Defending Indianapolis 500 champion team owner Roger Penske turns 79 on Feb. 20.
But the billionaire businessman and legendary race team owner has no intention of retiring anytime soon, especially with the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race just over four months away.
With a record 16 Indianapolis 500 victories – starting with Mark Donohue’s victory in the 1972 classic – and 13 Indy car season championships, you’d think Penske has seen and done it all.
You’d be wrong.
The man known as “The Captain” spoke recently about the unfinished business he still has left in the sport, particularly winning the Indianapolis 500 again several more times:
INDYCAR.com: What would it mean to you to win the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500, the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing?” And if you win it, would that be the biggest win of your racing career?
PENSKE: “I guess it would be pretty special because it’s not only the 100th race, but it’s also the 50th anniversary of Penske Racing. When you put those two together, you’d have to say it’s pretty special. To be able to stand at the driver’s meeting this year (2016), as the previous (winning owner) does, along with the winning driver (Juan Pablo Montoya), would be pretty special because that’s going to be an iconic photo that’s going to last for the next 100 years.”
INDYCAR.com: Would you call it a career if you win the 100th Indy 500? Wouldn’t that be a heck of a way to go out?
PENSKE: “I certainly don’t have any plans to retire. As long as I have the funding and sponsorship, we’re going to be running cars at the Indianapolis 500. My outside goal is (to win) 20. I certainly wouldn’t stop at 17.”
INDYCAR.com: How attainable is 20 Indianapolis 500 wins?
PENSKE: “I think if you look at the statistics, if we can continue to bring the cars and drivers that we have, and the current rules stay the way they are, we have to be counted in a group of eight or 10 people that can win the race each year. When you have that kind of statistics, it bodes well for you.”
INDYCAR.com: Does any particular Indy 500 stand out in your mind?
PENSKE: “It’s hard for me to go back and think of each one of the races and why we won now, because we go back four decades, back into the ‘70s for our first win. You know the drivers, you know the different combinations. We’ve had some dry spots where we haven’t won for a few years and then we’ve won three in a row. Number 16 came this year and we were close in 2014 when (Ryan) Hunter-Reay beat Helio (Castroneves).”
INDYCAR.com: What keeps you coming back every year to Indianapolis for the 500, as well as competing on the Verizon IndyCar Series?
PENSKE: “I think we go back for one reason, and that’s to win. We’re never happy when we leave there finishing second or third, the whole team. It doesn’t drag us down to ground zero, it just makes us work harder. But remember, the racing has created a common thread throughout our businesses and helped us build our brand. That’s why we use it today as probably the finest marketing tool you can ever have on an international stage.”