Roger Penske Has Sights On V8 Supercars Championship, Bathurst 1000 Title

Roger Penske "is doubling his interest in V8 Supercars" -- with a Bathurst 1000 win said to be "part of the allure," according to Nick Walshaw of the HERALD SUN. Penske announced that he "will be running  two cars next season -- one of which will be driven by new signing Fabian Coulthard." V8 Supercars CEO James Warburton described the Penske news as “a great endorsement” for his sport, while also insisting the iconic Mount Panorama event was now the equivalent “of the NRL and AFL Grand Finals combined." Apart from boasting a crowd of over 201,000, last weekend’s race "also attracted 2.1 million TV viewers," earned A$21M ($15M) for Bathurst and set new records online. Elsewhere, the Holden Racing Team sold more than A$1M ($724,900) in merchandise, "thanks largely to its hugely popular Star Wars range, while Ford superstar Chaz Mostert’s crash was viewed 2.5 million times on Facebook" (HERALD SUN, 10/13).