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Penske Receives Presidential Medal of Freedom

October 28, 2019 | By Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Team Penske founder and owner Roger Penske received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from President Donald Trump during a ceremony Oct. 24 in the Oval Office of the White House.

Penske has established an unparalleled history of success in auto racing and business for more than 50 years. Team Penske has won more than 500 races, 600 pole positions and 36 national championships across open-wheel, stock car and sports car competition.

“Roger is a fitting and deserving recipient of the highest civilian honor a president can bestow, and on behalf of everyone at Hulman & Company, I offer him our most sincere congratulations,” Hulman & Company President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Miles said. “We’re grateful for his exceptional leadership and invaluable contributions to the NTT IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, and we were all pleased to see him accept this remarkable recognition at the White House.”

Click here to see a brief recap of the ceremony from the White House YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh6V-OyQ1F0

Team Penske has won the Indianapolis 500 a record 18 times since the team was formed in 1966, including last May with driver Simon Pagenaud. Penske’s team also won the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard in 2018 with driver Brad Keselowski. Josef Newgarden won the NTT IndyCar Series championship this year for his second season title with the powerhouse team.

Penske built one Chevrolet car dealership in 1965 into the Penske Corporation, a leader in global transportation services with over $32 billion in revenues. The company employs 64,000 workers around the world.

Former sports car driver Penske also has spent considerable time and money to help revitalize Detroit, as his company is based in the Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is reserved for individuals who have made especially laudable contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.