Team owner Roger Penske had a big year in motorsports by claiming championships, wins in prestigious races along with being elected as a part of the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2019.
Penske celebrated championships in two series in a week of one another with Joey Logano winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series title and Scott McLaughlin capturing the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship over the weekend in the team’s partnership with Dick Johnson Racing.
“To drive for Roger Penske, what an amazing opportunity,” Logano said after winning Team Penske’s second Cup Series championship. “Quite a few years ago, I knew being with someone like that, you can’t lose because he’s a winner, and you want to surround yourself with winners all the way through.”
In its 52-year history, Team Penske now has 34 driver/owner championships across a number of series.
The 2018 season also saw Team Penske pick up a number of big race wins that included three at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Grand Prix of Indianapolis, Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400. Brad Keselowski’s victory in the Brickyard 400 was the second of three consecutive wins for the driver of the No. 2 Ford that comprised of the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway and the playoff opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
“When you think about the milestones and all the times we tried to win at the Brickyard,” Penske said. “Winning all three races there this season, the Southern 500 and Bobby Allison I think back was the last guy that won that for us.
“You think about that history and the time and people we’ve been together, and Don Miller and some of the people that were really at the beginning of the start of our team. Jimmy Makar was one of our best guys, and you see some of these people that are migrated into other teams, but high respect for our people. We’ve got great sponsors, and one of the things that I’d have to say, we delivered for our sponsors, and that’s given us the opportunity to fund this team at the level it needs to be.”
To go along with the championships, Team Penske also reached a milestone this season with 500 wins in motorsports when Keselowski took the checkered flag at Las Vegas. Logano’s victory in the season-finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway was the seventh of the season, and 114th in Cup, for Penske.
“Probably our best year in racing,” Penske said.
