Team Preview: Penske Racing
RacingOne.com
Penske Racing enters the 2010 season as the only major Dodge-backed team, with three drivers in very different places in their careers. But each of the drivers is ready to buckle down and bring the team victories and consistent finishes.
2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kurt Busch leads the effort with returning third-year driver Sam Hornish Jr. and new teammate Brad Keselowski, who will run his first full-time year in the series.
Busch, who enters his fifth consecutive season driving the No. 2 Dodge with the team in 2010, brought Penske Racing a fourth-place finish in 2009. He was the highest finishing driver in the standings that wasn't out of the Hendrick Motorsports stable.
Despite that success, the 10-year veteran is hungry for more for 2010.
"We had a great season in 2009 and we're very proud of what we were able to accomplish, especially under what could have been trying circumstances," Busch said. "But the fact is that we're driven to do even better this year. We finished fourth in the points behind the three Hendrick Motorsports teams, so we took great pride in being the best in our class. But finishing fourth was like a moral victory and we know there's much more out there to accomplish.
"The ultimate goal is to bring that first championship trophy home to Penske Racing. Until we do that, we can never look back on a season and say it was an absolute success."
In 2009, Busch nearly matched his stats from the 2004 season, when he won the title. He posted two victories, 10 top-five finishes and 21 top 10s in 2009, and the same stats, with the addition of one more victory, in 2004.
"I'd like to look at it and say, 'hey, we're getting back up there to be in championship caliber form.' But at the same time, we're realistic and know that the numbers we laid down last season were good enough only for the fourth finishing spot in the Chase battle," Busch said. "It shows just how competitive NASCAR Sprint Cup Racing is these days. The consistency will always be key and those numbers give us something to shoot at and try to beat this season. It's definitely the target we've placed in front of us and plan to be gunning at the whole year long. Now we just have to get out there and do it."
Busch starts the new season with a new crew chief, Steve Addington, and he's confident the pairing will be successful for Penske Racing. Addington comes to the team from Joe Gibbs Racing, where he and Kyle Busch captured 12 victories over the last two seasons.
"With Steve on board, I am confident we can build on the momentum from 2009 and compete for wins and the series title in the Miller Lite Dodge," Busch said. "I'm a long-term guy here and Steve is long-term. We're all operating on the same page and are devoted to making the 2010 season the most successful yet for Penske Racing, Miller Lite and Dodge."
In addition to the new crew chief, Busch will have a new teammate in Brad Keselowski. Keselowski joins the team for his first full-time season in the Cup Series driving the No. 12 Dodge.
Keselowski has simple goals for his 2010 season with Penske Racing.
"I just want to be a threat to win week in and week out. That's where we want to get to," Keselowski said.
The young driver enters the 2010 season on a lot of people's radar after he won last year's Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway in just his fifth career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start. It's not simply the victory that brings him attention, but also the way he's perceived as a driver.
Instances on track with drivers have caused Keselowski trouble early in his career, but the young driver isn't too worried about the hype.
"I feel like I give when it's the right time to give and I take when it's the right time to take," Keselowski said of his racing. "For the most part I always do that. There have been a few races during the season where I step back and say, 'Whoa, I did a terrible job of not giving right there.' There have been a few (races) where I've given too much.
"But at the end of the day, when I look my team in the eyes, I want to be able to look at them and say that I took more than I gave. I want to be able to look at them and for them to know that when I got out of that race car, I left nothing on the table."
To tackle his first full-time season, Keselowski will be under the leadership of Jay Guy, who joins the team as crew chief. Guy has worked in all three top NASCAR Series and is ready to bring the No. 12 team back to victory lane.
"Over the years, the No. 12 team has had a lot of success, including winning the 2008 Daytona 500, and we certainly want to build on that tradition of winning," Guy said of his plans with the team for 2010. "Brad (Keselowski) is one of the most talented drivers in NASCAR and we will work together to develop his skills and make this team the best it can be."
For his part, Hornish is ready to make the most of his third year with Penske Racing.
"We started the No. 77 team from scratch in 2008 with a new driver, crew chief and crew," Hornish said. "I feel that 2009 was a season of tremendous growth for the entire No. 77 team. We went from a rookie season without any top-15 finishes to having a year with seven top-10 and two top-five results. I have learned so much as a driver and the team has really come together as a cohesive group, so I feel that there are great possibilities for us (this) season."
Hornish will be with crew chief Travis Geisler for a second year.