Penske proud of success this year as two-car team

It often seems as if Roger Penske has conquered all in racing -- with the notable exception of NASCAR Nextel Cup, where a championship has eluded the otherwise prolific car owner and businessman.

Penske has been involved in racing since he began driving himself in 1958, an endeavor he gave up in 1965 to begin building a sprawling business empire that has enabled his open-wheel race teams to capture the famed Indianapolis 500 a remarkable 13 times. Today that empire includes not only the Penske Racing South operation that oversees his NASCAR interests, but the vast Penske Corporation and its subsidiaries that employ some 34,000 people at more than 1,700 worldwide locations.

His Cup teams have won 60 races, including two this season by Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 2 Dodge. And although Busch got off to a rough start in the Chase for the Nextel Cup last Sunday, struggling to a 25th-place finish at New Hampshire that dropped him to 12th in the Chase standings, Penske said he is proud of what his two Cup entries have accomplished this season (he also fields the No. 12 Dodge for Ryan Newman).

Kurt Busch

Stats at Penske ('06-'07)

Starts	63
Wins	3
Top-5	12
Top-10	22
Poles	7
Laps Led	923
Avg. Start	12.5
Avg. Finish	17.4

• Driver Page

Kurt Busch entered the Chase as one of the hottest drivers in Cup. Could this be your best chance to win a championship?

Well, with Rusty (Wallace in 1993) we were right there under the old setup (when Wallace ultimately finished second). But I think we have a very competitive combination. Ryan's running good, so that helps, too, because we get the cross-pollination of information. So to me, this will give us a real opportunity now to show what we have -- something that we've tried hard for. Just to get in was the first step; now we have to show what we have. The good news is we've won two races (with Busch), so we've shown we can win races.

If you field a Cup team next year with Sam Hornish Jr. and some others defect from open-wheel racing to NASCAR as expected, will there be more Indy 500 winners participating in the Daytona 500 next year than in the Indy 500?

I think we'll wait and see how all that plays out. There has been a lot of discussion about that now. People who have been able to execute and win the championship in the 500, to have them now have a chance to come over and get a good NASCAR ride is very tempting for these drivers. That's what they do as a living, and you know, at the moment there is probably more commercial opportunity in NASCAR.

But that's not going to ever keep us out of running open-wheel cars. I think there's clientele and fans on both sides. I know for a fact that this year we made a lot of progress from the standpoint of the fans and I think the races were good (on the open-wheel side). We got some new venues. And with that, we will continue to grow. It takes time. You don't build these series overnight, and they don't fall apart overnight.

How disappointed were you that Hornish failed to qualify for last Sunday's Cup race?

Well, you know, I talked with him after he practiced and he felt pretty good. He practiced 20th (fastest), and I just felt like the discussion with him was, 'Don't overdrive it in qualifying.' I think what he probably didn't realize is that you have to overdrive it a little in order to get in. That's part of the learning curve.

But we're on our plan. We said we'd run him in five or six races until the end of the year. That way, we can make a decision (on next year). He can make a personal decision if this is what he wants to do. The good news is that we have some flexibility there.

Since he missed last Sunday's race, will you look to add another Cup event that he could attempt to qualify for over the last nine races of 2007?

I really haven't looked at the schedule. Obviously, if we can add one and it enables him to keep his rookie status (for 2008), we certainly will. Because every bit of track time he can get will only make him better next year, if he runs.

Which way are you guys leaning with that?

I think we definitely want to go. But we're going to look at the facts, and be honest with him and honest with the team. I think it's too early to say. This now gives him a chance. He practiced well (at New Hampshire), I think he's had a couple good tests.

Sure, we were disappointed that he didn't make it (last Sunday). But as I told him, we didn't make the Indy 500 in 1995 and we're still here. So don't cut your wrists.