Haas, Penske invest in developing from within

	By building a test track at his team's facility, Roger Penske will be able to offer his drivers an advantage few teams can match. Darrell Ingham/Getty Images

Gene Haas is doing it. So is Roger Penske.

What are they doing?

They're investing not only in drivers and equipment and personnel, but, to an increasing degree, development infrastructure.

Nextel Cup team owner Gene Haas broke ground in January to build the most advanced racing-dedicated wind tunnel in North America while Penske is moving toward constructing a test track on the grounds of his massive facility in Mooresville, N.C.

Both ventures represent hefty investments in their teams and in the future of the sport. Haas is spending $40 million. Penske's project doesn't have a price tag yet, but it's likely to be in that neighborhood given his penchant for producing the magnificent.

They expect payoffs in performance and in dollars. The wind tunnel and the track will be available for rent when the proprietors aren't using them. It's good business on both counts.

Haas is leaving no stone unturned in trying to move his team forward. He's made a fortune in automated machine tool manufacturing and selling his CNC brand led him into contact with NASCAR. He decided to start a Cup team in 2002 and forged a relationship with Hendrick Motorsports, which supplies his engines and chassis.

But the going has been tough. In 147 Cup starts, Haas' team doesn't have a top-five finish and has had a different primary driver in each season. That will change in '07 when Jeff Green, 28th in the points last season, returns.

Over the winter, tough, Haas moved to change the team's fortunes. He moved the operation into a new, 145,000-square foot race shop (cost: $16 million), and this week they expanded to two full-time Cup entries, adding Johnny Sauter. Haas' driver in Busch last season, Sauter finished eighth and agreed to make the move up with sponsor Yellow Transportation. Haas also has a solid backer for Green's No. 66 Chevy in Best Buy.

After securing the basics, Haas looked at how to get better in the long run. The team already had its own aerodynamic program and shapes the sheet metal hung on its chassis. It also used several wind tunnels, which, with their high demand, was an expensive added cost.