Brad Keselowski’s victory in Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 was kind of a big deal for Team Penske, as it was the squad’s 100th NASCAR Premier Series triumph.
Penske won its first NASCAR race way back on Jan. 21, 1973, when Mark Donohue drove an ungainly AMC Matador to a victory back on the old Riverside International Raceway road course.
With the win, Penske joins Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Roush Fenway Racing and Richard Childress Racing as active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams with 100 or more race victories.
“To win 100 races with the competition that we have in this sport is amazing, and it comes down to the people,” said team owner Roger Penske. “I guess Paul (Wolfe, crew chief) and I get to sit up here, but it’s all the hundreds of people that work for us every single day that make a difference, and there’s no question that Ford has stepped up.”
The victory was an important milestone for Team Penske.
“It couldn’t come at a better time,” Penske said. “Sixteen years ago we won our first 100th race in IndyCar, so it took a long time to get here on the NASCAR side. But a pretty important night for us.”
“There’s a lot of numbers,” added race-winner Keselowski. “Let me see if I can get them all right. This is the 250th start, year 50 for Team Penske, 100th Cup win for Team Penske, my 20th win, and we finished first. I like that number the best.”
