2014 Penske Racing Museum

Located in Phoenix, Arizona the Penske Racing Museum houses a collection of cars, trophies and racing memorabilia chronicling the career of one of the most successful dynasties in motorsports. Penske Racing has over 60 years of racing experience. On display in the museum are cars detailing the diversity of Penske Racing, such as the 1974 Formula One Penske PC1 driven by Mark Donohue. Additionally, there are several Indianapolis 500-mile race winners.

Roger Penske was one of America's most successful young road racers before electing to retire from driving to focus on his first business - a Philadelphia Chevrolet dealership. However, racing remained a key element in Penske's overall business plan.

Penske continues to succeed in all aspects of his business endeavors and motorsport exploits.

Squeezed between two modern-day NASCAR vehicles is this 1963 Pontiac Catalina driven by Roger Penske. Nichols Engineering owned the Pontiac, which was prepared to NASCAR specifications. The Catalina is powered by a Pontiac 421 cu.in. V8 Super Duty that produces 405 horsepower. The transmission is a Borg Warner T-10. The car is also equipped with Monroe shock absorbers and Moog springs. Penske won the 1963 Riverside 250 in this Pontiac.

The museum also houses this 1973 Porsche Carrera RSR. It is fitted with a 3.0-liter flat six-cylinder engine and produces 227 horsepower. This model of Porsche was used for the inaugural International Race of Champions (IROC), an American-based race series pitting international drivers from different motorsport disciplines. Mark Donohue won the first championship. Due to the performance disparity between the Porsches, they were replaced with Chevrolet Camaros.

There are many examples of successful open-wheel cars raced by the Penske team. This is the Sunoco McLaren M16B that Mark Donohue drove to victory in the 1972 Indianapolis 500. The McLaren's chassis is a monocoque with aluminum and steel panels, which holds 75 gallons of methanol. The bodywork is fiberglass. The engine is a Drake Offenhauser that produces 850 horsepower. Mated to the motor is a four-speed Hewland LG 500 transmission. The M16B weighs 1,500 lbs.

The Penske PC-5 was the first time Penske Racing campaigned its own chassis at the Indianapolis 500. It was designed by Geoff Ferris for the 1977 USAC season. The 1,550-lb. car uses a Ford Cosworth DFX with a Hewland LG 500 gearbox. The monocoque chassis uses inboard springs and shock absorbers. The Penske was the first car to qualify at a single lap record of over 200 mph at the Indianapolis 500.

The Porsche RS Spyder marked the triumphant return of Penske Racing to sports car racing. Penske Racing won the 1972 and 1973 Can-Am series with the Porsche 917/10K and 917/30. The Porsche Spyder RS uses a 575 horsepower 3.4-liter V8 and sequential six-speed transmission. The Spyder's first victory was the 2008 12 Hours of Sebring with drivers Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Emmanuel Collard. This was also the marques first overall victory at the event in 20 years.

The Penske PC-1 is another car designed by Geoff Ferris. The PC-1 was built to compete in the Formula One World Championship. The car used an aluminum monocoque chassis with a Ford Cosworth DVF 3.0 liter V8 engine and Hewland FG 400 transmission. The PC-1's first race was in 1974 at the Canadian Grand Prix with Mark Donohue behind the wheel. Donohue qualified twenty-fourth and finished twelfth. The Penske was uncompetitive and retired midway through the 1975 season.

Al Unser Sr. drove the No. 25 Penske prepared March 86C to his fourth Indianapolis 500 victory. The March was powered by a Cosworth Ford DFX DOHC V8 for the Indy 500. However, the engine was removed and an Ilmor Chevrolet motor was installed. On August 1, 1986, Rick Mears used this combination to set a new closed-course speed record of 223.402 mph at Michigan International Speedway.

This is the Ilmor Chevrolet 265-A, a 2.65-liter turbocharged V8 engine used in the CART PPG Indy Car World Series between 1986 and 1993. Ilmor was founded by Mario Illien and Paul Morgan, two former Cosworth employees. The Ilmor motor proved to be more powerful than the Cosworth engine, which was the series standard for many years. The Ilmor Chevrolet debuted with Team Penske at the 1986 Indianapolis 500.

At the entrance of the Penske Racing Museum is the No. 12 Altel-sponsored Dodge Charger. This car was driven by Ryan Newman during the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season. Under the hood is a 5.9-liter V8, which produces approximately 675 horsepower and 549 lb-ft of torque. The Dodge, which weighs about 3,400 lbs, has a top speed of 195 mph. Newman finished thirteenth in the final standings with a record of seven top-fives, fifteen top-tens, and five pole positions.

Danny Sullivan won the sixty-ninth running of the Indianapolis 500 in the No. 5 Penske March 85C. The event is well known for Sullivan's 'Spin and Win.' When he spun, Sullivan was passing Mario Andretti for the lead on lap 120. Andretti avoided hitting him, and Sullivan did a complete 360 without hitting the wall. The pair continued, and Sullivan completed a successful pass for the lead and win. This was Penske Racing's fifth Indy victory.

Another NASCAR out of the Penske Racing stables was the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger. The Dodge was piloted by Brad Keselowski during the 2012 season. Keselowski grabbed five NASCAR Cup victories with the Charger. He entered the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a twenty-point advantage over five-time champion Jimmie Johnson. Keselowski needed a fifteenth-place finish or better to take the crown. Johnson had issues; Keselowski finished fifteenth and captured the title.

Mario Andretti drove the No. 9 Penske PC-6 during the 1978 season. Andretti won the Machinist Union 150 at Trenton International Speedway with the car. The following year, Rick Mears won the pole and race at the Indianapolis 500. Mears's other victories came at Trenton and Atlanta Motor Speedway. He had a total of nine podium finishes in fourteen outings and secured the 1979 CART Indy Car Series championship.

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