Thorstar - 21 November 2009 12:35 AM

Wasn't 01 the year that Chip ran Junky and Minassian in CART and brought in Vasser and Smoke for the 500 because of the other 2's unfamiliarity with Indy? I just can't think of where Vasser was that year or am I forgetting something?

He drove for Patrick Racing the rest of that year with Roberto Moreno and Townshend Bell (the later only drove at Germany and England).

Much of the running multiple cars is relative to ROI for the owners...hence Penske taking the Grand Am team over to Power; not only does he have a crew already in place, I'm sure Penske Racing stands to net more than they would with a Grand-Am team (both sponsors and prize money)

so I'm certain Chip would do a third car if they were going to make money from the deal.

I thought the Grand_Am guys had decent sponsors. I never looked up the prize money figures, but the ICS prize money is more allocated in the TEAM payouts, isn't it ? Which... if the head bean counter has his way, may be phasing out.

I think Penske just likes to win, and Will showed enough to make him think he will be doing that.

Grand Am and sponsorhip is a bit of a mystery these days...... much like the former IRL and CC sponsors were in the past. It's hard to really say how many were/are paying the full freight in Grand Am. Penske's deal in GA was largely funded by Porsche before they abandoned the LMP1 program.

PLN_ Fan - 21 November 2009 01:08 PM

I thought the Grand_Am guys had decent sponsors. I never looked up the prize money figures, but the ICS prize money is more allocated in the TEAM payouts, isn't it ? Which... if the head bean counter has his way, may be phasing out.

I think Penske just likes to win, and Will showed enough to make him think he will be doing that.

I don't Belskus can get rid of the TEAM payments without funneling it back into individual events' prize money and paying down to the back of the field, because technically that's that it was - the non-support portion of the sanctioning fees. Obviously what it was intended to be was a redistribution of the wealth - finishing last at a race used to be at least $10,000...for example Dario finished third at Nazareth in 2004 good for $69,700; while picking up $31,300 for a 22nd in Michigan

For non Indy 500 events the 2009 prize money was:
$35,000 for a win
$25,000 for second
$20,000 for third
$15,000 for fourth
$10,000 for fifth

Yes, I agree Roger likes to win.

But even with an up and down season, Team Penske won well over $4M in prize money (hard to get an exact figure as the payout numbers haven't been updated post-Indy on the site), so add the team payments to that and then the full sponsorship, and operating costs that outstrip every other team on the grid you have a VERY profitable operation.

You have an EXPENSIVE operation. I have to assume it makes money, because Penske doesn't spend his own green, at this point.

^Personal green I take it you mean? Because everytime I see a Penske Truck Rentals vehicle, like Power won with at Edmonton or Kligerman tried to qualify today at Homestead, I'd have to say that Roger spent the bucks on it. May not be full time yes, but I believe that Roger spending the green there.

Thorstar - 21 November 2009 09:51 PM

^Personal green I take it you mean? Because everytime I see a Penske Truck Rentals vehicle, like Power won with at Edmonton or Kligerman tried to qualify today at Homestead, I'd have to say that Roger spent the bucks on it. May not be full time yes, but I believe that Roger spending the green there.

That's recent, and goes contrary to Penske tradition. Which tells you something about the sponsorship situation.

I thought we were talking about the here and now.

As for the sponsorship situation, if Roger has notice he can get sponsors. The whole Power/Helio thing was such a state of flux I highly doubt he went looking too hard for that. Now, with everything set he found a sponsor. Just as he has in his NASCAR and ALMS programs. He's like a sponsor mangnet.

Penske can find sponsors because they all know him and they know he wins. I don't know what the issue is with his Nascar team. They haven't been the normal Penske race team , since Rusty retired.