Penske Racing Pays Tribute to Employee

July 10, 2008


Penske Racing Pays Tribute to Employee
JOLIET, Ill. (July 10, 2008) - This weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, all three Penske Racing NASCAR Cup Series entries will carry a special decal in memory of employee Bill Passwater. The decal will also be on Penske IndyCar Series entries at Nashville Superspeedway and the American Le Mans Series entries at Lime Rock. Passwater, 33, passed away on Wednesday morning.

He is survived by his wife, Heather, and their baby daughter, Lyla Grace.

Passwater had been employed at Penske Racing since 2005. He was the transportation coordinator for the NASCAR Cup Series teams.

"Yesterday, we lost a valued member of the Penske Racing family, Billy Passwater," said Tim Cindric, President of Penske Racing. "Billy came to our organization in 2005 and we will miss him as we all appreciated his personable nature, sense of humor and his commitment to do the right thing. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Heather and Billy's families."

Passwater was an especially dear friend to Penske driver Ryan Newman. Newman and Passwater had attended high school together in South Bend, Indiana.

"Bill was always a great friend," Newman said. "We had been fishing buddies since our high school days in South Bend. A few years ago, he and his wife, Heather moved down to North Carolina to be closer to us and to pursue a career in the racing industry.

"I am going to have a hard time saying goodbye to my good friend. Please keep Bill's wife, Heather, his nine-month old daughter, Lyla, and all of his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers."