Roger Penske, at Age 87, at the Peak of His Motorsports Power

Did You Notice? … There has never been a time where Roger Penske has been more powerful in motorsports?

At 87 years old, when most people are enjoying retirement or, let’s face it, simply struggling to survive, Penske sits on the throne of a championship empire.

Consider the accomplishments for him and his organization in 2024 alone.

• On the NASCAR side, he’s now won three straight NASCAR Cup Series titles with Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney. The duo finished the Phoenix Raceway finale 1-2, the first time Penske’s had that championship finish in NASCAR since expanding to a two-car team full time in 1998.
• Only two other car owners have won three straight NASCAR titles: Rick Hendrick (1995-98, 2006-10) and Junior Johnson (1976-78). During this three-year span, Penske has racked up 17 victories, including a NASCAR-high eight in the playoffs.
• Penske won the 2022 Daytona 500 with Austin Cindric, the 2023 Coca-Cola 600 with Ryan Blaney and the first Cup race in Iowa Speedway history in 2024, also with Blaney.
• For the last five years, Penske Entertainment Corporation has owned Indianapolis Motor Speedway, host of the premier motorsports event in America (the Indianapolis 500) along with the entire NTT IndyCar Series as a whole.
• Penske landed on a multi-year deal with FOX Sports for a new IndyCar television contract, starting in 2025, that’s reportedly a 25% increase from its former deal with NBC.
• While falling short of a championship in IndyCar, Penske arguably holds the larger prize: Josef Newgarden is a two-time defending Indy 500 winner.
• After a several-year build in the sports car division, Penske won his first Rolex 24 at Daytona since 1969. His entries finished first and fourth, with Newgarden again among the quartet that visited victory lane.
• Those efforts were the springboard for what became two sports car championships this year: IMSA and the WEC championship Penske secured just last week.

What’s driven Penske to the top of the motorsports food chain?

“It’s attention to detail, and it’s being able to adapt to change, I think,” Mark Rushbrook, the global director of Ford Motorsports, said Sunday (Nov. 10). “Anytime there are new rules or especially a new car, the best team will rise to the top to be able to learn that new car. … It’s that work ethic, it’s attention to detail, and [they] don’t leave anything on the table.”

That adaptation has always been evident at Penske….