MOTORSPORT: Penske pulls out of Supercars

American motor racing mogul Roger Penske has this morning confirmed he is pulling out of DJR Team Penske and taking champion driver Scott McLaughlin with him to race IndyCars full-time from 2021.

The Supercars team will revert to its original name, Dick Johnson Racing, for its 40th season in 2021.

It will also have two new drivers steering its Shell V-Power Ford Mustangs in Anton De Pasquale and Will Davison.

While their recruitment is yet to be publicly announced, according to extremely credible carsales sources they have already been signed.

Current team managing director Ryan Story has negotiated the restructure with Penske since Bathurst and will be a pivotal player in the team going forward.

The fate of McLaughlin’s engineer and technical guru Ludo Lacroix is less certain and he may be exiting the squad.

While McLaughlin, the three-time and defending Supercars champion and 2019 Bathurst 1000 winner, will return to drive with the team at Mount Panorama in 2021, the fate of his team-mate Fabian Coulthard is unknown.

Pitlane rumours has connected him with a return to Brad Jones Racing, where he first achieved sustained Supercars success.

Penske blamed the coronavirus for his decision to withdraw from Supercars after winning 56 races and scoring 62 pole positions since buying a majority 51 per cent stake in DJR in late 2014.

“Unfortunately, with the challenges we have faced in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have had to readjust our business initiatives for 2021 and beyond,” Penske said.

“We want to thank Dick Johnson, Ryan Story, Fabian Coulthard and all of our team members for their hard work and dedication as we re-established a championship organization together over the last six years.

“I know that Dick, Ryan and the team will continue to build on that success moving forward.”

While Penske focussed his exit on COVID, there’s no doubt he’s been less than pleased at time about his treatment from Supercars.

The 2019 parity battles over the new Mustang and the Bathurst safety car and qualifying engine controversies did not impress him. Having said that, plenty of rival teams along pitlane were furious with the team’s behaviour at Bathurst as well.

Dick Johnson said he was grateful to Penske for his involvement in DJRTP and the rejuvenation it had delivered and was bullish about the future.

“It has been an honor to partner with Roger Penske and everyone from Team Penske over these last six seasons, but we understand the challenges that everyone has faced worldwide in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

“The future is also very bright at DJR. We have truly amazing people in our team – the same people that have been the driving force behind the race wins and championships we have won over the past six years.”

The decision to take McLaughlin IndyCar racing full-time from 2021 is not a surprise. The New Zealander has become an all-time Penske favourite and has impressed deeply with his testing form this year.

The 27-year-old makes his IndyCar debut at St Petersburg in Florida in the final round of the championship this weekend. The race will be telecast live on Fox Sports Monday morning.

“The last four years racing for DJR Team Penske has been amazing. I want to thank every single person on the team, and everyone that has helped me reach this point in my career,” he said.

“I wouldn’t be in position to continue to chase my dream without the hard work of so many people along the way. I’m looking forward to the challenge of joining one of the most iconic motorsports programs of all time – Team Penske’s IndyCar team. I wish the 2021 season would begin tomorrow.”