Ford’s racing efforts are largely supported by Roger Penske, an American motorsports team owner and retired race car driver himself. For his part, Ford CEO Jim Farley had nothing but praise for Penske, commending him for his prowess as a businessman and passion for all things automotive.
In a report from Automotive News, Farley said he’s particularly impressed with Penske, especially now that he knows how tough being a CEO can be. Farley praised Penske’s crisis communication and his ability to keep things under control even in the face of adversity. Farley said that when he first stepped up to the plate as Ford CEO, he reached out to Penske for advice, specifically referencing Penske’s response to a crisis while he was CEO of Detroit Diesel in the late 1980s.
“I asked [Penske] when I first took this job, ‘Hey, how did you address quality with Detroit Diesel?'” Farley told Automotive News. “He goes, ‘Yeah, I put the 1-800 number on the valve cover, so anytime it broke and the truck driver lifted the cab to see what was broken, they’d see 1-800 call Detroit Diesel.’ I was like, that’s Roger Penske… We would never think about putting the customer hotline on an engine part. But that’s Roger. He’s like the ultimate problem solver.”
Jim Farley also praised Penske’s attention to detail. He referenced Penkse’s interest in every aspect of his business, right down to the tiles used in the bathrooms of his dealerships. That attention extends to Penske’s race cars, which are usually rather “plain” compared to other liveries in the field, but by keeping the paint schemes simple, Penske can gain an important aerodynamic advantage.
“He’s just so proud of his team,” Jim Farley said. “He loves his people… He’s created a whole group of leaders across his dealerships… He is so proud of that team he’s built, maybe more than any leader that I’ve met.”
Penske’s concern with the small things is particularly impressive, considering that Penske Automotive recently acquired the world’s largest Ford dealer in Michigan. He also operates a championship caliber Cup Series team, Penske Racing.
Comments
I always admired Mr. Penske, going back to the late 60s. His racing teams and dealerships were always first class. Later in life, I had an opportunity to work for Ford Motor and occasionally our paths would cross. The man was always friendly and polite. Nothing but a class individual. He’s a winner because he won’t accept second best.
I believe Roger’s racing business is now named Team Penske and is no longer Penske Racing.
Hopefully, the folks at Ford are heaping praise on him in an effort to lure him away from Porsche in the WEC.
BTW, the WEC and IMSA teams are part of Porsche Penske Motorsport while his IndyCar and NASCAR teams fall under the Team Penske umbrella.
Sonn after Roger bought DD several American and Canadian Ford heavy truck dealers were invited to a plant tour in Detroit to promote the new silver 60 series motors. I was standing at the back and Roger was also at the back. He flagged me over (we had met before) and said come with me. He took me into the next room which was HUGE and wide open. ‘See those lines on the floor? That’s for the robot platforms with the motors to move around from work station to work station ending up in the dyno room where each motor got dynoed. He proudly said that he designed the whole system. Amazing man.
Penske…. Class Act!!!! Farley???? A complete Thief of HIS Customers Hard earned MONEY Spent on Inferior FORD Products that have SET the WORLD Record On “RECALLS”??? Thanks Jimmy…. Enjoy your GOLDEN Parachute when you TOSSED OUT on you RUMP!!! Hopefully that’s real Soon!!!!
Put your money where your mouth is and join IndyCar again.
Roger Penske could teach Failure Farley a lesson or two on how Ford Motor Company can improve their quality control since quality control is nonexistent at Ford Motor Company at the moment.