For Team Penske, Saturday's SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway was not a race to remember.

Both Penske drivers struggled with Helio Castroneves finishing 11th and Sam Hornish Jr. placing 15th; results that didn't help the drivers in their quest to win the 2007 IndyCar Series championship. Hornish is now fifth in the standings, 102 points behind series leader and race winner Dario Franchitti, while Castroneves is sixth, 114 points in arrears to the leader.

“All I can really say is I apologize to the guys who worked on my car,” Hornish said. “They do a great job, and that was unfortunate.”

Hornish and his No. 6 Team Penske Honda/Dallara spun onto the grassy frontstretch apron on the first lap, and Hornish spent most of the race trying to catch up.

“It was a frustrating night,” Hornish said. “We had a pretty good car, and I got a little bit of a jump on the start and tried to pull down to go around the guys in front of me. As soon as I did, the back end came around on me. It wasn't the way we wanted to start the race.”

Hornish finished three laps down, while Castroneves was one lap behind. It was Hornish's worst finish of the season, and Castroneves' third-worst.

Source Team Penske
CAPSIS International