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THE RACERS, PART XI.
Sunday, June 16, 2024 at 08:44AM By Peter M. DeLorenzo
Detroit. Racing a car, motorcycle or anything with some sort of power is a pursuit like no other. It is a passionate endeavor requiring an obsessive single-mindedness that consumes the people involved to a degree that outsiders find hard to understand. Ask any driver who has competed at the top level, and they will tell you that there is nothing half-assed about what they do, because the focus required is almost incomprehensible. Drivers talk about being in "the zone" - a strange state of mind that takes over their entire being while they're racing - when the faster they go the more things seem to slow down for them. They're aware of everything around them, but at the same time their focus on the task at hand is impenetrable, because anything less can result in a mistake that will likely have severe consequences. Racers are indeed a rare breed, willing to sacrifice everything for the pursuit of what they love to do, to the detriment of everything else. These racers have left an indelible mark on the sport. Drivers who were fierce competitors, flawed heroes and incredible, gifted talents. Their legacies are what make the sport of motor racing so fascinating. In the next few issues of "Fumes" I will recall some of my favorites.
This week I'd like to talk about Roger Penske, someone who certainly needs no introduction at this point. Racer, industrialist and one of motorsports most pivotal figures, Roger has been a force to be reckoned with in every endeavor he has engaged in. His record of 20 victories in the Indianapolis 500 as a car owner - his latest just a few weeks ago with Josef Newgarden - is likely to never be equaled, let alone broken. But today I would like to talk about Roger Penske the racer, because Roger's talent behind the wheel in his early years has not been given enough attention, in my estimation.
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Long before Roger Penske was a titan of industry and motorsports, he was a superb racer. Penske first ran hillclimbs and various road courses in Porsches, and he made his first professional start at Marlboro Motor Raceway in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Back when it mattered, Roger was named Sports Illustrated SCCA Driver of the Year in 1960. Roger's accomplishments include racing (and winning) for John Mecom's factory-supported Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport team at Nassau Speed Weeks in 1963 and 1964. He competed in two Formula One Grands Prix, and even won a Pacific Coast Late Model NASCAR race at Riverside driving a Pontiac in 1963. But he was best known for two moments in his career: The first was the creation of his Dupont Zerex Special, which for all intents and purposes foreshadowed the Can-Am Era. it all started when Penske bought a Cooper T53 F1 car that was owned by Briggs Cunningham and driven by Walt Hansgen in the 1961 U.S. Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, New York. Hansgen wrecked the machine on Lap 14 and Penske bought the car on the spot, less engine. At that time, the USAC Road Racing Championship was the thing in American road racing. Reading the USAC rule book, Roger noted that two seats were required in the series to qualify entered machines as "sports cars." The rule book did not specify what kind of seats, just that two seats were required. So, Roger moved the driver's seat off-center to the right, while placing the diminutive second seat to he left, all under beautiful enclosed bodywork over the F1 chassis (above). Roger entered the 1962 L.A. Times Grand Prix at Riverside International Raceway, and from the moment he unloaded the car in the paddock it caused an immediate uproar for not being legal. In front of the assembled tech inspectors, Roger loosened the Dzus fasteners on the bodywork covering the second seat, and calmly stuffed himself into the second seat. The technical inspectors ruled that the machine met the spirit of the rules and he was cleared to run. The best drivers - and cars - in the world were assembled that weekend, including Jack Brabham, Masten Gregory, Dan Gurney, Jim Hall, Walt Hansgen, Graham Hill, Bob Holbert, Innes Ireland, Bruce McLaren and Ken Miles. The machines represented included the Chaparral 1 Chevrolet, Lotus 19, Cooper Monaco, Porsche 718 RSK, Lister Chevrolet, Scarab Chevrolet and more. Penske thrashed the field in his thinly-disguised F1 car, winning by 14 seconds. Thus, the famous "Unfair Advantage" philosophy was born. For the record, Jim Hall (Chaparral 1 Chevrolet) was second, Masten Gregory (Lotus 19 Climax) third, and Bruce McLaren (Cooper Monaco T57 Climax) came in fourth. Roger also came out on top in the series finale two weeks later at Laguna Seca, having the highest aggregate finish in the two-heat event. Roger was crowned the 1962 USAC Road Racing Champion. Roger continued to race the car painted in Mecom Racing's metallic blue colors in 1963. Moving on, Roger sold the car to Bruce McLaren in 1964, and Bruce immediately stuffed a 3.5-liter TRACO-built Oldsmobile V8 in it. This car became the prototype for the McLaren M1 sports racer. But Roger's reputation as a talented racer didn't end there. He began driving for Jim Hall's Chaparral Cars racing team and scored several major league sports car victories against the best drivers in the world at the time. Roger reached a crossroads between his driving career and beginning his business career in 1965, when he was offered a rookie driving test for the Indianapolis 500. He turned it down to concentrate on his first Chevrolet dealership in Philadelphia. The driver who took his place? Mario Andretti. Roger's business and racing accomplishments are now the stuff of legend, but I always like to remind people that he was a superb driver back in the day.
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Jim Hall and Roger Penske at Sebring in 1964. They qualified the No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport in seventh, but encountered problems during the race, finishing 18th.
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Roger attending to the details of the No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport at Sebring in 1964.
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Laguna Seca, October 18, 1964. The 200-mile Monterey Grand Prix was a huge weekend for Roger, as he swept both heats in the No. 66 Chaparral 2A Chevrolet. Dan Gurney (No. 19 Lotus 19 B Ford) was second in both heats, and Bob Bondurant (No. 96 Shelby American Cooper King Cobra Ford) was third in both heats.
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Nassau Speed Weeks, December 1964. Roger, Hap Sharp and Jim Hall with the Chaparral 2A Chevrolet. Besides winning two races driving a Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport, Roger also drove Jim Hall's No. 6 Chaparral 2A Chevrolet to wins in the Governor's Trophy and the Nassau Trophy (co-driving with Hap Sharp).
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Laguna Seca, October 18, 1964. Roger Penske (No. 66 Chaparral 2A Chevrolet), Dan Gurney (No. 19 Lotus 19 B Ford) and Bob Bondurant (No. 96 Shelby American Cooper King Cobra Ford) on the starting grid for the 200-mile Monterey Grand Prix. 
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Laguna Seca, October 18, 1964. Dan Gurney (No. 19 Lotus 19 B Ford), Roger Penske (No. 66 Chaparral 2A Chevrolet) and Parnelli Jones (No. 98 Shelby American Cooper King Cobra Ford) battle it out in the 200-mile Monterey Grand Prix. 
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Nassau Speed Weeks, November 29, 1964. Roger Penske (No. 82 Mecom Racing Team Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport) on his way to the win in the Nassau TT during Nassau Speed Weeks.
Road America Can-Am, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, September 1, 1968. The morning of the race dawned damp and dreary, as Roger Penske and Mark Donohue wait by their No. 6 Roger Penske Racing Ent. SUNOCO McLaren M6B Chevrolet. Mark would finish third behind Denny Hulme (No. 5 Gulf McLaren M8A Chevrolet) and Bruce McLaren (No. 4 Gulf McLaren M8A Chevrolet).
(Dave Friedman)
Nassau Speed Weeks, December 1963. John Mecom Jr. and Roger Penske lean against one of three Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sports freshly unloaded on the docks in Nassau, Bahamas. The grins on their faces are probably indicative of the can of whup-ass they were about to unload on the unsuspecting Shelby American Cobra team. Ken Miles and Carroll Shelby himself poured over the lightweight Corvettes on the docks in shock, as the cars arrived with no warning whatsoever. The cars were shipped from Chevrolet Engineering to Mecom's racing shop in Houston, already painted in Mecom Racing's preferred metallic blue, which was a 1960 Cadillac production color. The cars were developed in secret by a team of engineers specially selected by Zora Arkus-Duntov. They were 1,200 lb. lighter than the then current racing Sting Rays and powered by aluminum, 377 cu. in. V8s. The Grand Sports were hand-built racing machines that lapped the trashy, bumpy Nassau road racing circuit a full ten seconds a lap faster than Shelby's Cobras. The cars were also tended to by a brace of Chevrolet engineers who just so happened to be on "vacation" that week in Nassau. If that wasn't enough, Mecom assembled an all-star team of drivers, including Penske, John Cannon, Dr. Dick "The Flying Dentist" Thompson, Jim Hall and Augie Pabst.
Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG