News

Nikon Indy 300
Oct. 26, 2008
Surfers Paradise, Australia

Television: LIVE Oct. 25 at 10:30 p.m. EDT, ESPN Classic; re-air at 11 p.m. EDT Oct. 26 on ESPN2
Radio: IMS Radio

Ryan Briscoe, No. 6 Team Penske Dallara/Honda

Fast Facts:

• In 2006, Briscoe made his only Indy car start in his native Australia.  He started and finished 11th.
• In his second full season of IndyCar competition and his debut with Team Penske, Ryan Briscoe finished in fifth place in the 2008 IndyCar Series Championship with 447 points.
• In the seventeen events run in 2008, Briscoe earned two wins, three poles and five podium finishes.  In addition, the Australian earned eleven top-ten finishes and led 7% of all laps run. 
• At Milwaukee in 2008, Briscoe earned his first IndyCar Series victory and Penske Racing's historic 300th win, after starting 11th and leading twice for a total of 36 laps. 
• This season at Mid-Ohio, Briscoe started second and led twice for a race-high 43 laps on his way to his second career IndyCar Series victory.  His win, coupled with Castroneves’ second-place finish marked Team Penske’s eighth one-two finish in IndyCar Series competition and 35th in its open-wheel history.
• This year in Watkins Glen, Briscoe earned his second career IndyCar Series pole; and led a race-high 37 laps before getting caught up in an incident when the No. 9 car (Dixon) spun in front of him during a caution period and forced him into the pits to repair damage to his front wing.  He finished 12th.
• In Edmonton, Briscoe earned his second pole of the season (and third career) before finishing sixth for his seventh top-ten finish this year.
• At the IndyCar Series event in Sonoma, Briscoe earned his fourth podium finish of the year with a second-place result.  His finish, coupled with teammate Helio Castroneves’ win marked the Team’s second one-two finish this season (the other came in Mid-Ohio) and it’s 36th in its open-wheel history. 
• Briscoe captured his first career oval pole at the season-ending race at Chicagoland Speedway.
• The duo’s front row sweep in Sonoma was also Team Penske’s third one-two start this season and their third consecutive front row sweep on a permanent road/temporary street course (Mid-Ohio and Edmonton were the other two).  This was also the fifteenth one-two start for the Team since joining the IndyCar Series full-time in 2002 and the 51st in its history.
• In the 36 IndyCar Series events Briscoe has driven to date, he’s earned two wins (Milwaukee & Mid-Ohio – 2008), four poles (Chicago, Edmonton and Watkins Glen – 2008; Sonoma – 2005), seven top-five finishes (Watkins Glen – 2006; Indianapolis – 2007; Milwaukee, Texas, Mid-Ohio, Sonoma & Chicago - 2008), 17 top-ten finishes and 21 top-ten starts.

Team Penske in Australia:

• In the eleven races in which Team Penske has competed in Australia, they have earned six top-five finishes including a 1-2 finish in 1992 when Emerson Fittipaldi took the checkered flag and Rick Mears finished second.

Did You Know?

• In the last six races, Briscoe has earned one win, two poles, led laps in four events and finished in the top-ten each time.

Briscoe on the Nikon Indy 300:

“I’m really looking forward to returning to Surfers Paradise. It will be great to be able to compete in my native country, and I know the Australian crowd will get a fantastic show. The entire weekend is one big party, which makes the atmosphere truly one of the best in the world. I had the opportunity to run there in 2006 with Champ Car and I really liked the circuit. It’s a very challenging track, and I’m definitely excited to see how the IndyCars will perform.”