Gordon Walter Johncock (born August 5, 1936) is an American former racing driver. He won the Indianapolis 500 twice, and was the 1976 USAC Marlboro Championship Trail champion.
103-701: Johncock initially began racing at Michigan tracks like the Old Hastings, MI Raceway, Capital City Speedway in Lansing, MI, the Grand Rapids MI Speedrome, and later at Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan. Johncock began his USAC and CART/IndyCar career in 1964 when he drove for Weinberger Racing. He ran four races in 1964, and then went full-time in 1965. Johncock's first USAC victory was scored at
206-414: A 19-year partnership. The team subsequently changed their livery to black and white with red trim, reflecting Verizon sponsorship (similar to McLaren Formula One team when they had a black-silver livery from 1997 to 2005 reflecting Mercedes-Benz engines and West sponsorship). Penske first fielded a blue Sunoco 1967 Chevrolet Camaro driven by Mark Donohue in this series designed for Pony cars like
309-406: A 2004 interview on ESPN Classic 's "Big Ticket" review of the 1982 Indy 500. In the interview, he admitted that his interests in racing were now limited, and was no longer his daily focus. In discussing the 1973 race, Johncock appeared to have made peace with the circumstances. While most discredit the race as being rain-shortened, and for its overall miserable memories, Johncock insisted that his car
412-464: A gold car built by Harry Miller that completely enclosed the driver (called the " Golden Submarine "), and in June 1917, he beat DePalma in a series of 10 to 25 mi (40 km) match races. The July 17, 1933, race was rained out. Wilbur Shaw and the other drivers convinced the track promoters to run the race the following day and the term "rain date" was born. Huge new grandstands were installed in
515-471: A pair of fourths in 1973 at Daytona and 1966 at Rockingham . Johncock abruptly retired from IndyCar racing during the first week of practice for the 1985 Indianapolis 500, just before qualifications. He served on the IMS Radio Network in 1985 but decided to return to racing in 1986. He planned to enter the 1986 Indianapolis 500 , but his funding for a car fell through. He wound up sitting out
618-436: A performance in a nearly twenty years; none of Team Penske's drivers qualified inside the top fifteen, Will Power was almost bumped from the starting lineup, and their best result was a third-place via a late charge by Simon Pagenaud. A bright spot for the team was their partnership with all-female operated Paretta Autosport team for the 2021 Indianapolis 500 ; Team Penske prepped a chassis leased from Juncos Racing and helped
721-749: A reference of Porsche Motorsport works team. The Porsche RS Spyder made its successful debut at the ALMS season final race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca . The " Porsche Junioren " factory drivers Sascha Maassen and Lucas Luhr finished 1st in LMP2 Class and 5th Overall in the 4–Hour Endurance Race. The livery of the Penske Racing American Le Mans Series team was inspired by Jordan EJ12 's DHL Formula 1 livery driven by Giancarlo Fisichella and Takuma Sato . In 2006, Penske Motorsports fielded two LMP2 Porsche RS Spyder in
824-555: A second championship for the team in 2019 while Will Power and Simon Pagenaud respectively won back-to-back Indianapolis 500s in 2018 and 2019. In 2020 the team would win the most races of any team in the IndyCar series but did not win the Indianapolis 500 or secure the IndyCar championship, with Newgarden being unable to defend his title against Scott Dixon. In 2021 Team Penske expanded again to four-time cars. The year also marked
927-523: A second triumph in 2004, both behind the wheel of the No. 1 Mopar Performance Parts Dodge for Jim Smith and Ultra Motorsports. Musgrave is also the only Wisconsin native to have won the race. Two drivers have the distinction of having won both a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race and a NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Milwaukee. Ron Hornaday won in the truck race in 1996 and the Busch race in 2004, while Greg Biffle won
1030-449: A shares at Ilmor Engineering Ltd. as well as Chevrolet official team vehicles, financial support and also Chevrolet and Ilmor staff would work with the team at their Mooresville base. Once again, Penske would dominate the early portion of the season, winning 4 consecutive races, with Castroneves taking the season opener at St. Petersburg, and Power capturing wins at Barber, Long Beach, and São Paulo. Briscoe would have struggles throughout
1133-801: A win in a Formula One race. In 1971 Penske had sponsored the McLaren car entered in the 1971 Canadian Grand Prix by the White Racing privateer team and in the 1971 United States Grand Prix by the Kirk White privateer team. At the Canadian Grand Prix Mark Donohue took the Penske-sponsored McLaren car to a podium finish. Penske returned three years later, in the 1974 Canadian Grand Prix , with their own works team as well as own chassis,
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#17327808088081236-478: Is a division of Penske Corporation , and is owned and chaired by Roger Penske . The team president is Tim Cindric . Team Penske currently fields three cars: the No. 2 Hitachi Dallara / Chevrolet for Josef Newgarden , the No. 3 Dallara / Chevrolet driven by Scott McLaughlin , and the No. 12 Verizon Dallara / Chevrolet driven by Will Power . Notable past drivers include 4-time Indianapolis 500 winners Al Unser , Rick Mears , and Helio Castroneves . At
1339-573: Is an American professional auto racing organization, competing in the IndyCar Series , NASCAR Cup Series , IMSA SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship . Debuting at the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona , the organization has also competed in various other types of professional racing such as Formula One , Can-Am , Trans Am , and Australia's Supercars Championship . Altogether, Team Penske has earned over 500 victories and over 40 championships in all of auto racing. Team Penske
1442-519: The 12 Hours of Sebring the "Sunoco" made the pole again but finished the race at the sixth position after making contact with Pedro Rodrigez's 917. Despite this misfortune, the car had proved to be a serious opponent for the 917. Not only this car was the fastest on track in Daytona and Sebring but it was also the car that had the shortest refueling time. The presence of the 512 M "Sunoco" forced Porsche to pursue his effort of research and development on
1545-710: The 12 Hours of Sebring . This was Porsche 's first overall win in the race since 1988 in a Porsche 962 . 2008 team lineup: On December 4, 2008, Roger Penske announced that the Team Penske officially shut down its participation in the American Le Mans Series and thus defected to ALMS's rival Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series for the full 2009 season. The team utilized a Porsche-powered Riley with Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas as their official drivers. However, in late 2009, Roger Penske announced that
1648-526: The 2006 IRL season , they would consolidate IRL and NASCAR operations at the team's Mooresville North Carolina facility; with the flooding in Pennsylvania in 2006, the team's operations were moved to Mooresville earlier than expected. Roger Penske has been involved with IndyCar racing since 1968, when his team first fielded a stock block -powered Eagle with Mark Donohue . The organization first competed at Indianapolis in 1969, where Donohue
1751-748: The 2023 24 Hours of Daytona . With the No. 6 Porsche retiring due to a gearbox issue and No. 7 finishing in 7th place. In May 2021 Porsche announced its return to FIA World Endurance Championship new category LMDh with Penske running their factory team. They announced their return to both WEC and IMSA for 2023 season running two new Porsche 963 in each competition. To prepare their return to WEC, Penske took part in WEC 2022 season with one Oreca 07 -Gibson in LMP2 class. Former Team Penske lubricant partner and supplier Mobil 1 rejoined as official team's lubricant partner and supplier from 2023 season onwards due to
1854-607: The Ford Mustang . Penske-entered Camaros won the series championship in 1968 and 1969. Later they switched to a red/white/blue American Motors backed 1970 AMC Javelin , and later the restyled 1971 AMC Javelin AMX which had an aerodynamic tail spoiler and other features suggested by Donohue. American Motors won the Over 2.5-liter title in 1971, after which Penske withdrew from the championship. Penske Racing also had an alliance with
1957-472: The IndyCar Series and the Firestone Indy Lights , as well as a driver question period and autograph sessions, music and other attractions. The series again left after the 2015 season when Andretti Sports Marketing went out of business. The track hosted no major professional races until ARCA returned in 2021. The track was a one mile (1.6 km) private horse racing track by 1876. In 1891,
2060-545: The Milwaukee Mile in August 1965. In 1966, he went winless in nine starts out of 16 races, so he left Gerhardt Racing at the end of the year, to form his own team, Johncock Racing. His primary sponsor became Gilmore Broadcasting and Johncock was the only other "owner-driver" in IndyCar other than A. J. Foyt . Although Johncock's team won six races in a three-year period (1967-1969), things went downhill when Johncock lost
2163-475: The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series , driving full-time for the 2008 season with Team Penske American Le Mans Series confirming Porsche LMP2 driver Ryan Briscoe as Castroneves's new teammate for 2008 on November 13, 2007. Team Penske started the 2008 season poorly but Hélio Castroneves posted five top-four finishes (including two 2nd-place finishes) to start the year. Meanwhile, Ryan Briscoe
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#17327808088082266-817: The Porsche partnership. 2023 line-up: Penske competed in the Formula One World Championship as a chassis constructor from 1974 to 1977 and as a works team from 1974 to 1976 . Although the cars were built at the British base in Poole , the works team held an American licence . Excluding the Indianapolis 500 , Penske is, along with the All American Racers , one of only two American constructors to have achieved
2369-485: The 133rd lap. Nearing 6 p.m., the race was red flagged and declared over. After a short and muted victory lane celebration, Johncock went to visit Savage at the hospital. Afterward, the celebratory victory banquet was cancelled. Instead, Johncock and his crew went to a local fast-food restaurant for hamburgers. 33 days after the race, Savage died from his injuries. Johncock won the USAC national championship in 1976, snatching
2472-474: The 1930s, with seating for 14,900 people. They replaced the original grandstands that had been built in 1914. A roof was placed over the grandstands in 1938. These grandstands stood until new aluminum grandstands were installed in September 2002. The 1939 race was the first AAA Championship race. The 1937 non-championship AAA event was best known for running 96 laps (instead of 100) due to a scoring error. It
2575-498: The 1960s, replacing the front-engine roadster, but not before one unexpected race. In 1965. A. J. Foyt had to tow his front-engine backup dirt car from Springfield because his primary car and crew would not make it to Milwaukee in time for qualifying. He prepared the car himself for pavement, and put the car on the pole with a speed of 107.881 mph (173.618 km/h). He led for 16 of 200 laps, and finished second. In 1965. Gordon Johncock scored his first career Indy Car win at
2678-465: The 1983 CART race, Tom Sneva finished first by 10 seconds. Post race inspection found an improper ground clearance on the side mount skirts, so second-place finisher Al Unser was given the win. On appeal, the decision was overturned, and Sneva was awarded the win two weeks later. Sneva would repeat the win one year later in a new 200 mile race. The last sports car race was held on the infield road course on June 16, 1984. The track had deteriorated. It
2781-502: The 1990 CART race after Michael Andretti ran out of fuel with two laps to go. The victory was Unser Jr's first IndyCar win on an oval and was the ninth for the Unser family (father Al Unser Sr. and uncle Bobby Unser each have four). The 1991 CART event, however, was dominated by their archrival Andretti family. For the first time in the worldwide history of auto racing, three member of the same family finished 1–2–3. Michael Andretti won
2884-457: The 2010 season in style by winning the first three races of the season. Will Power challenged for the driver's title until suspension failure in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway robbed him of a shot at the championship. Penske ended up finishing the 2010 season with nine wins, thirteen pole positions, and six fastest laps (mostly by Will Power ). On 12 November 2010, Penske confirmed that they would end their partnership with Honda at
2987-430: The 2011 season with six victories, all from Will Power , while Castroneves and Briscoe went winless. Roger Penske announced a switch to full-works General Motors -owned Chevrolet engines for the 2012 IndyCar Series season onwards and thus Team Penske earned a full-factory support from General Motors and Chevrolet and also Team Penske received free engines formally from Ilmor and Chevrolet as Roger Penske has
3090-633: The 2024 race, Team Penske won the Indy 500 for a record 20th time. The team has won the series championship 16 times. The open-wheel racing portion of Penske Racing had been based in Reading, Pennsylvania since 1973 with the cars, during the Formula One and CART era, being constructed in Poole , Dorset , England , which was also the base for the F1 team. On October 31, 2005, Penske Racing announced after
3193-399: The 5-liter Ferrari 512 . To prepare for the 1972 season, the new works prototype Ferrari 312PB was presented and engaged by the factory in several races. Roger Penske bought a used 512 M chassis that was dismantled and rebuilt. The car was specially tuned for long races receiving many unique features, among them were a large rear wing and aviation-inspired quick refueling system. The engine
Gordon Johncock - Misplaced Pages Continue
3296-559: The 917: The 917K short tail was modified, and the 917 LH aerodynamics received further improvements. New Magnesium chassis were developed. An entirely new car, the 917/20 was built as a test-bed for future CanAm parts and aerodynamic "low-drag" concepts. In Le Mans the "Sunoco" Ferrari was unable to break the 200 mph (320 km/h) barrier on the straight while the Porsche 917 LH were lightning-quick at speeds of over 240 mph (380 km/h). Mark Donohue qualified fourth anyway, which
3399-578: The American Le Mans Series, but did not run the 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. The Penske cars combined to win seven class victories and the overall win at Mid-Ohio . Penske Racing won the LMP2 team championship. Drivers Sascha Maassen and Lucas Luhr tied for first place in the driver's championship, while Timo Bernhard finished fifth, Romain Dumas finished sixth, and Emmanuel Collard finished tenth. 2006 team lineup: In 2007, Penske Motorsports fielded two LMP2 Porsche RS Spyder Evo in
3502-527: The American Le Mans Series. Penske Motorsports for the 2nd year in a row did not compete in 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. Penske's two cars combined for eleven class victories and eight overall victories during the twelve race season. Penske won the LMP2 team championship, and team drivers Romain Dumas and Timo Bernhard finished tied for first in the LMP2 driver's championship, while Sascha Maassen and Ryan Briscoe tied for third place. 2007 team lineup: Penske started their 2008 season with an overall win in
3605-547: The CART championship. In 2000, Juan Pablo Montoya gave Toyota its first CART win. History was made again when in 2004 Ryan Hunter-Reay led all of 250 laps to the victory. The final Champ Car race was held in 2006, with eventual champion Sébastien Bourdais winning. The Indy Racing League IndyCar Series came to the Mile in 2004 . Dario Franchitti won the inaugural event. His team, Andretti Autosport has won three races at
3708-574: The Gilmore sponsorship at the end of 1970. Between 1970 and 1973, Johncock went winless, his team shuttered operations, and Johncock found himself in bankruptcy court. He also was involved in a divorce with his ex-wife. Johncock's winless drought came to an end when he joined the STP / Patrick Racing team ahead of the 1973 USAC season. At the 1973 Indianapolis 500 , a major accident at the start involving Salt Walther , coupled with two days of rain, postponed
3811-573: The Indianapolis 500 19 times, won the Indianapolis 500 pole position 18 times, as well as 200 open wheel IndyCar wins in USAC, CART and IRL (as of May 19, 2018), 29 of which are in 500-Mile Races and 13 open-wheel championships. Team Penske has 1,463 starts in IndyCar races, 231 pole positions, 71 wins from pole, 47 double wins of which 8 are 1–2–3 finishes from the Pocono race on June 26, 1977, to January 1, 2015. In 2001, Team Penske marked its return to
3914-493: The Indianapolis 500 but their overall form would be greatly improved, with the team winning four of the first seven races of the season and nine races overall in the season. Scott McLaughlin would take his first IndyCar win at the season opener in St. Petersburg while Will Power and Josef Newgarden would hold the championship points lead at different points in the season. Will Power would ultimately clinch his second IndyCar championship at
4017-423: The Indy 500 after a five-year absence due to the open wheel split , after the 1995 PPG IndyCar World Series season with an Oldsmobile engines. Later, in 2001 Roger Penske announced he would leave CART for the 2002 IRL IndyCar Series season with Chevrolet engines. As Toyota confirmed defection from CART Champ Car to IRL IndyCar Series , the team switched to Toyota engines from 2003 season onwards as it
4120-639: The Japanese company's racing division in Japan and the United States including tune-up support from Ilmor Engineering in Plymouth, Michigan. The partnership started well in 2006, winning the 2006 Indianapolis 500 and 2006 IndyCar Series titles at the hands of Sam Hornish Jr. . Penske retained their Castroneves - Hornish Jr. pair for the 2007 season. The second year of the renewed Honda partnership
4223-589: The McLaren domination of the Can-Am, Penske switched back to Lola Cars for his 1969 Can-Am efforts, but only entered the car in one race at Mid-Ohio . From 1972 to 1974, Penske was Porsche's official partner in the CanAm Series. In late 1971, Penske and Mark Donohue helped to develop the turbocharged version of the Porsche 917 . George Follmer won the series in 1972, and Donohue dominated CanAm in 1973 with
Gordon Johncock - Misplaced Pages Continue
4326-423: The Mile with Tony Kanaan winning in 2006 and 2007. The other races have been won by Penske Racing drivers Sam Hornish Jr. in 2005, Ryan Briscoe in 2008, and Chip Ganassi Racing driver Scott Dixon in 2009. After a one-year absence from Milwaukee, Franchitti won in the series' return to the track in 2011, for Ganassi. After promoter conflicts in late 2015, it was announced that the series would not return for
4429-715: The Milwaukee Mile are listed as: The track length is disputed by the three major series that run at the Milwaukee Mile. The NASCAR timing and scoring used a length of 1.00 mile (1.61 km). The IRL timing and scoring used a length of 1.015 miles (1.633 km). CART used a length of 1.032 miles (1.661 km) between 1997 and 2006. For the Truck race in 2023 , NASCAR also uses the 1.015 mile length. ARCA Menards Series IndyCar Series / Champ Car World Series Indy Lights Formula Atlantic Formula Super Vee NASCAR Nationwide Series The infield of
4532-681: The Milwaukee Mile would not host any NASCAR or IndyCar races in 2010. NASCAR confirmed that their June Nationwide Series date would remain in Wisconsin for 2010, as they announced they would hold a race at Road America for the first time since the Grand National Series raced there in 1956. NASCAR also announced on January 20, 2010, that the Milwaukee date for the truck series would be moved to August. The track hosted two ASA Late Model Series races in 2010. IndyCar returned to
4635-419: The Milwaukee Mile. The track was repaved before the 1967 season. By 1967. both the 1/4 dirt track and 1/2 mile road course were closed to accommodate the pit area. Lloyd Ruby swept both USAC races held at Milwaukee in 1968, giving him three wins at the Mile including his first win there in 1961. The June 1968 Rex Mays 150 was a tragic affair as a three-car crash and ensuing inferno killed Ronnie Duman . In
4738-650: The NASCAR Busch race at Milwaukee went on to win the Busch Series championship in the same year ( Steve Grissom in 1993, Randy LaJoie in 1997, Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 1998, Jeff Green in 2000, and Greg Biffle in 2002). Biffle became the first repeat winner when he scored back-to-back victories in 2001 and 2002. Despite Trickle having come the closest previously, two NASCAR Busch Series races have been won by Wisconsin natives ( Johnny Sauter /Necedah in 2005 and Paul Menard /Eau Claire in 2006). Menard also became
4841-501: The No. 12 and featured primary sponsorship of both the Verizon Wireless brand and Roger Penske's truck rental business. For the 2010 season, the team entered their fifth year of its Penske-Honda partnership with Will Power promoted to a full-time Penske seat alongside Castroneves and Briscoe. Team Penske became a three-car team for the first time since 1994, with the addition of a full-time team for Power. Team Penske started
4944-461: The Penskes to run significantly faster, giving them the pole and outside front row on the grid for the 78th Indianapolis 500 . Al Unser Jr. and Emerson Fittipaldi dominated the race, eventually lapping the field with 16 laps to go in the 200 lap race when Fittipaldi made contact with the wall coming out of Turn 4, giving Al Unser Jr. the lead and win. The only driver who finished on the lead lap
5047-517: The Speedway and participated in pre-race festivities at the 2012 race. During the lead up to the 2023 Indianapolis 500 , officials from Borg-Warner invited Johncock to Indianapolis in celebration of the 50th anniversary of his win there in 1973. Johncock and his extended family took a ceremonial lap around the Speedway in a tour bus. After stopping for pictures at the Yard of Bricks, Johncock got into
5150-488: The all-time winner in AAA/USAC Stock Car history, holds the most victories in stock car competition at the Mile with 14. NASCAR held two Busch Series stock car races at Milwaukee in 1984 and 1985. The 1984 field was full of NASCAR Winston Cup drivers: Alan Kulwicki (2nd), Dick Trickle (3rd), Bobby Allison (4th), Davey Allison (5th), Dale Jarrett (6th), and Darrell Waltrip (25th). The 1984 race
5253-429: The arrival of three-time Supercars champion and former DJR Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin to the team, marking the first time Team Penske had signed a driver without any open-wheel experience to compete in their open-wheel racing program since Rick Mears signed to compete with the team in 1978. 2021 would be a difficult season for Team Penske. While McLaughlin was given time to adapt to IndyCar racing all three of
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#17327808088085356-780: The cars any longer following the instruction of Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement restricting cigarette advertising by name. In 2007, the IndyCar Series cars began to carry Team Penske insignia by removing Marlboro branding and sponsorship from Mobil 1 (although the cars remained painted in the Marlboro color scheme—in Formula 1 the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro and McLaren has a similar set up due to Marlboro partnership). In 2010, Phillip Morris USA discontinued their relationship with Team Penske, ending
5459-544: The central United States, located on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin , a suburb west of Milwaukee . Its grandstand and bleachers seats approximately 37,000 spectators. Opened in 1903 as a dirt track, it was paved in 1954. In addition to the oval, there is a 1.8 mi (2.9 km) road circuit located in the infield. As the oldest operating motor speedway in
5562-399: The championship at Chicagoland Speedway, but Scott Dixon finished in 2nd place to ensure his 2008 IndyCar Series driver's title. For 2009, Verizon Wireless , joined ExxonMobil ( McLaren 's then fuel and lubricant partner) as associate sponsors, and the team was billed as Verizon Championship Racing. The third car was driven by Will Power (originally a substitute for Castroneves) and carried
5665-612: The championship in the final race on a tie-breaker to Scott Dixon . Team Penske would go on to dominate 2016, filling the top 3 positions in the final standings. Capping the season with a dominating race victory, Simon Pagenaud won his first IndyCar championship, becoming the ninth Penske driver to be crowned champion. Roger Penske's organization claimed its 14th such title and its second in three years (Power won in '14). In 2017 Team Penske signed Josef Newgarden from Ed Carpenter Racing and would secure back-to-back IndyCar championships with Newgarden winning his first in 2017. Newgarden won
5768-415: The championship. In 2020 Team Penske won again the drivers championship, this time with Hélio Castroneves and Ricky Taylor . In the end of that season Penske left IMSA as the 3-year partnership with Acura reached its end. Penske would return to Endurance and IMSA in a partnership with Porsche for the new LMDh regulations. For the 2023 season, the team was the only one that fielded the Porsche 963 at
5871-488: The championship. The team also dominated a controversial May at Indianapolis. Penske debuted a radical new Mercedes-Benz engine at Indy, the 500I. This engine used a provision in the rules intended for stock block pushrod engines such as the V-6 Buick engines that allowed an extra 650 cm and 10 inches (4.9 psi /33.8 kPa ) of boost. This extra power (at least 900 horsepower , and rumored to be over 1000) allowed
5974-447: The country between 1947 and 1980. In 1954, the 1-mile (1.6 km) track was paved, and an infield road course was created. The 1/4 mile dirt infield track was kept for weekly programs during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1963, Jim Clark won the first victory for a rear-engined Indy Car in his Lotus - Ford . In 1964, A. J. Foyt dominated in what was to be his penultimate race in a roadster. The rear-engine began dominating races in
6077-516: The driver's seat of the bus and took his family for an impromptu second, and final, lap around the track. As Johncock was not given an official Victory Banquet in 1973 owing to the fatality that occurred during the race and because of the excessive delays, the Speedway offered an official Victory Banquet to receive his Champion Driver's Trophy, first awarded in 1988 for race winners and since 2013 has been awarded on milestone anniversaries, Johncock expounded on his life outside of racing, saying that farming
6180-551: The end of the 2011 season and use engines supplied by Chevrolet for the 2012 season. For the 2011 season, the team entered their sixth and final year of its Penske-Honda partnership. Penske's trio of Castroneves-Briscoe-Power remained for the second consecutive year while the team lost the ExxonMobil sponsorship to Stewart-Haas Racing 's NASCAR team in favor of Shell and Pennzoil as their official motor oil partner. The team started well with two victories from Will Power in
6283-419: The first 100-mile (160 km) event in 1915, averaging 62.5 mph (100.6 km/h). Barney Oldfield 's success at the Mile helped make him a legend. He set the track record in 1905 and raised his speed in 1910 to 70.159 mph (112.910 km/h) in his "Blitzen Benz". In 1911, Ralph DePalma won the first Milwaukee Mile Championship car race, four years before his Indianapolis 500 win. Oldfield drove
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#17327808088086386-559: The first five races. Power captured his first oval win at Texas Motor Speedway and came into the season finale at Las Vegas 18 points behind leader Dario Franchitti. However, on lap 11 of the race, Power was collected in a fiery 15-car crash that killed defending Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon . The race was cut short in Wheldon's honor and the championship points stood as they had to enter Las Vegas, giving Franchitti his third consecutive driver's title (and fourth overall). Penske finished
6489-427: The first time in sixteen seasons. In 2024 , Team Penske incurred controversy when Josef Newgarden was disqualified from his season opening win at St. Petersburg for having illegally manipulated ECU software to allow for push to pass to be used on the race restarts, marking the first time the team had been stripped of an IndyCar win since Al Unser Jr.'s 1995 win at Portland. Unlike that race, Penske elected not to appeal
6592-483: The following season. After an eight-year hiatus, the IndyCar Series is scheduled to return for a doubleheader in 2024. The Milwaukee Mile was for decades the site of the most important races on the AAA, and later USAC, stock car racing calendar. The first AAA race was held on July 9, 1950, and was won by local racer Myron Fohr . After the AAA ended competition in 1955, following seasons were sanctioned by USAC. Don White ,
6695-638: The home of the Milwaukee Chiefs of the third American Football League . The 50-yard line sat where the start-finish line is currently located. The city's own entry in the NFL, the Milwaukee Badgers , lasted just five seasons, from 1922 to 1926 , and played at Athletic Park, renamed Borchert Field in 1928. Penske racing Cup Series : 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race ( Phoenix ) Team Penske (formerly Penske Racing )
6798-471: The loss of the win and Tim Cindric was banned from the Penske paddock for several races. The team however did have a strong start to the season, with all three of their drivers picking up wins in the first seven races and Newgarden becoming the first driver since Helio Castroneves to win back to back Indianapolis 500s, giving Penske their 20th Indianapolis 500 win. Penske's 1994 IndyCar World Series Championship
6901-470: The pioneer Trans-Am team, Jocko's Racing which won the 1976 Trans-Am Series championship in a Penske-leased car. Penske Racing entered a Lola T70 in the 1966 Can-Am Series for Mark Donohue , resulting in one win at Mosport . In 1967, Penske Racing entered two Lolas, one for Mark Donohue and one for George Follmer . 1968 saw Penske switch to a McLaren M6, which had won the series in 1967. Donohue won one race that year in Can-Am at Bridgehampton . With
7004-588: The prototype (P) class. To prepare their debut in 2018 season, Team Penske took part in the last race of 2017, the Petit Le Mans using the Oreca 07 LMP2 (same framework that the Acura DPi was based on), placing third. 2018 line-up: 2019–2020 line-up: In 2019 Team Penske won the drivers championship with Juan Pablo Montoya and Dane Cameron , while Hélio Castroneves and Ricky Taylor finished 3rd on
7107-653: The quarter-mile dirt infield track at the Mile near the current media center was also the location of a football stadium , informally known as the Dairy Bowl . It hosted the NFL 's Green Bay Packers from 1934 through 1951 , including the NFL championship game in 1939 , a 27–0 shutout of the New York Giants on December 10 to secure a fifth league title. In 1940 and 1941, the Dairy Bowl also served as
7210-415: The race until late Wednesday afternoon. When the race was held, Johncock's teammate Swede Savage was severely injured in a fiery crash on lap 58. A moment later, Armando Teran, a pit crew member on the same STP/Patrick team, was struck by a fire truck going northbound in the pits, and was fatally injured at the scene. When the race resumed, Johncock took the lead on lap 73 and held it until rain fell again on
7313-473: The race, second went to his cousin John , and third to his father Mario. Michael's brother Jeff finished 11th. Milwaukee was in danger of losing its CART date in 1992. To save the date, the fair board hired Carl Haas to organize all track activities. The 1992 CART event was again won by Michael Andretti. In 1993, reigning Formula One champion Nigel Mansell got his first oval track win on his way to winning
7416-625: The race. He attempted another return in 1987. During the first week of time trials, Jim Crawford suffered serious injuries to his feet. Johncock was hired to drive in replacement and qualified for the race. Johncock completed a sixth-place finish in the 1991 Indianapolis 500 , despite having flu-like symptoms the morning of the race. His final race was the 1992 Indianapolis 500 , where he dropped out with engine failure. Since his retirement, Johncock has distanced himself from motorsports, and focuses on his timber business in Michigan. He participated in
7519-485: The season but managed to find victory lane at Sonoma. However, Power would come up short in the championship after a crash at the season finale. Briscoe left the team after 2012 for other opportunities. In 2014, Will Power took the IndyCar Championship for Team Penske after 3 concurrent runner up finishes in 2010–2012. The 2015 season started well for Team Penske, Juan Pablo Montoya won the first race of
7622-431: The season finale. For 2023 , Team Penske would return to the winner's circle at Indianapolis, with Josef Newgarden clinching the 107th Indianapolis 500 , becoming the first American driver to win the race since 2016. 2023 was otherwise a difficult season for the team; only one of their drivers finishing in the top three of the IndyCar points standings, only winning one road course event, and Will Power recorded no wins for
7725-533: The season, his second win for Penske since he arrived from NASCAR in 2014, with teammates Will Power, Helio Castroneves, and Simon Pagenaud (first season with the team) finishing 2nd, 4th, and 5th. Power got a win at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis in the 5th race of the season and just 2 weeks later, the Colombian Montoya won the Indy 500 leading again teammate Will Power. Juan Pablo Montoya would lose
7828-619: The site was purchased by the Agricultural Society of the State of Wisconsin to create a permanent site for the Wisconsin State Fair (which it still is). The first motorsports event was held on September 11, 1903. William Jones of Chicago won a five lap speed contest, and set the first track record with a 72-second, 50 mph (80 km/h) lap. There were 24-hour endurance races in 1907 and 1908. Louis Disbrow won
7931-522: The team qualify Simona De Silvestro at the last spot on the starting lineup, though De Silvestro and the Penske prepped car would fail to finish the race. Scott McLaughlin would be named both IndyCar and Indianapolis 500 Rookie Of The Year while Josef Newgarden was able to finish in second place in the championship for a second consecutive season. For 2022 Simon Pagenaud departed the team for Meyer Shank Racing , bringing Team Penske back down to three full-time IndyCar entries. The team would struggle again at
8034-462: The team would shut down its Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series operations and be turned into the new No. 12 Verizon sponsored IndyCar for Will Power to run full-time in 2010. In 2017, it was announced that Team Penske would make a comeback to sportscar racing in IMSA's WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in a 3-year partnership with Acura , starting in the 2018 season, running 2 Acura ARX-05 DPis in
8137-454: The team's former champions would see their worst years with Team Penske. Both Will Power and Josef Newgarden recorded the lowest win totals of their Team Penske tenures in 2021 and had easy victories at Detroit and Road America taken away from them in the closing laps due to mechanical failures, while Simon Pagenaud was only able to record two third-place finishes as his best result of the year. The team also recorded their worst Indianapolis 500
8240-431: The third driver to make the race at Milwaukee his first career series win, joining Jones in 1996 and Casey Atwood in 1999. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (CTS) began racing at Milwaukee in its inaugural season in 1995. Mike Skinner won the event. The 1996 event featured 17 lead changes. The CTS has returned every season since 1995. Ted Musgrave became the only repeat winner when he followed up victory in 2001 with
8343-494: The time it was the closest finish in history and remains the fourth-closest behind the 1992 , 2014 , and 2006 races. Mears would later joke about watching the race over and over "to see if this time I get around Gordy". Johncock, during a live interview on ABC years later, offered that if the dramatic duel had occurred two or three years later—when Mears had additional experience—the Californian would probably have pulled off
8446-407: The title from Johnny Rutherford in the final race of the season at Phoenix International Raceway . In 1976 and 1978 he finished third at Indianapolis, and in 1977 he was leading A. J. Foyt when the car's crankshaft broke with sixteen laps to go. Johncock took a second Indianapolis 500 victory in 1982 by a car length over Rick Mears . After falling behind on the final sequence of pit stops, Mears
8549-531: The track in 2011, but the Mile was left off of the preliminary 2012 schedule after a poorly attended 2011 event that resulted in part from an inexperienced promoter. In February 2012, it was announced that IndyCar would return to the Mile on the weekend of June 15–16. The event was promoted by Andretti Sports Marketing, owned by former Indy driver Michael Andretti , and was billed as the Milwaukee IndyFest . The event included open-wheel racing featuring
8652-536: The truck race in 1999 and the Busch race in 2001 and 2002. The track was resurfaced after the 1995 season. In 2003, temporary Musco lights were brought in for the Champ Car World Series event. The temporary lights were also used for the CTS and Busch Series events in 2005 and 2006. The following is a map of Milwaukee Mile: [REDACTED] As of August 2024, the fastest official race lap records of
8755-420: The ultimate evolution of the 917, the 917/30. The rules were changed for 1974, and Penske raced only once this year. A Lola T70 Mk IIIb entered by Penske was the surprise winner of the 1969 24 Hours of Daytona . During the 1970 season, the competition between the 5-liter sportscars of Porsche and Ferrari turned to the advantage of the Porsche 917 . In 1971, Ferrari decided to give up any official effort with
8858-463: The winning pass. Johncock took another three Indycar races, including the 1982 Michigan 500 to complete two legs of what was then known as the Triple Crown ( Indianapolis , Michigan , and Pocono ) before retiring from full-time racing in 1985. He returned for occasional appearances in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991 and retired for good after the 1992 Indianapolis 500 . Johncock's last Indycar win
8961-1064: The world, the Milwaukee Mile has hosted at least one auto race every year from 1903 to 2023 (except during U.S. involvement in World War II). The track has held events sanctioned by major bodies, such as the AAA , USAC , NASCAR , CART / CCWS , and the IndyCar Series . There have also been many races in regional series such as ARTGO . Famous racers who have won at the track include: Barney Oldfield , Ralph DePalma , Rex Mays , Ted Horn , Johnny Mantz , Norm Nelson , Rodger Ward , Marshall Teague , Frank Mundy , Don White , Parnelli Jones , Paul Goldsmith , A. J. Foyt , Gordon Johncock , Mario Andretti , Al Unser , Jim Clark , Alan Kulwicki , Rick Mears , Tom Sneva , Michael Andretti , Nigel Mansell , Juan Pablo Montoya , Dario Franchitti , Kurt Busch , and Tony Kanaan . On December 16, 2009, Wisconsin State Fair Park officials confirmed that
9064-488: Was announced on April 2, 2002. The team's partnership with Toyota engines started well in 2003 including winning the 2003 Indianapolis 500 in the hands of Gil de Ferran . However, Team Penske's Toyota partnership started to decline in 2004 by scoring only two wins, five pole positions, and three fastest laps compared to 2003 due to driver errors and also incidents. The team also resurged slightly in 2005 with just only three wins and two pole positions. On October 31, 2005, it
9167-498: Was announced that Team Penske ended their engine deal with Toyota and switched to Honda with an initial five-year deal. Penske had collaborated with Honda engines in the 2000–2001 CART Champ Car season. After a prolonged period, the team announced Hélio Castroneves and Sam Hornish Jr. as their official race drivers. Despite the Honda partnership, Penske had a de facto direct Honda factory support, with engines coming straight from
9270-617: Was forced to adapt the Penske IndyCar car, as Briscoe was entering his first season with Team Penske after spending two years as an IndyCar part-timer whilst he raced in the Champ Car World Series in 2006 and later the American Le Mans Series in 2007. Ryan Briscoe finally scored his first win at the Milwaukee Mile while Castroneves claimed his first 2008 win in Infineon Raceway . Castroneves nearly won
9373-650: Was in the opening round of the 1983 CART PPG Indy Car World Series at the Atlanta Motor Speedway driving a Cosworth powered Patrick Wildcat. Johncock, who started 3rd on the grid, won the 200 mile, 132 lap race at an average of 146.133 mph from the Penske -Cosworth of Al Unser and John Paul Jr. in a 1982 model Penske-Cosworth. Johncock competed in 21 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events in his career. He earned three top-fives and four top-tens in his limited schedules. The best of those finishes were
9476-440: Was much more promising than the first with the team coming close to defending their Indianapolis 500 victory, as well as their IndyCar Series driver and team titles. However, the team slumped, scoring only two victories due to driver errors and incidents. The team failed to win major IndyCar silverware for the first time since the 2005 season. On November 9, 2007, Sam Hornish Jr. announced he would depart from IndyCar Series to
9579-490: Was named rookie of the year. In 1971, Donohue scored the first win for Team Penske in IndyCar at the Pocono 500 . Donohue won the team's first Indianapolis 500 in May 1972 . In 1978, Penske along with Pat Patrick , Dan Gurney , and several other team owners who had been participating in USAC events involving cars known as Champ Cars and IndyCars formed Championship Auto Racing Teams ( CART ). As of May 28, 2023, Team Penske has won
9682-507: Was one of, if not the most dominating performance from a race team in the history of American open-wheel racing. Roger Penske had found the key to win but also found a way to run from the competition. The new Penske PC-23 chassis with the Ilmor - Indy V8 engine would power the Penske drivers of Al Unser Jr. , Paul Tracy , and Emerson Fittipaldi . The team racked up 12 wins out of 16 races, collecting 10 poles and 28 podium finishes on their way to
9785-480: Was rapidly closing on Johncock in the final laps, and on the 197th and 198th laps came from 3 seconds back to within car lengths. Johncock's tires were deteriorating by the lap, and with each turn, the car understeered more severely. Mears caught Johncock at the start of the final lap and tried to pass him for the win, but Johncock made a decisive defense of first place in Turn One and held on to win by 0.16 seconds. At
9888-545: Was repaved before October 2004. The course still hosts club road races sanctioned by the Midwestern Council of Sports Car Clubs. In the 1985 CART event, Mario Andretti won the pole on his way to his fourth career track win. His son Michael won the next two races in 1986 and 1987. Milwaukee was also the site of Mario Andretti's first ever paved oval track win in Indy Car racing in 1966 . Al Unser Jr. won
9991-681: Was rookie Jacques Villeneuve . This one season gave Penske the Driver's Championship with Al Unser Jr. , Constructor's Cup with the Penske PC-23, and Manufacturer's Cup with the Ilmor-Indy V8 engine. (In the 1995 Indy 500 Penske failed to qualify any cars for the race) Cigarette brand Marlboro had been a sponsor with Team Penske since the 1989 Indianapolis 500 , and primary sponsor of all Team Penske IndyCars since 1991. Late in 2005, Team Penske announced that Marlboro would not appear on
10094-434: Was the result of an aerodynamic configuration that favored downforce over drag, which helped in the twistier sections. The car did not have much luck in the race though. In April 2005, it was announced that Porsche would build an Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) sanctioned LMP2 Class Prototype that would be entered by Penske Racing in the American Le Mans Series and thus formally competed as DHL Porsche Penske Racing in
10197-514: Was tuned by CanAm V8 specialist Traco, and was probably able to deliver more than 600 hp (450 kW). As of today, it is unknown to what extent Penske's initiative was backed by Ferrari works. This 512M was painted in a blue and yellow livery and was sponsored by Sunoco and the Californian Ferrari dealer Kirk F. White. The car made the pole position for the 1971 24 Hours of Daytona and finished second despite an accident. For
10300-498: Was undoubtedly the fastest on the track, led easily, and was not simply in front at the time of the red flag by chance. Johncock chose not to attend the 2011 Indianapolis 500 , which celebrated the 100th anniversary of the first race. Despite the fact that all living former participants, and particularly living former winners, were invited, Johncock did not attend any of the festivities, seemingly by choice. A year later, Speedway officials again invited him to attend, and he did return to
10403-432: Was what he was always "caring to do." ( key ) ( Races in bold indicate pole position ) ( key ) ( Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ) ( key ) ( Bold – Pole position. * – Most laps led. ) Milwaukee Mile The Milwaukee Mile is a 1.015 mi (1.633 km) oval race track in
10506-503: Was won by Rex Mays , who continued his domination throughout the 1940s by winning in 1941 and the next race (after World War II) in 1946. The tradition of hosting the "race after the Indianapolis 500" began in 1947. This tradition was famously referenced in the 1969 movie Winning where Robert Wagner 's character delivered the line "Everybody goes to Milwaukee after Indianapolis". The Milwaukee Mile held more national championship midget, stock, and Indy car races than any other track in
10609-608: Was won by Sam Ard . On July 3, 1993, the NASCAR Busch Series returned to Milwaukee. The event was won by Steve Grissom . In 1996 Wisconsin native Dick Trickle was passed with four laps to go by Buckshot Jones , who nosed out Mike McLaughlin and won the race from the furthest starting spot (32nd) and by the closest margin of victory in NASCAR Xfinity Series history (.002 seconds). The Busch Series ran every year from 1993 to 2009. Five drivers who won
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