IndyCar

IRL: Team Penske Pit Notes 2004-03-11

Marlboro Team Penske's "Pit Notes." March 11, 2004 HORNISH HITS THE LANES Two-time Indy Racing League IndyCarÂ® Series Champion Sam Hornish Jr. was in Indianapolis last week for a Celebrity Pro-Am tournament in conjunction with the PBA Classic ...

Edited: Mar 27, 2008, 5:32 AM

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Marlboro Team Penske's "Pit Notes."
March 11, 2004

HORNISH HITS THE LANES

Two-time Indy Racing League IndyCar® Series Champion Sam Hornish Jr. was in Indianapolis last week for a Celebrity Pro-Am tournament in conjunction with the PBA Classic at Woodland Bowl. Hornish Jr. was joined at the tournament by Indianapolis Colts Dwight Freeney, Larry Tripplett and Raheem Brock, as well as a myriad of local media personalities.

Hornish Jr. first got into bowling three years ago after meeting bowling Hall of Famer Mike Aulby, when Bowling Magazine wrote a story about the Marlboro Team Penske driver and Aulby came out to show him some of bowling's finer points. Since then, the pair has become friends.

Hornish Jr., who tries to bowl whenever he gets some down time away from the track, rolled games of 164, 171 and 203 in Wednesday's outing.

For Hornish Jr. bowling is a great outlet to unwind after spending his day driving 220 mph at the office. "I had a great time," said Hornish Jr. after the event. "It's always fun to be able to bowl with professionals. Every time I think I'm getting pretty good, I just have to bowl with them and I realize just how much I need to practice. But seriously, it was fun getting the chance to meet the guys from the Colts as well as spend time with the Indianapolis media. I enjoy meeting other athletes because there is always a mutual respect for the demands on each of us in our respective sports. After bowling with these guys, it's also clear that while some us of were meant to bowl, others were meant to drive racecars."

CASTRONEVES IN BRAZIL FOR OPENING OF FATHER'S NEW BUSINESS

Marlboro Team Penske driver Helio Castroneves traveled to his native Brazil this week so that he could attend the grand opening of his father, Helio Castroneves Sr.'s newest business BellSan Vehicles and Services. BellSan, located in the city of Sao Jose do Rio Preto, will provide local residents the opportunity to buy new and used cars from several different manufacturers in one place, a service that is new to the South American country.

"I believe this new concept that we are introducing will be very well received by the Brazilian consumer," said Helio Castroneves Sr. at the opening. "Hopefully, this will be just the first of many more car lots of this nature to come to Brazil."

In addition to selling cars, BellSan Vehicles and Service will also offer maintenance and repair services, oil changes and car washes.

CASTRONEVES FEATURED IN espn360 MAGAZINE DEBUT

On April 12th, espn360 will hit newsstands for the first time and feature an article about two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves. Launched by ESPN - the Magazine, espn360 is a new and innovative lifestyle magazine about today's A-list professional athletes and action sports stars. The quarterly magazine will celebrate where they live, how they dress, what they collect and what motivates them, bringing readers a full view of their private lives. The inaugural issue will be inserted in ESPN - the Magazine.

Castroneves' office and home in Miami will be featured in the article.

MARLBORO TEAM PENSKE LOOKS AHEAD TO PHOENIX

As Marlboro Team Penske prepares for next weekend's event at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR), they have a sense of confidence and a bright outlook for the 2004 IndyCar Series season. Not only did Sam Hornish Jr. win the season-opener in Miami earning his 12th career IndyCar victory, but it also marked the first time a driver has won in his inaugural race with the Captain.

This year's event in Florida also marked the fifth time Roger Penske has kicked-off his open-wheel season with a victory including Rick Mears' CART Championship campaign in 1982. Coincidentally, three of those wins came in Phoenix (Mears in 1982, 1989 and 1990), giving Penske Racing a total of six wins at PIR.

Hornish Jr.'s victory coupled with teammate Helio Castroneves' second place finish was just the second season-opening 1-2 finish for Penske Racing - the first came in 1992 when Emerson Fittipaldi and Rick Mears finished 1-2 in Australia.

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