It was frustrating and it was embarrassing for our team. He also switched from Mercedes to Honda engines, and was forced to change to Firestone tires when Goodyear withdrew from the series. That was an advantage because Firestone was winning virtually every race. He and his teammate, fellow Brazilian Helio Castroneves, another first-year Penske driver, have combined for five wins this season. Off the track, however, not that many changes were made.
Some key personnel are still here from previous years.
True, but just about everything else is new. Unser left for the rival Indy Racing League at the end of last season, and two drivers that might have made an impact for Penske were killed in 1999. Promising rookie Gonzalo Rodriguez died in a Penske car in a crash in Monterey, Calif., in September. But we hired Helio and we went on. This is a business and there are a lot of people who depend on this business to make a living.