News

Track:    Sebring International Raceway
Race:     12 Hours of Sebring
Date:     November 14, 2020

No. 6 Acura ARX-05 DPi – Dane Cameron/Juan Pablo Montoya/Simon Pagenaud
Start: 3rd
Overall Finish: 2nd
Class Finish: 2nd
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 348/348                                     
Final Point Standings: 7th

Recap:

• The No. 6 Acura Team Penske ARX-05 trio of drivers had the team in position late in the 12 Hours of Sebring to pick up a signature endurance win for the organization, but contact with the No. 31 Cadillac on Lap 212 knocked Juan Pablo Montoya from the race lead before the team recovered for a second-place finish.
• Dane Cameron qualified the No. 6 Acura in the third position for the 2020 season finale. The result meant the team narrowly missed a fifth front-row lockout for Acura Team Penske in nine IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship events this season as teammate Ricky Taylor won the pole position in the No. 7 ARX-05.
• Cameron quickly moved to the lead of the race after the second-place car was penalized for changing lanes before crossing the starting line on the opening lap, and the No. 7 Acura Team Penske entry was forced from the lead and into the garage with an intercooler issue on Lap 22.
• Montoya and Simon Pagenaud kept the No. 6 Acura at the front of the field throughout numerous pit stops and driver changes, setting up a potential victory that would have been the first of the season for the 2019 series champions.
• However, the No. 6 Acura and the No. 31 got together on Lap 212 and the contact spun Montoya from the race lead. After IMSA enforced a drive-through penalty on the No. 31 for avoidable contact in the incident, the No. 6 Acura began its climb through the field to finish on the podium for the third-consecutive race to end the season.

 
Quote:
"Congratulations to Helio, Ricky and Alex. In the races since we were last here at Sebring for the sprint race, they have been on an unbelievable run and seeing Helio win his first championship makes this weird season a little bit better. We had a really fast No. 6 Acura ARX-05 this weekend and put ourselves in a great position to get our first win of the year. The contact we had was unfortunate, but we kept fighting and ended up with second. I really wanted to send the program out with a win."- Dane Cameron
 

No. 7 Acura ARX-05 DPi – Helio Castroneves/Ricky Taylor/Alexander Rossi
Start: 1st
Overall Finish: 8th
Class Finish: 8th
Status:  Running
Laps Completed: 341/348
Point Standings: 1st

Recap: 

• The No. 7 Acura Team Penske ARX-05 DPi team persevered through a grueling 12 Hours of Sebring to win the 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC) DPi title on Saturday night. The result marked the 40th national championship in the 54-year history of Team Penske and the team's 12th American sports car title dating back to the 1967 United States Road Racing Championship won by Team Penske Hall of Fame driver Mark Donohue.
• Ricky Taylor put an exclamation mark on a strong season of qualifying for Acura Team Penske Friday by scoring the team's sixth pole position in nine races. It was the third pole position for the No. 7 team to match their teammates in the No. 6 Acura in 2020.
• What appeared to be a strong start to the championship finale quickly turned troublesome as Taylor radioed to his crew on Lap 22 that he was losing power. He would eventually drive to the garage, where repairs to the left intercooler dropped The No. 7 Acura 11 laps down to the race leaders before returning to action.
• With 11 hours remaining in the race and running in the eighth position, the No. 7 ARX-05 team put their collective heads down and went to work on making up the lost track position. At the five-hour mark of the race, the team's chief championship competitors in the No. 10 Cadillac were also forced to the garage with an issue. As their title rivals fell to the seventh position, the championship hopes of the No. 7 team remained within reach.
• The other team fighting for the DPi title, the No. 31 Cadillac, had its own issues in the race following a penalty for contact with the No. 6 Acura Team Penske ARX-05 on Lap 212. The ensuing drive-through penalty effectively removed the No. 31 from title contention. 
• As all the three championship contenders experienced issues throughout the race, there were very few scenarios left that would prevent the No. 7 Acura team from winning the second-consecutive IWSC crown for Acura Team Penske. Despite finishing in the eighth position, the No. 7 Acura team claimed the title by one point. The result earned Helio Castroneves his first series championship in his 21st – and final – season with Team Penske.

Quote:  
"There were so many emotions going through me over those last few laps, I knew I would cry a little bit. I can't thank Ricky Taylor enough for being a great teammate these last three years. He is an incredible man and an incredible teammate. I can't put into words what it means to end my time at Team Penske with a championship, but this is just a new beginning for me. I am lucky to have worked with an amazing group of people and I have made friends that will last forever. Roger (Penske), I just want to say thank you for an incredible journey." - Helio Castroneves