BIRTH DATE: September 24, 1981	HEIGHT: 5' 7"
BIRTH PLACE: Sydney, Australia	WEIGHT: 148 lbs.
RESIDENCE: Mooresville, NC	PRIMARY SPONSOR: Team Penske
CAR: #06 Dallara/Honda	RACE ENGINEER: Eric Cowdin

Following a breakthrough season in 2009, Ryan Briscoe has established himself as one of the top drivers in the IZOD IndyCar Series and a true championship contender for Team Penske.

In just his second season with the Team, Briscoe served notice to the competition in the opening race of the 2009 season that he would contend for the title as he won on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. in the No. 6 Team Penske Dallara/Honda.

The native of Sydney, Australia added thrilling race victories at Kentucky and Chicago in a memorable season that included four poles, 13 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes to go along with the three wins. Briscoe fought for the top position in the IndyCar Series point standings throughout the season and finished third in the extremely tight championship battle that went down to the final lap of the final race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Close finishes became a consistent theme for Briscoe last season. He won by just .0162 of a second at Kentucky Speedway in a thrilling battle with Ed Carpenter to the checkered flag and he edged Scott Dixon at the wire by .0077 of a second at Chicagoland Speedway for the fourth-closest finish in series history.

With five wins and seven poles to his credit over the last two seasons, Briscoe has enjoyed solid production and he begins his third season with the Team, ready to once again compete for the series crown.

Briscoe arrived at Team Penske in 2008 with big shoes to fill as he replaced three-time IndyCar Series Champion and 2006 Indianapolis 500 winner Sam Hornish Jr. Briscoe's season took off when he earned his first IndyCar Series win, and Penske Racing's landmark 300th major race victory, on June 1 at The Milwaukee Mile. The win was made even sweeter as it occurred at the same track where four-time Indianapolis 500 winner and Team Penske mentor, Rick Mears, scored his first win for the Team in 1978.

His second win would come just a few weeks later in Mid-Ohio after leading a race-high 43 laps. During the 2008 season, Briscoe also earned three poles, 11 top-10 finishes and 14 top-10 starts in 17 races on his way to a fifth-place finish in the Championship. Briscoe also won the non-points IndyCar Series race in Queensland, Australia, making him the first native to claim victory at this event. With this win, Briscoe rounded out his open-wheel resume by winning on each type of IndyCar Series track in 2008 - an oval, a permanent road course and a temporary street circuit.

While 2008 marked Briscoe's first year driving Indy cars for Penske Racing, he was no stranger to the Team. In 2007, Briscoe drove for Penske Racing's winning American Le Mans Series (ALMS) program as he and teammate Sascha Maassen finished second in the 2007 Championship to teammates Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas. Briscoe also earned ALMS Rookie of the Year honors. That same year, he raced in the 91st running of the Indianapolis 500 driving the No. 12 Symantec Luczo Dragon Racing entry, with equipment leased from Penske Racing. He earned a seventh-place starting spot and ran an impressive race to finish fifth in just his second start at the Brickyard.

Briscoe's relationship with Penske Racing began after a remarkable comeback story. After enjoying a promising rookie IndyCar Series season with Target Chip Ganassi Racing in 2005, Briscoe's career took a frightening turn when he was involved in a fiery crash at Chicagoland Speedway race. After suffering numerous injuries in the spectacular accident, Briscoe was sidelined for the remainder of the season. He worked very hard to recover quickly from his injuries and he returned to action the following season with a diverse racing schedule that included starts in the IndyCar Series, Champ Car, A1GP and the Grand-Am Series. His perseverance and success paved the way to Team Penske.

Briscoe began his racing career in 1993 at the age of 11 by competing in the Junior Yamaha Australian Championship and he would go on to earn a Championship in the Series the following year. In 1997, Briscoe moved to Italy, providing a true turning point in his career. Over the course of the next several years, he competed in Europe in a variety of series including Formula A, Formula 3, Formula 3000 and Formula Renault 2000. In 2003, Briscoe won the championship in the competitive Formula 3 Euroseries and he landed a role as a test and back-up driver for Panasonic Toyota Racing in Formula 1, which brought him the worldwide attention that eventually landed him his ride with Ganassi Racing.

In his spare time, Briscoe is an avid fan of watersports. He enjoys waterskiing, wake boarding and wake surfing. He works out seven days a week employing a triathlete's regimen of running, biking, swimming and weight training. He also plays golf and tennis. Briscoe, who drives a smart car as his primary vehicle, also speaks Italian and loves sushi and Italian food.

In December, Briscoe was married to ESPN NASCAR Now host Nicole Manske (now Briscoe) in a beautiful cliff-side wedding in Hawaii. Ryan and Nicole currently live in Mooresville, NC with their dog, Sam.