Briscoe Joins Penske

Briscoe Joins Penske
 
~RacingOne Report
 Posted Monday, November 12, 2007
 
   
Briscoe takes over the Penske No. 6.
 
 

Penske Racing announced that Ryan Briscoe has been signed to drive for Team Penske in the IndyCar Series beginning in 2008.

The 26 year-old will be piloting the No. 6 Team Penske Dallara/Honda sponsored by Philip Morris USA, during the 16-event season. Briscoe will replace three-time IndyCar Series Champion Sam Hornish Jr. who announced he will drive the Penske Racing Mobil 1 Dodge in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

“I am very excited to race for Team Penske, it’s a dream come true,” said Briscoe. “I really want to thank Roger and Tim for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. Racing for Penske’s ALMS program in 2007 has been a highlight in my career, but open-wheel racing is where my heart lies, and I can't wait to race full time in the IndyCar Series for one of the best teams in open-wheel history.”

2008 will mark Briscoe’s second full-season of IndyCar Series competition. The 26 year-old has made 20 career IndyCar starts highlighted by a pole position at Infineon Raceway. This past May, Briscoe drove the #12 Symantec Luczo Dragon Racing entry, with equipment that was leased from Penske Racing, in the 91st running of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race where he earned a fifth place finish after starting seventh.

 
In 2007, Briscoe shared driving responsibilities with teammate Sascha Maassen for the No. 6 DHL Porsche RS Spyder in the American LeMans Series for Penske Racing. Together they earned three victories (St. Petersburg, Salt Lake City and Lime Rock); two poles (Belle Isle and Laguna Seca) and finished second in the Championship. Their teammates, Romain Dumas and Timo Bernhard, earned the Championship for Penske Racing behind the wheel of the No. 7 DHL Porsche RS Spyder.

“Ryan has been a great addition to our organization. He did a terrific job at Indianapolis this year, and delivered for us in our ALMS program,” said Penske. “Obviously he has big shoes to fill with Sam moving over to our NASCAR team, but he has shown us that he has the talent to win in the IndyCar Series.”

Briscoe will team with two-time Indianapolis 500 Champion Helio Castroneves for the 2008 season as they set their sights on earning a record 13th National Championship and 15th Indianapolis 500 victory for Team Penske.

Penske Racing is the most successful Indy car racing team in history with 134 race wins, highlighted by a record 14 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race victories, 12 season championships and 171 pole positions.