Della Penna grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the son of Italian
immegrants. He grew up a fan of auto racing and idolized five-time
world champion 'Juan Fangio'. He moved to the United States in 1969 to pursue
a racing career, but after only modest success, retired in 1984 and
concentrated on team ownership. Della Penna helped launch the careers
of Willy T. Ribbs, Juan Fangio II and
Jimmy Vasser. After his team won the
Toyota-Atlantic championship, he progressed to the top North American
open-wheel racing series, CART, where his teams were always
competitive, but without a lot of luck. He left CART as an owner after
the 2000 season, but occasionally works behind the camera as a
commentator for Spanish television.