HOMESTEAD, Fla. — It had been a humbling 24 hours of championship racing for Roger Penske when he settled in for the plane ride back to Detroit. HOMESTEAD, Fla. — It had been a humbling 24 hours of championship racing
HOMESTEAD, Fla. — It had been a humbling 24 hours of championship racing for Roger Penske when he settled in for the plane ride back to Detroit.
His heart had been broken in California, where Will Power coughed away the IndyCar title by crashing out of the season finale. The disappointed team owner then made his way to Chicago for the opening race of NASCAR’s 10-race championship series, where Penske driver Brad Keselowski stole a surprise win over five-time champion Jimmie Johnson.
It was a tremendous emotional swing for Penske, who said to no one in particular on that flight home, “Well, we raced with the big boys today. And we won.”
“That really struck me when he said that, because Fontana was the lowest of the lows, a tough night,” said Walt Czarnecki, a Penske executive for more than 40 years. “To come back the next day and win Chicago with Brad, it was such a turning point for Roger. He was energized to race with the big boys, and to beat them. And to do it after losing Fontana with Will. It helped.”
Penske, the most successful team owner in open-wheel history, has little to show 40 years after entering NASCAR. Keselowski, the 28-year-old blue collar antiestablishment Michigan native, could change that for “The Captain” — just as he promised in a passionate speech to Penske four years ago.
Keselowski takes a 20-point lead over Johnson into today’s season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where a finish of 15th or better will give Penske his first Sprint Cup title.
