Hornish to NASCAR, Briscoe to IRL

In the wake of Sam Hornish Jr. moving from Indy cars to NASCAR, Penske Racing announced Monday that Ryan Briscoe will race the team's No. 6 entry in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series.
Briscoe raced primarily in the American Le Mans Series for Penske Racing in 2007. He won three races and finished second in the ALMS driver standings. He was also in the Indianapolis 500 in the No. 12 Symantec Luczo Dragon Racing entry, with equipment that was leased from Penske Racing. He finished fifth in the Indy 500.
“I am very excited to race for Team Penske, it’s a dream come true,” said Briscoe. “I really want to thank Roger (Penske) and Tim (Cindric) for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. Racing for Penske’s ALMS program in 2007 has been a highlight in my career, but open-wheel racing is where my heart lies, and I can't wait to race full time in the IndyCar Series for one of the best teams in open-wheel history.”
Hornish, a three-time IRL IndyCar Series champion and Indy 500 winner will drive in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2008. He was entered in the most recent Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway. He started 26th and finished 30th.
Briscoe will be teamed with Helio Castroneves in the two-car IRL Penske Racing team.
“Ryan has been a great addition to our organization. He did a terrific job at Indianapolis this year, and delivered for us in our ALMS program,” said Penske. “Obviously he has big shoes to fill with Sam moving over to our NASCAR team, but he has shown us that he has the talent to win in the IndyCar Series.”
Hornish will be teamed with drivers Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman on the Cup team.