IndyCar Racing: Top 10 Drivers to Ever Race for Penske

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The "Captain," Roger Penske, has fielded an IndyCar team every year since 1968. Penske is arguably the best owner in all of motorsports.

Only the best have driven for Penske over his 43 years of excellence.

Penske has been the winning car owner 15 times at Indianapolis, an owner's record.  His cars have also been on the pole a record 15 times.

Penske has 141 career wins as an owner, with 12 championships.

His trophy room has got to be full with all the success of his organization.

This is a list of the top 10 drivers to ever compete under the Penske banner.

10. Danny Sullivan

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Danny Sullivan joined Penske racing in 1985 and started with a bang.

He won one of the most memorable 500s in history in 1985. The win, labeled "spin and win," is seen on highlight reels everywhere.

Sullivan raced for Penske until 1990.  He racked up 12 wins during his tenure, plus a series championship in 1988.

9. Paul Tracy

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Paul Tracy had two stints at Penske.  He first raced from 1991-1994, then left for Newman/Haas in 1995, but returned to Penske in 1996-1997.

Tracy was used in 1991 and 1992 primarily for filling in for an injured Rick Mears.

His first full season was in 1993, and he came out of the gates strong.  Tracy won five races in his rookie season and led the series in laps led.

He ended up with 12 career wins and 13 poles at Penske.

He twice finished third in the series championship, in 1993 and 1994.

8 Will Power

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Will Power currently drives for Penske.  He enters his second full season for the team this year, and he's shown he should be up there with the all-time greats.

If Power can win the series championship this season and continue his dominance, he will surely move up quite a bit on this list in the future.

Power has 12 wins and 15 poles with Penske in just two seasons.

The only thing Power needs to do better is finish more strongly at Indy. If he ever does, he could be the best ever.

7. Bobby Unser

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Bobby Unser raced only three years for Penske, from 1979-1981.

What he did in those three years is remarkable.

Unser won 10 races, finished runner-up in the series championship twice, and won the 1981 Indianapolis 500.

Unser is considered one of the top 10 all-time drivers in Indianapolis 500 history.

6. Sam Hornish Jr.

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Sam Hornish Jr. left Panther Racing in 2003 to join the Penske team after winning two series championships.  Hornish Jr. raced in the IndyCar Series from 2004-2007 before Penske took him over to NASCAR.

Hornish Jr. won eight races for Penske, including the 2006 Indianapolis 500 in what was the second-closest finish in 500 history.

Hornish Jr. went on to win his only championship for Penske that season.

Hornish Jr. was one of the most dominant drivers in open wheel while he raced for Penske.

5. Emerson Fittipaldi

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Emmo is considered one of the all-time IndyCar greats.  After winning the Indianapolis 500 with Patrick Racing in 1989, he left for Penske, where he raced from 1990-1996.

Emmo won the 1993 Indianapolis 500 for Penske and was in control for much of the 1994 race, but he wrecked in the closing moments of the race and gave teammate Al Unser Jr. the win.

Emmo was highly criticized for not drinking the traditional milk after his 1993 win at Indy.  He has been booed ever since.

He had 11 wins in those seven season with Penske, including two runner-up finishes in the series championship.

4. Al Unser Jr.

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Al Jr. joins his uncle Bobby on the list. Unser Jr. raced from 1994-1999 for the Penske organization.

Al Jr., like Danny Sullivan, won the Indianapolis 500 in his first season with Penske in 1994.  He also went on to win the championship that year.

Unser Jr. won 12 times with Penske.

3. Al Unser

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Al Unser is the third Unser on the list of all-time Penske greats.  He joins his brother Bobby and son Al Jr.

Unser Sr. raced for Penske from 1983-1989.

His Penske career included two championships, one Indy 500 win and five Indy 500 top 5s.

Unser won the 1987 Indy 500 for Penske, and he wasn't even a full-time driver.

Penske dropped Unser that year for Danny Ongais. Ongais had a back practice wreck in Indy and was ruled out. Penske called up Unser to fill in, and Unser obliged. 

Penske had to bring a show car out of a hotel lobby in Pennsylvania to get Unser in the field.  Unser ended up winning his record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 that year.

2. Helio Castroneves

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Helio has been one of Penske's longest-tenured drivers. Helio has been with Penske since 2000 and still races for them today.

Helio raced with Penske at the end of his CART days and won six times in CART.

Helio won back-to-back Indianapolis 500s in 2001 as a rookie and in 2002. He won again in 2009.  He is considered one of the best Indy 500 drivers of all-time. He has six top 5s and nine top 10s in 11 starts.

He has a total of 19 wins in the Izod IndyCar Series counting those three 500 victories. 

Helio's career stats for Penske include 25 wins and 32 poles.

One thing Helio is still chasing is a series championship.

1. Rick Mears

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Rick Mears is one of the all-time greatest drivers in IndyCar history.  He's the greatest Penske driver on my list.

Mears raced with Penske from 1978-1992.

Mears had 26 career wins at Penske, including a record-tying four Indy 500 victories, and three series championships.

Mears also accumulated a record six Indy 500 poles in his tenure.

Mears currently works with driver development in the Penske organization.