Bluffton native Dan Luginbuhl, a career employee of Team Penske, was inducted into the Team Penske Hall of Fame on Sept. 9.

A 1963 Bluffton High School graduate, Luginbuhl joined the Penske organization in 1969. He was one of the pioneers of motorsports marketing and public relations. He was inducted along with Don Miller, a former Penske Racing South president. The event was at the team’s Mooresville, North Carolina, facility.

Luginbuhl's sister, Becky Cox, is a Bluffton resident.

When Luginbuhl joined Penske Racing in 1969, he helped chart the course for the team’s innovative and successful partnership model.

He also helped pioneer modern motorsports public relations and marketing.  Early in his tenure with Penske Racing, Luginbuhl cultivated the relationship with key team sponsor Sunoco, before he helped foster partnerships with some of the other top brands in motorsports including Pennzoil, Marlboro, Miller, Goodyear, Mobil, Mercedes-Benz and many other Fortune 500 companies.

Under his guiding hand, Team Penske became the industry leader in American motorsports media relations, sponsorship and hospitality – a standard that continues today.

Over his 35-year career with Team Penske, Luginbuhl distinguished himself in numerous roles within the organization as he helped define and refine the Penske brand.

He served as Vice President of Communications when he retired in 2002 and he continues to be a resource for Team Penske.

“I am very honored to receive this special honor. And I am humbled to be in the company of some amazing people,” said Luginbuhl.

“It’s been my privilege to work with many a great people over the years.  We have come a long way since 1969 and our team of 10 working at the four-bay truck garage in Pennsylvania. But the mission today is still the same – work together, get the job done, keep building the Penske brand worldwide and of course, ‘effort equals results.’”

Inductions into the Team Penske Hall of Fame occur annually. Each year, two inductees are chosen from current and former drivers, employees and partners that have made a significant impact on the team and its history.

The Hall of Fame class members are honored both at an event and within the walls of the Team Penske facility in Mooresville, NC.

Miller and Luginbuhl join past Team Penske Hall of Fame inductees including:
Roger Penske (2016)
Mark Donohue (2016)
Rick Mears (2017)
Karl Kainhofer (2017)
Rusty Wallace (2018)
Walter Czarnecki (2018)

Team Penske
Team Penske is one of the most successful teams in the history of professional sports.

Cars owned and prepared by Team Penske have produced more than 540 major race wins, over 600 pole positions and 34 Championships across open-wheel, stock car and sports car racing competition.

Over the course of its 53-year history, the team has also earned 18 Indianapolis 500 victories, two Daytona 500 Championships, a Formula 1 win and overall victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring.

Team Penske currently competes in the IndyCar Series, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The team also races in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, in a partnership with Dick Johnson Racing, as DJR Team Penske.