Offside Undo.(automobile racing star Roger Penske)(Brief Article)

Your next bench race topic: Who has done more for American racing than Roger Penske?

Penske epitomizes open- and closed-wheel motor racing in America, a position he's been in for coming on 40 years. What else can be said of a man who

single-handedly raised the art of car preparation, of on-track tactics and off-track maneuvering, of sponsor-getting and promotion to the heights Roger has?

And as if those accomplishments somehow qualify as intangible to your mind, how about R.P.'s 11 Indianapolis 500 wins as owner? Or the 11 Indy 500 poles or the 11 national championships or the 111 Indy Car victories notched in his belt?

You will hear much about The Captain this Indy 500 month because of Marlboro Team Penske's return to The Speedway because of his pledge of allegiance to the Indy Racing League and because numbers don't lie. Were this dynasty competing in a stick-and-ball sport-like New York's Yankees or Boston's Celtics-Sports Illustrated, which doesn't give a gasket about motorsports except for crashes, would have put Penske on its cover as often as it has Tiger. Or synchronized swimmers.

Last weekend, in fact, a monumental surprise soiree feted Roger's feats. Among invited guests were those who helped Roger throughout his race career-mechanics, sponsors, track executives, journalists and other assorted hangers-on.

Think about the talents who've competed in Penske cars: Mark Donohue, Rick Mears, Bobby Unser, Danny Sullivan, Emerson Fittipaldi, Al Unser Sr. and Jr., Tom Sneva, Gary Bettenhausen, Mario Andretti, Paul Tracy, Helio ...