After enjoying one of the most successful seasons in the history of the storied organization, Penske Racing is ready for an even bigger and better year in 2011.
Across all levels of racing, Penske Racing teams generated 18 wins, 22 poles, a NASCAR All-Star race victory, a road course title, an Indianapolis 500 pole position and the organization’s first NASCAR championship in 2010. It will be tough to top that this season but the teams are ready to raise the bar even higher.
Carrying the momentum of its first NASCAR title and looking to add to its legacy of success in motorsports, Penske Racing enters the 2011 NASCAR season with much anticipation and excitement.
After claiming the Nationwide Series championship in 2010 and producing an impressive nine victories and nine pole positions in both Cup Series and Nationwide Series competition last season, Penske Racing looks forward to continuing its production.
The organization has focused and streamlined its efforts for 2011 as it looks to produce another title run in both the Cup Series and Nationwide Series. Penske Racing will compete with two full-season entries in the NASCAR Cup Series and will race with one full-season team in the Nationwide Series. The organization will also compete with a second car at select Nationwide Series races in 2011.
After qualifying for the Chase for the Cup for the fifth time in his distinguished career last season, Kurt Busch returns for his sixth season with Penske Racing in 2011. The 2004 Cup Series champion will look to extend his impressive streak of winning at least one Cup Series race to 10 consecutive seasons in 2011. He also expects to fight for the title once again this season, but he’ll do it with a new look and feel. After driving the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge for the last five seasons, Busch will compete in the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge in 2011. Though racing in the popular yellow and red Shell-Pennzoil colors will represent a change for Busch, his team and hopefully his results will remain consistent this season. Steve Addington will once again be paired with Busch as crew chief of the No. 22 team and after the combination paid almost immediate dividends last season, the duo looks to increase their production in the coming months.
In his first full season of Cup Series racing, Brad Keselowski had his ups and downs in 2010. After earning the opportunity to take over one of the most iconic rides in motorsports, Keselowski is anxious to deliver in 2011. Though he showed great promise, won his first Cup Series pole and posted two top-10 finishes over the final five races of 2010, Keselowski felt he was capable of much more. He’ll get the opportunity to show what he can do this season in the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge. Keselowski will be paired with crew chief Paul Wolfe, who led the championship-winning effort for Keselowski and Penske Racing ‘s Nationwide Series team last season. Many of the team members from that winning unit will also move over to the Miller Lite team so table has been set for a successful second full Cup Series campaign for Keselowski.
Fresh off one of the most consistent and productive seasons in recent history of the Nationwide Series, Keselowski is back to fight for the title once again in 2011. After producing six wins, five poles and a series record 26 top-five finishes en route to the series title, Keselowski returns to drive the No. 22 Discount Tire/Ruby Tuesday Dodge. The team welcomes a new crew chief this season as Todd Gordon brings his years of experience atop the pit box to Penske Racing in 2011. Keselowski is excited about the full-season effort and the chance to defend his crown and with 12 Nationwide Series wins under his belt over the last three seasons, he’s certainly proven that he and the team will once again be a force to be reckoned with.
After competing on the Cup Series level full time for Penske Racing over the past three seasons, Sam Hornish Jr. will have a different role for the team in 2011. The former open-wheel racing star will compete in select Nationwide Series races in the No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Dodge. Coming off a season in which Hornish showed improved consistency and qualifying results, the 2006 Indianapolis 500 champion will continue to hone his stock car racing skills as he tests his mettle against some of NASCAR’s rising stars and veteran racers in the ultra-competitive Nationwide Series. Chad Walter, who led Penske Racing’s No. 12 Nationwide Series team to top-six championship finishes in each of the last two seasons, will serve as crew chief for Hornish and the Alliance Truck Parts team.
While Penske Racing is excited about its chances in 2011, the team also looks forward to a bright future in NASCAR. Talented young racer Parker Kligerman returns as Penske Racing’s development driver this season. With two top-10 results and a pole position earned in just 14 Nationwide Series starts, Kligerman has already showed his tremendous potential. 
In the IZOD IndyCar Series, Team Penske returns with a dynamic three-car lineup for 2011, once again featuring drivers Helio Castroneves, Ryan Briscoe and Will Power. The trio was responsible for nine wins and 13 poles in 2010 as all three drivers finished among the top five in the championship standings.
After claiming the inaugural Mario Andretti Road Course Championship last season while pacing the series in both wins and poles, Will Power returns behind the wheel of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Dallara/Honda. Power fell just five points shy of the overall series title and now fully recovered after the horrific practice accident at Infineon Raceway that ended his season early in 2009, Power is primed for another title run.
Castroneves extended his record streak of winning seasons to 11 consecutive years in 2010. He earned his fourth Indy 500 pole, three race victories and two poles overall as he finished fourth in the series standings – the fourth time in five years he’s finished among the top five in points. With a new look this season featuring sponsors Shell-Pennzoil, Guidepoint Systems and AAA on his no. 3 Team Penske car, Castroneves will look to make it another winning campaign as he strives for his record-tying fourth Indy 500 victory and that elusive first series title.
Fresh off a season that saw him earn a win at Texas and three poles while finishing fifth in the series title chase, Ryan Briscoe is back for his fourth season with Team Penske. With sponsorship from IZOD, PPG and Guidepoint Systems, Briscoe and his No. 6 Team Penske Dallara/Honda will also have a different look in 2011. After scoring six wins in the past three seasons, Briscoe hopes one thing that doesn’t change is success with the most successful team in the history of North American open-wheel racing.
With experience, talent and a history of success fortifying its teams at each level of competition, Penske Racing is poised to produce for its partners and fans in 2011.
