INDIANAPOLIS – Simon Pagenaud arrived at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this month with his job on the line and rumors swirling around Gasoline Alley that Alexander Rossi could soon replace him at Team Penske.
The 35-year-old French driver left with a pair of wins – his face soon to be engraved on the Borg-Warner trophy as the Indianapolis 500 champion – and an assurance from Roger Penske himself that he isn’t going anywhere.
“Do I even have to answer that?” Penske asked. “Absolutely.”
In a head-to-head duel for the ages, Pagenaud defeated none other than Rossi by making a dramatic pass on the penultimate lap, then holding on the rest of the way to hand Penske his 18th win in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Even sweeter, it came on the 50th anniversary of Penske’s first trip to the Brickyard as a team owner.
On this day, Team Penske was indeed golden.