Inside the Team Penske 50th exhibit in Indy (VIDEO, PHOTOS) - MotorSportsTalk

One of the items we visited this month of May but didn’t quite get to posting during the month itself was the Team Penske 50th Anniversary Exhibition presented by Pennzoil, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.

NBCSN compiled a video above, speaking with Roger Penske as he gives a tour of the exhibit. Photos from the museum I took are below.

It’s a cool exhibit and a case of living history, as it showcases a great percentage of cars that have helped contribute to Penske’s success at IMS – even if this year’s Indianapolis 500 didn’t go according to plan. Beyond the cars, there’s also helmets and helmet replicas, firesuits, and mini Borg-Warner Trophies.

Here’s a list of the full range of cars featured in the exhibit, which is open until November 30:

The Team Penske vehicles featured in the IMS Hall of Fame Museum exhibit include:
1968 Z-28 Camaro driven by Mark Donohue – Trans-Am Series Champion
1969 Lola T152 driven by Mark Donohue – Team’s first Indianapolis 500 entry
1970 AMC Javelin driven by Mark Donohue – Trans-Am Series Runner-Up
1972 Porsche 917/10 driven by George Follmer – Can-Am Series Champion
1972 McLaren M16B driven by Mark Donohue – Indianapolis 500 Winner
1975 Penske PC1 driven by Mark Donohue – Team’s first Formula One car
1979 Penske PC6 driven by Rick Mears – Indianapolis 500 Winner
1981 Penske PC9 driven by Bobby Unser – Indianapolis 500 Winner
1985 March 85C driven by Danny Sullivan – Indianapolis 500 Winner
1987 March 86C driven by Al Unser – Indianapolis 500 Winner
1993 Penske PC22 driven by Emerson Fittipaldi – Indianapolis 500 Winner
1994 Penske PC23 driven by Al Unser Jr. – Indianapolis 500 Winner
2001 Dallara IR2 driven by Helio Castroneves – Indianapolis 500 Winner
2003 G-Force GF3 driven by Gil de Ferran – Indianapolis 500 Winner
2006 Dallara IR6 driven by Sam Hornish Jr. – Indianapolis 500 Winner
2012 Dodge Challenger driven by Brad Keselowski – NASCAR XFINITY Series Indianapolis Winner
2015 Ford Fusion driven by Joey Logano – Daytona 500 Winner
2015 Dallara IR12/Chevrolet driven by Juan Pablo Montoya – Indianapolis 500 Winner

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PHOTOS (all photos: Tony DiZinno):

In a continuing effort to help fans keep track of the on track action, SuperMotocross is in the process of developing and implementing leader lights for the unified series.

Currently Supercross (SMX) utilizes stanchions in the infield that are triggered manually by a race official. At least two stanchions are used in each race as a way to draw the eye to the leader, which is especially useful in the tight confines of the stadium series when lapping often begins before the halfway mark in the 22-bike field. This system has been in place for the past two decades.

Later this year, a fully automated system will move to the bike itself to replace the old system. At that point, fans will be able to identify the leader regardless of where he is on track.

The leader lights were tested in the second Anaheim round this year. An example can be seen at the 1:45 mark in the video above on the No. 69 bike.

“What we don’t want to do is move too fast, where it’s confusing to people,” said Mike Muye, senior director of operations for Supercross and SMX in a press release. “We’ve really just focused on the leader at this point with the thought that maybe down the road we’ll introduce others.”

Scheduled to debut with the first SuperMotocross World Championship race at zMax Dragway, located just outside the Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 3D carbon fiber-printed LED light will be affixed to each motorcycle. Ten timing loops positioned around the track will trigger the lights of the leader, which will turn green.

SMX’s partner LiveTime Scoring helped develop and implement the system that has been tested in some form or fashion since 2019.

When the leader lights are successfully deployed, SuperMotocross will explore expanding the system to identify the second- and third-place riders. Depending on need and fan acceptance, more positions could be added.

SuperMotocross is exploring future enhancements, including allowing for live fan interaction with the lights and ways to use the lighting system during the race’s opening ceremony.

Read more about SuperMotocross