Legendary team owner Roger Penske has been named grand marshal of the 74th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
Penske’s honorary role will include delivering the command for IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers to start their engines. He will also complete a pre-race lap of the circuit to acknowledge the fans.
Team Penske’s 60th Anniversary Connection
Team Penske is celebrating its 60th anniversary season. They began the year with a win by the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsports entry in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January.
It marked the team’s third consecutive Rolex 24 victory. The team will look to defend its title at Sebring on March 21.
Penske’s History at Sebring
Before establishing his racing team in 1966, Penske competed in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring for four years, from 1961-1964.
Co-driving with Bob Holbert in a Porsche RS61, Penske’s first effort at Sebring resulted in a class victory and a fifth-place overall finish. Driving with Bruce McLaren the following year, he again finished fifth overall, and second in class.
In 1963, Penske and co-driver Augie Pabst won their class and finished fourth overall at Sebring. In his final race as a driver at the Twelve Hours of Sebring in 1964, Penske partnered with Jim Hall, finishing fourth in class and 18th overall.
Team Penske’s Sebring History
Team Penske first raced at the Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 26, 1966. Drivers Ben Moore and George Wintersteen drove a Chevrolet Corvette Stingray to a class victory and a ninth-place overall finish.
Roger Penske said he has great memories of racing at Sebring as a driver, and his race teams have quite a history of competing at the track.
- Under Penske’s direction, Team Penske has achieved over 660 race victories.
- They have secured over 700 pole positions.
- The team has won 48 championships across multiple racing disciplines, including IMSA, IndyCar, NASCAR and Formula 1.
- Among those wins are 20 Indianapolis 500 victories.
Matt Muha, president and general manager of Sebring International Raceway, said it is an honour for Sebring and the entire IMSA organisation to have Penske give the command to start engines and be recognised by Sebring fans for his many achievements.