Penske Offers Indy 500 Ride To Tony Stewart

LAS VEGAS -- If Tony Stewart wants to run the Indianapolis 500 next season, Roger Penske will give him a car.

Penske twice Friday night offered Stewart the chance to enter next year's race and insisted he's serious about the opportunity. Penske-owned cars have won the race 15 times, but not since Helio Castroneves' 2009 victory.

The Indy 500 is Stewart's favorite race, but he hasn't entered it since 2001, when he finished sixth.

Penske first offered Stewart the chance while delivering his speech as the winning team owner for NASCAR's Sprint Cup championship in Friday night's awards ceremony. He later reiterated it was an official offer.

NASCAR's three-time champion ran both the Indy 500 and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 on the same day in 1999 and 2001.

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