NASCAR and IndyCar team owner Roger Penske already has been to the White House to visit U.S. President Donald Trump in 2019, once for Team Penske driver Joey Logano's 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship and again as the 2019 Indianapolis 500 car owner with driver Simon Pagenaud. Penske is slated to be honored by President Trump, again, with the presentation of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
“He’s very deserving,” Trump said. “He’s a great gentleman. I’ve known him a long time.”
When he receives his medal, Penske will join Richard Petty as the only individuals to win the Presidential Medal of Freedom for accomplishments in motorsport.
“It is truly an honor to be recognized by President Trump and awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” Penske said. “I am humbled by the President’s ackowledgement of our achievements in business, in motorsports and in our community. Thank you to President Trump for this special recognition. On behalf of my wife Kathy, our family and our nearly 65,000 team members worldwide, it will be my privilege to accept this prestigious award.”
Penske was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame earlier this year. He also is a member of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame and the Automotive Hall of Fame. He is a two-time NASCAR Cup Series championship car owner [2012, 2018] and four-time IndyCar championship car owner [2006, 2014, 2016 and 2017].
The Presidential Medial of Freedom has been awarded since 1963 in categories including architecture, art, dance, movies and theater, literature, music, photography, business and economics, computing, education, history, humanitarian, law, media, medicine, military, philanthropy, philosophy, politics and government, religion, science, space exploration and sports.
