Hornish’s Historic Victory Comes as Penske Struggles

Roger Penske’s road back to Indianapolis was strewn with roadblocks on a sunny Sunday in the Arizona desert west of Phoenix.

Using the Pennzoil Copper World Indy 200--opening race of the Indy Racing League season--as a training exercise for the team’s return to the Indianapolis 500 after a five-year absence, it was frustrating when neither of the Penske team drivers finished the race.

Gil de Ferran, his CART champion, was leading on lap 76 when he slowed to enter the pits and was rammed by a lapped car. Helio Castroneves was running second late in the race when the engine blew on his Ilmor-built Olds.

“I think that we did well, hopefully we got our bad luck out of the way here,” said Penske, whose cars have won 10 Indy 500s but none since Al Unser Jr. in 1994.

“Both cars led the race. We were competitive. Unfortunately, Gil got drilled coming into the pits. We were right on our strategy, running conservative on fuel. I think we learned a lot.”

Sam Hornish Jr., a 21-year-old from Defiance, Ohio, became the youngest winner in major North American open-wheel racing history by leading 140 of the 200 laps, including the last 72. The previous youngest were the late Greg Moore when he won a CART race at Milwaukee in 1997, and Troy Ruttman when he won the 1952 Indianapolis 500. Both were 22.

“It turned out just like I was hoping for, to kill two birds with one stone,” said Hornish, who replaced veteran Scott Goodyear in the Panther Racing Dallara/Olds after last season. “Go out and win the first race, also sponsored by Pennzoil, in the Pennzoil car. What more can you ask for?”

Eliseo Salazar, A.J. Foyt’s 45-year-old driver from Chile, finished second, 1.3 seconds behind Hornish, with defending IRL champion Buddy Lazier third.

The Penske bad luck started three laps after de Ferran had worked his way into the lead after starting fifth. As he slowed to enter the pits, Jaret Schroeder ran into him, sending de Ferran into the wall where he was hit by Mark Dismore, who had no place to go.

“I was very happy with the car,” said de Ferran. “He [Schroeder] probably didn’t realize I was coming in. It was a misunderstanding.”

When the yellow caution flag came out, Castroneves assumed the lead and looked like he might be Hornish’s toughest rival until his engine expired.

Hornish collected $124,300 for his first victory with John Barnes’ Panther Racing team. It was the team’s second win in a row as Goodyear won the season finale last October in Texas.

Goodyear announced earlier this year that he would become a test driver for Eddie Cheever’s team and also would drive one of Cheever’s car at Indianapolis.

Barnes chose Hornish, an ex-karting champion, to replace Goodyear.

One of Barnes’ Panther Racing partners is NFL quarterback Jim Harbaugh and for Sunday’s race, Harbaugh had the San Diego Chargers’ Junior Seau handling the pit board for Hornish.

Besides Hornish, the happiest person around should be Michael Andretti, expected to be named to drive a second Panther car for the Indianapolis 500. Andretti, like the Penskes, has not raced at Indy since the CART-IRL feud began in 1996.