Roger Penske's first winner, a classic Corvette recreation, back to the scene at Daytona

Ken Willis, The Daytona Beach News-Journal
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DAYTONA BEACH — It all had to start somewhere for Roger Penske.

As a racing team owner, the winning started at the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona, where his Corvette Stingray captured a GT class victory in the first 24-hour version of the renowned event.

The recreation of that No. 6 Corvette was undertaken by George Haddad, of Fabulous Restorations in Fort Lauderdale. The car arrived at Daytona International Speedway around lunchtime Friday and will remain there — inside the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America museum — through next March’s 2023 Hall inductions.

It will be part of a gathering of racing Corvettes with Daytona connections.

The recreation of the first Roger Penske-owned Corvette Stingray that won its class in the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona.
The recreation of the first Roger Penske-owned Corvette Stingray that won its class in the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona.

Penske was 28 when he quit racing in 1965 and devoted full attention to his budding business career as well as his racing operation. In early February, 1966, he brought a Corvette Stingray to Daytona for the newly lengthened marathon and turned over the cockpit to Dick Guldstrand, Ben Moore and George Wintersteen.

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The trio turned 575 laps around Daytona’s road course and finished 12th overall, in a field of 60 starters, while winning the GT+3.0 class in what later became known as the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Was that a harbinger of things to come for Roger Penske as team owner?

Well, in the nearly six decades since, his IndyCar teams have won 18 Indy 500s and five IndyCar championships. His NASCAR teams have won three Daytona 500s and two Cup Series championships (six Xfinity Series titles, by the way).

Three years after his initial class win as an owner, Penske’s Lola T70 took overall victory in the 1969 24 Hours of Daytona, with Chuck Dobson and Mark Donohue sharing the wheel.

Along the way, as Penske built his corporate empire, his “side hustle” of auto racing landed him in at least six Halls of Fame, saw him purchase the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the entire IndyCar Series, and, for good measure, a few years ago he also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Roger Penske's Corvette Stingray at Daytona in 1966.
Roger Penske's Corvette Stingray at Daytona in 1966.

The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America moved from Detroit to Daytona Beach in 2016. Each year its induction class shows the wide range of motorized competition honored inside the Hall and museum.

From Dale Earnhardt to Amelia Earhardt, from Jimmy Doolittle to Mario Andretti — cars, boats, airplanes, motorcycles — every type of “pilot” who competed against others or stretched boundaries, and every type of equipment, is honored.

Access to the Hall comes with each ticket purchase for a tour of the Speedway.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Remake of Roger Penske's first winning Corvette returns to Daytona