Team Penske to Display Indy 500 Pace Cars
August 12, 2015
DETROIT, Mich. (August 12, 2015) –For the first time in its storied history, Team Penske will proudly display its collection of Indianapolis 500 pace cars and one of the most popular automotive events in the world will host the unique opportunity this weekend.
Pace cars representing Team Penske’s record 16 Indianapolis 500 victories will be on display from Thursday, August 13 through Saturday, August 15 at the Woodward Dream Cruise in suburban Detroit. Now in its 20th year, the Woodward Dream Cruise harkens back to the 1950s and 60s when the cars in the Motor City cruised Woodward Avenue on the well-traveled surface street that connects the suburbs to downtown Detroit. Today, the Dream Cruise is the world’s largest one-day automotive event attracting over 1.5 million people and 40,000 vehicles from across the globe.
With Roger Penske and Penske Corporation calling Detroit home, Team Penske will share one the most unique car collections around with Dream Cruisers. From the 1972 442 Hurst Oldsmobile convertible that commemorates the team’s first Indy 500 win with legendary driver Mark Donohue to the stunning 2015 Corvette Z06 that paced the field for Team Penske’s most recent win at the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” with Juan Pablo Montoya this past May, the pace cars will be together for the first time ever on Woodward. The vehicles will be displayed throughout the weekend at the Art Van Furniture store location on Woodward Avenue, between 13 and 14 Mile Roads in Royal Oak, Mich.
Not only will the cars be showcased at the Cruise, they’ll also run together as a salute to speed with a special “Team Penske Cruise” on Thursday afternoon. Roger Penske, members of the Penske family and a special collection of current and former Team Penske drivers will celebrate the Dream Cruise the best way they know how with a tour down Woodward Avenue in the collection of pace cars.
Team Penske NASCAR drivers Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney, who are in town for the Pure Michigan 400 on Sunday, August 16 at Michigan International Speedway, will visit the Dream Cruise and participate in the Woodward lap, along with team legend and NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Rusty Wallace. Current Team Penske Verizon IndyCar Series drivers Helio Castroneves, a three-time Indianapolis 500 winner, and Simon Pagenaud, the newest member of the team, will also be in attendance. Legendary racers who won the Indianapolis 500 for Team Penske will join the festivities at the Dream Cruise as well including four-time Indy 500 champ Rick Mears, Al Unser Sr., Al Unser Jr., Bobby Unser, Gil de Ferran and Sam Hornish Jr.
“Each one of these cars has a special place in Team Penske history, along with each of these men that have meant so much to our organization,” said Roger Penske. “The Indianapolis 500 is such a unique event and it is an honor to be able to share these wonderful cars from our victories at Indianapolis, and the great stories that go along with them, with all of the fans at the Woodward Dream Cruise.”