Penske still has a drive to win

Twelve wins and 12 poles in the Indianapolis 500 haven't quenched Roger Penske's thirst for success at the Brickyard.

And the distinguished, white-haired entrepreneur, head of a multibillion-dollar corporation, has a simple formula for maintaining that success in "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."

"When we leave here after the race, we're already thinking about next year's race," Penske said. "That's the kind of preparation it takes to be successful at Indianapolis."

Penske, once a top driver, brought his team to the speedway for the first time in 1969. The connection was magical and instantaneous.

Mark Donohue, Penske's first driver and his good friend, started fourth and finished second in that first 500-miler for the new team. The next year, Donohue started fifth and finished second.

He started second in 1971, but a broken gear left him 25th.

Finally, in 1972, Donohue gave Penske his first trip to Victory Circle at the speedway.

"It was an amazing feeling," Penske recalled. "But it was something this team felt it earned with hard work and preparation."

Changing faces

The drivers have changed over the years -- a who's who of racing, including Mario Andretti, Rick Mears, Al Unser, Al Unser Jr., Emerson Fittipaldi, Bobby Unser, Tom Sneva, Bobby Allison, Gary Bettenhausen and, now, Gil de Ferran and two-time defending Indy winner Helio Castroneves.

Eight of them have won Indy at least once, six for Penske.

"Roger is as passionate about racing as his drivers are," de Ferran said. "Racing is only a small part of his very, very busy life, but he wants to know everything that is going on -- everything."

Mears, who became a full-time consultant and driver coach for the team after giving Penske six poles and four wins on Indy's 2 1/2-mile oval, said his always stylish boss "really loves the speedway.

"It nearly broke his heart that he couldn't be here after '95."

That was the year that speedway president Tony George started the Indy Racing League, an all-oval series that included the 500.

Penske, a founder and team owner in the established CART series, stayed away from Indy for the next few years, boycotting the biggest open-wheel race in the world.

The absence was made even tougher by the way the proud team owner left Indianapolis in May 1995. After totally dominating the 1994 race with Unser Jr., neither Little Al nor Fittipaldi could make the 33-car starting field.

"I've never felt like that in my life," Penske said, wincing at the memory. "I left here feeling terrible for the drivers, the team, myself. I knew we had unfinished business, and there was nothing we could do about it for years."

Back to the Brickyard

Finally, the CART teams began to straggle back to Indy, including Penske in 2001. It was a triumphant return when Indy rookie Castroneves finished first and de Ferran second.

Last year, Penske brought his team to the IRL for good, and Castroneves made it an unprecedented 2-for-2 at Indy. Now, starting from the pole on May 25, the 28-year-old Brazilian could become the first driver to win three straight in the 87 years that the race has been run.

"It's funny," Castroneves said, grinning. "Nobody seems really surprised when we won" in 2001. "I guess everybody here expected this team to win every year."

Don't think Penske takes anything for granted, though.

"To me, coming to Indianapolis is a great challenge," the 65-year-old Penske said. "Any time I've come here ... I'm on pins and needles.

"If you make a mistake, people talk about it. When you win, you get the benefit of that in your life and in your business.

"Obviously, though, it gets tougher and tougher every year. We've set standards here in the race and ... on the poles," Penske added. "But, to me, it gets my juices running. If I can't be competitive, I won't come here."