tale Of Two Brickyards.”

Throughout his career as an IndyCar owner, Penske has dominated the fabled Indianapolis 500, winning 15 times, including two months ago when Helio Castroneves captured his third 500 victory.

But on the NASCAR side of the ledger, “The Captain” is winless, having failed to put a car in victory lane in the first 15 editions of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Nothing. Naturally, the drivers of the three Penske Championship Racing Dodge Chargers — Kurt Busch, Sam Hornish Jr. and David Stremme — would like to eliminate one of the rare goose eggs from Penske’s car-owner resume.

Hornish has already delivered an Indy 500 victory for Penske, passing Marco Andretti just a couple of hundred feet from the checkered flag in 2006 in one of the most dramatic Indy finishes ever. He’d love to add a Brickyard victory to his — and Penske’s — record as well.

“Obviously, I want to go out there and win. I want Roger to be able to get a win at the Brickyard,” said Hornish. “When I came over here last year, a lot of people wanted to know why I wanted to do that. Roger hadn’t won a (NASCAR) championship. Hadn’t won a Daytona 500. Hadn’t won at the Brickyard and I wanted to try and help him do that. To be a part in the team and help in any way is enough for me. I feel like coming out here and giving him something that he’s never had. Roger has so many things. It would be great.”

Busch concurred.

“It’s always fun knowing that Roger is the ‘King of Indy’ and that we have a shot, us three — myself, Sam Hornish Jr., and David Stremme — to drive one of his race cars at Indy and try to bring home a win,” said Busch, who had his best Brickyard finish of fifth as a NASCAR Sprint Cup rookie in 2001. “It’s something that we want to do. It’s puzzling to me why it hasn’t happen. So we just hope that we have the best car when we show up.”

Although he’s yet to win here, Busch knows that IMS is one of racing’s crown jewels. Asked to explain what makes it special, Busch said, “Just the fact that it’s Indy and it’s been here since the early 1900s. All the greats who have won here have stood on a different plateau after they hoisted up the trophy. You can win here. You can win at different race tracks, but Daytona and Indianapolis are the big marquee events that stand alone on the Cup circuit. … When you win here, it’s a coveted prize. It seems to go that many more miles than other race victories. It’s just prestige that surrounds this event that creates the environment.”

As for Hornish, he thinks the Brickyard is as important as the 500, and more fun.

“This to me is just as big,” Hornish said. “It’s still like being a kid again and walking out there and seeing all these things going on. It’s always surprising in an IndyCar because you’re here for three weeks and you never got to see it full. We’re only here three days and don’t have all that time and everything is sped up a bit.”




Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of ?Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,? and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to

tom_jensen's avatar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Jensen

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR
Advertising | Jobs | Feedback | FAQ | Terms of Use | NEW Privacy Policy | Ad Choices | Site Map
Fox Sports | FUEL TV | FX Network | National Geographic | IGN | AskMen
The Motor Sports Authority, SPEED and associated logos are registered trademarks of Speed Channel Inc.
All Rights Reserved © Speed Channel, Inc. 2012

All external links will open in a new browser window. SPEED.com does not endorse external sites.