Roger Penske has called the prospect of winning the 100th Indianapolis 500 in year his team celebrates half a century of racing “pretty special”.
Earlier this month, the Penske team celebrated its 50th birthday with a star-studded event that paid tribute to the enormous success it has enjoyed.
Penske has claimed a record 16 wins at the Brickyard, including the 2015 edition courtesy of Juan Pablo Montoya, and the team owner is relishing the opportunity to add to that haul in a year of important anniversaries.
“I guess it would be pretty special,” Penske said when asked by indycar.com what winning the 100th Indy 500 would mean.
“It’s not only the 100th race, but it’s also the 50th anniversary of Penske Racing. When you put those two together, you’d have to say it’s pretty special.
“To be able to stand at the driver’s meeting this year as the previous [winning owner] does, along with the winning driver, would be pretty special because that’s going to be an iconic photo that’s going to last for the next 100 years.”
Penske already has an eye on the future, saying that he wants to take the team to 20 Indy 500 wins before even considering retiring.
“I certainly don’t have any plans to retire,” Penske said. “As long as I have the funding and sponsorship, we’re going to be running cars at the Indianapolis 500.
“My outside goal is 20. I certainly wouldn’t stop at 17.”
The 100th Indianapolis 500 takes place on May 29th.
