Penske Defects to Indy Racing League

What Indy Racing League founder Tony George expected to happen two or three years ago finally happened Thursday.

CART’s most prestigious team, Penske Racing; its most prestigious sponsor, Marlboro, and its champion, Gil de Ferran, announced their defection to George’s IRL, effective immediately.

“The one thing that surprised me after we got the IRL operating was that some of the big sponsors in CART didn’t demand that their teams move to the IRL,” said George, who also owns and operates the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “I really thought they would.”

Now the biggest one has.

It was a stunning, though not unexpected, blow to CART. Roger Penske is one of the co-founders of Championship Auto Racing Teams and was among its strongest supporters in the early years of the country’s open-wheel racing split, when George in effect barred CART teams from the Indianapolis 500. There had been speculation that Penske might divide his forces next season, keeping De Ferran in CART to go for a third straight championship, and taking only Helio Castroneves, this year’s Indianapolis 500 winner, to the IRL. But Penske chose to go IRL all the way.

“What better affirmation could there be than to have the most successful team in American motor sports choose the Indy Racing League as its competitive platform?” George said.

In a related move, CART’s board of directors removed Joe Heitzler as chairman, chief executive and president, announcing it was beginning a search for a new head man. Racing insiders believe that Chris Pook, founder of the Long Beach Grand Prix, CART’s most successful race, will be his replacement.

Heitzler will continue to run the daily operations and will become chairman of the board when a new leader has been hired.

Penske’s announcement, made in the form of a statement issued at team headquarters in Reading, Pa., said his two Brazilian drivers would compete in the entire IRL schedule in 2002.

Penske’s cars have won nine CART championships, including the last two by De Ferran.

The move was dictated by Marlboro’s desire to have a presence in the Indianapolis 500, centerpiece of the IRL schedule.

CART’s continued foreign expansion--the 2002 schedule has races in Australia, Japan, Germany, England, Canada and Mexico as well as the United States--also played a part. Marlboro already has a worldwide image in racing with Formula One champion Michael Schumacher in a Ferrari, so it did not need Penske’s drivers in overseas competition.

“We believe that the IRL is more closely aligned with our business interests and objectives,” said Ina Broeman, a spokesman for Marlboro’s parent company, Philip Morris, in a statement to Associated Press.

Marlboro, under guidelines of tobacco’s Master Settlement Agreement, could not field cars in both series. Last year, when Penske entered his CART drivers in the 500, he was ordered to remove all tobacco logos and signs from his car, crew and garage at Indianapolis.

“The economics of our sport require teams to satisfy sponsors’ marketing needs,” said an unsigned press release from CART headquarters in Troy, Mich. It could not have been a truer statement.

It is also a strong possibility that Penske’s move will cause a domino effect among other CART owners, if not next year then probably in 2003. CART engine manufacturers, Ford, Honda and Toyota, are already in revolt over an announced change from turbocharged to normally aspirated engines in 2003. Honda announced last month that 2002 would be its last year in CART and Ford has said it does not plan to develop a nonturbocharged engine in such a short time.

Barry Green’s Team Kool Green, which had been rumored ready to move with Penske, will remain in CART.

“There had been a lot of speculation in the racing community recently about the plans of several CART teams for next season as well as for the future,” Green said. “I’m under no illusions that we won’t face additional challenges in the years to come, but CART took some important steps in the past 12 months to strengthen its future, and I’m proud to say that Team Kool Green has every intention of being a major part of that future.”

Green’s team includes drivers Dario Franchitti and Paul Tracy, as well as another car for Michael Andretti that is sponsored by Motorola. Andretti, who returned to Indianapolis in May after five years away, also plans to drive in next year’s Indianapolis 500. CART has no race scheduled that weekend.

Planning a third consecutive appearance in the 500, besides running a full CART schedule, is Chip Ganassi’s Target team of former 500 winner Kenny Brack and an unnamed teammate. Ganassi won the 500 in 2000 with Juan Montoya, now in Formula One. Brack won in 1999 as an IRL driver for A.J. Foyt.

Despite Green’s optimistic comments, CART has been unraveling for several years. Fears and rumors that 2002 may be its last season have some followers wondering about the future of the Long Beach Grand Prix. Most likely, it would be welcomed onto the IRL schedule. The LBGP is now a subsidiary of Delaware-based Dover Downs Entertainment.

George has said since the beginning of the IRL that he had no objection to street or road races, but that his emphasis would always be on ovals. So far, only oval races have been scheduled.

In fallout from Penske’s switch, California Speedway lost its title sponsor for CART’s season-ending Marlboro 500. The $1-million race will remain on the schedule, but will have another name and, most likely, a smaller purse.

“We appreciate the support Marlboro has given California Speedway over the last five years,” speedway President Bill Miller said.

Marlboro and Penske drivers will appear at the Fontana facility, however, since the IRL has been added to the 2002 schedule with a race March 24.