League fraternity welcomes Penske

The 21-year-old, who won his first IRL title this year, admits he will face a tough task against Penske's drivers, reigning CART champ Gil de Ferran and Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves.

"It's going to step up the level of competition a bit," admitted Hornish. "They definitely have the resources to go out there and have winning cars. We are going to compete as hard as we can, no matter who is in the series. They bring a little more to the IRL, they will bring more fans. All around it's going to be a good deal for us."

IRL team owner/driver Eddie Cheever said of the move: "After the Indy 500 the only team I missed, and I hope this isn't taken as offensive, was Penske. For my Red Bull team, competing against Penske is great. It means one more notch we have to ratchet up."

Four-time Indy 500 winner AJ Foyt, now an IRL team owner himself, said: "I'm glad to see Roger come back. I think he has realised how strong the IRL has become, and he has always known how important the Indianapolis 500 is. It doesn't surprise me he is back, I just wonder what took him so long."