One of Australia’s most decorated international racers, Geoff Brabham, was one of more than 40 drivers invited to Team Penske’s 50th birthday celebrations in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Brabham’s link with Team Penske was only brief, having substituted for an injured Danny Sullivan for the Portland IndyCar race in 1989.
The 1993 Le Mans 24 Hour winner and winner of four IMSA titles in the US, Brabham attended the lavish party along with 21-year-old son Matthew.
Young Matthew Brabham receives his big break this year, charged with the task of running an Australian-conceived Pirtek Team Murray entry in the 100th running of the Indy 500 on May 29.
“It was an honor to be invited to Roger Penske’s 50th anniversary celebration at the NASCAR Hall of Fame,” Brabham snr, an inductee into America’s Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2004, told Speedcafe.com.
“I have always looked up to Team Penske as one of the top teams in the world of motorsport.
“Even though I only drove for them once, it was one of those moments in your career that you will never forget.
“I was running second to (Emerson) Fittipaldi when we had a major water leak which was a shame as I was sure we would have been on the podium.
“It was a first class evening as you would expect, and I enjoyed meeting up with a lot of drivers I had not seen for a while,” he added of this week’s function.
Matthew said he drew an enormous amount of inspiration from the night which saw a galaxy of former stars gather to swap old ‘war’ stories.
“I was humbled throughout the event tagging along with Dad,” Matthew said.
“It was so cool listening to all the Penske drivers tell old stories.
“It’s amazing to see and hear about the history Roger Penske has created.
“It was rather inspiring. I would love to drive for him one day.”
Penske’s list of IndyCar champions includes Australian Will Power, who took the title for the team in 2014.
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