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On Thursday, January 26 President of GM North America Mark Reuss, and Chairman of Crain Communications Keith Crain, will take the stage at the 2012 Washington Auto Show to present Roger Penske with the Keith Crain Automotive News Lifetime Achievement Award.

Automotive News reports, “The award is given annually to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the auto industry.” One look at Roger Penske’s accomplishments and it is clear to see that his contributions to the automotive industry have been nothing short of just that… significant.

Roger Penske’s passion for cars and the automotive industry started at a young age. The son of a car dealer, Penske spent his teenage years as a “lot boy” for a dealership while he honed his ability to build lasting and meaningful relationships with anyone he came into contact with. This quality is reflected in the words of his colleagues. Keith Crain had this to say about the Automotive News Lifetime Achievement Award recipient: “For his ingenuity as an entrepreneur and his passion for speed and the art of design, Roger Penske is a visionary in the automotive industry.”

The Penske Corporation oversees operations at more than 1,800 locations employing more than 36,000 people worldwide. The Penske Truck Leasing company, which provides customers with everything from complete fleet management to residential moving trucks, is comprised of over 1000 locations worldwide. The Penske retail automotive business has grown to over 325 franchises including the largest Toyota dealership in the United States. However, Roger Penske’s accomplishments are not confined to the automotive sales and leasing industry, Penske is also the recipient of the Sports Illustrated SCCA Driver of the Year Award.

The Penske Racing Team captured their first Championship Car victory in the Pocono 500 on July 3, 1971. Since then, they have stacked up 340 major race victories, over 400 pole positions and 23 National Championships. In addition to those staggering numbers, the Penske Racing Team has dominated the Indianapolis 500 by taking home 15 checkered flags over the last 4 years. The closest competitor has achieved this feat only 5 times in the history of the race.

The Washington Auto Show is the largest public show in the capital. Held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Northwest D.C., the event will feature more than 700 new makes and models from over 42 manufacturers. The Keith Crain Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented upon commencement of the 2012 Washington Auto Show on January 26 and it will be followed by a dinner reception at 7:00PM. For more information about how you can be a part of this celebratory award ceremony visit the Washington Auto Show website at http://www.washingtonautoshow.com

Information in this article courtesy of http://www.washingtonautoshow.com/

Picture Courtesy of http://www.trucktrend.com/

No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Dodge Team News and Notes
• Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Dodge Challenger, will make his sixth start of the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) season Saturday afternoon in the Alliance Truck Parts 250 at Michigan International Speedway
• From 2006 to present, Hornish has made a total of 25 Nationwide Series starts. He has scored eight top-15 finishes during that time and has also captured two top-five, five top-10 and eleven top-15 starting positions while competing in a limited NNS schedule over the last five years.
• This weekend marks the sixth outing together for Hornish and crew chief, Chad Walter, who called the shots for the No. 12 Penske Racing Nationwide Series team in the past and helped guide driver Justin Allgaier to top-six championship finishes in each of the last two seasons.
• Hornish heads to Michigan with good momentum after he started seventh and finished 12th in the NNS race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 28.
• This will be Hornish’s second NNS race at Michigan International Speedway and his eighth start at this track overall for Hornish, who hails from nearby Defiance, Ohio.
• Alliance Truck Parts, the primary sponsor of the No. 12 car, is also the title sponsor of the NNS race at MIS this weekend
• Hornish’s Dodge Challenger will carry one of the in-car cameras featured during the ABC-TV race broadcast on Saturday, which begins at 3:30 pm ET.

Sam Hornish Jr.’s comments on this weekend’s Alliance Truck Parts 250

“I am very excited to be racing this weekend at Michigan in the No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Dodge. Living in nearby Defiance, Ohio, I consider Michigan my home track so it’s nice to be able to come home for a few days and have family and friends come out to the race as well. Another reason to be excited is that Alliance Truck Parts is sponsoring the race this weekend so I feel even more privileged to be sporting their black and yellow colors. It’s always great to get back together with the No. 12 crew as well. I feel like each week together, we keep improving so I can’t wait to see how the weekend turns out.”

Crew Chief Chad Walter’s comments on this weekend’s Alliance Truck Parts 250

“The No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts crew has been looking forward to Michigan for a few weeks now. We overcame some obstacles at Charlotte (Motor Speedway) but we are ready to move on and continue to improve. We have a brand new chassis this week, No. 220, that we have been working on in the shop these last few weeks so we’re ready to see how successful it can be. I also couldn’t be happier to represent Alliance Truck Parts for the Alliance Truck Parts 250, hopefully we can give them an extra reason to celebrate by bring home a win.”

[Source: PenskeRacing.com]