Patrick Long on cusp of racing stardom with Penske

Patrick Long's two wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans didn't get him nearly the publicity that his new ride with the Penske team will. Donald Miralle/Getty Images

Porsche has employed, through its sponsored teams or directly, a who's who of drivers in its more than 50 years racing in the U.S. The Americans who were factory drivers for the German manufacturer comprise an exclusive club. They include Mark Donohue, Dan Gurney, Al Holbert, Peter Gregg and Hurley Haywood, arguably the greatest sports car drivers in American history.

Patrick Long has been the lone American under contract to Porsche since 2003, which should tell you plenty about his talent. Long has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice, in '04 and this season, but neither got much attention in the U.S. because they were in the slower GT2 class.

Long drove for Porsche's junior program in Europe in '03 and was elevated to full factory status, at 23, in '04 and assigned to teams in the U.S. He's won three races, with co-drivers, in the Grand-American Rolex Series' Daytona Prototypes the past two seasons and had eight victories in GT2 in the American Le Mans Series in '05 and '06. He was GT2 champion in '05.

OK, you still haven't heard of Long? Unless you pay close attention to sports car racing, an under-appreciated form of racing in the U.S. you probably haven't. But his profile should take off in '08, when he drives Penske Racing's Porsche Spyder RS in the ALMS Series.

Penske dominated ALMS this season. It competes in the LMP2 class, with less horsepower than the LMP1, but the two-car Penske team had eight straight overall victories. They had to beat the more powerful LMP1 Audi factory team and did it with the famed Penske execution, driving talent and a superior chassis.

Ryan Briscoe was one of Penske's Porsche drivers this season. When the team moved the Australian to its IRL IndyCar team to replace Sam Hornish Jr., Porsche recommended Long. Penske agreed.

"I'm coming in at the peak of [Penske's] success and it's like a fairy tale for me," Long said. "I'm excited for the opportunity, but I know the work and the challenge begins now. Mr. [Roger] Penske will be calling my races. It hasn't sunk in yet, but I'm humbled by that. I'm excited about how much I'll grow as a driver and how much I'll learn. It's something extra special driving for the Penske team. It's pretty cool."

Long's road to Penske, where he'll team with Sascha Maassen of Germany, was created when he decided to sign with Porsche rather than pursue an open-wheel career.

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