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Dick Johnson Racing boss Ryan Story says the team remains in “a great position” heading into 2021, despite the loss of Team Penske and star driver Scott McLaughlin.
Penske announced this morning that it will be leaving the Supercars after six years of majority ownership by the legendary Ford team, while McLaughlin will switch to IndyCar full time.
The Australian team will return to its DJR brand and continue to introduce two Mustangs.
The drivers have yet to be named, although Anton De Pasquale and Will Davison are linked to the team.
In the wake of today’s news, Story paid tribute to Penske’s involvement while getting excited about the future of the team.
“As DJR celebrates its 41st season in 2021, we are excited to get back on track and continue as Ford’s homologation team, working with Ford Performance on the development of Gen3 Mustangs for 2022,” he said.
“We are proud to work with the Penske team and have represented the professionalism, ethics, effort and success of the Penske brand since 2015.
“We thank Roger Penske, Tim Cindric and everyone at Team Penske for their partnership, friendship and guidance.
“Together, we have built a championship team and cultivated an exceptional group of partners who engage on a business-to-business level that represents the best of any sports organization in Australia and New Zealand.
“DJR is in a great position to move forward and we are more energized than ever about the future of our team.”
There is no confirmation yet whether technical genius Ludo Lacroix will return in 2021 after guiding McLaughlin since 2017.
DJR officially debuted in the championship in 1981, with Johnson winning the first of his five Australian Touring Car Championship titles and three Bathurst 1000s that year.
His team was a powerhouse of the sport during the 1980s and 1990s before falling into difficult times in the mid-2000s.
The marriage of an Australian racing legend at Johnson and American motorsport giant Penske returned the team to the forefront of the Supercars group.
Penske’s participation was highlighted by its Team Championship wins in 2017, 2019 and 2020, McLaughlin’s three Drivers’ Championship titles in 2018, 2019 and 2020, and its Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 victory in 2019.
