11/03 :: Open dialogue

Laptop tucked under his right arm, Eric Cowdin strides to the Team Penske pit stand for the initial practice session. Centering his belt buckle and re-checking his black trousers for any errant smudge, all is in order for his debut as Ryan Briscoe's race engineer. That was back in October 2008 at Surfers Paradise, Australia, though it could be any IndyCar Series event weekend during the '09 season as the native of Halsey, Neb., took his place on the No. 6 car's information hub. Briscoe won that IndyCar Series exhibition race - a first by an Aussie - on the temporary street circuit and the duo was off to a flying start. In fact, they also won the '09 opener at St. Petersburg, Fla., which set the tone for a championship run that fell just a few laps short in the season finale six months later at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Click it: Briscoe stats, bio and more | Briscoe recaps his season "We gelled from the get-go," says Briscoe, who recorded four pole starts, ...