Everything to Know About NASCAR Owner Roger Penske’s Award He Received From President Donald Trump

Neha Dwivedi | 10/04/2025
October 24, 2019, Washington, District of Columbia, USA: US President Donald J. Trump (R) awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom to American racing magnate Roger Penske (L) during a ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 24 October 2019. Credit: Pool via CNP Washington USA - ZUMAs152 20191024_zaa_s152_029 Copyright: xShawnxThewx

Team Penske recently visited the White House in Washington, DC, where Roger Penske showed up with his drivers, Josef Newgarden, Nick Tandy, Felipe Nasr, and Laurens Vanthoor, alongside NASCAR Cup Series champions Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano. The assembly, while not unprecedented, pinned the recognition of Penske’s influence in motorsports. However, it wasn’t the first time the 88-year-old was recognized for his efforts in the motorsports industry.

Back in 2019, Donald Trump had awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award. The award made Penske only the second person from the NASCAR industry to receive the same, following Richard Petty, a seven-time NASCAR Cup champion, who was given the award in 1992.

When Penske was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, he was hailed as the architect behind the most winningest motorsports team in history. Overwhelmed with joy upon receiving the accolade, Penske expressed his gratitude, stating:

“It is truly an honor to be recognized by President Trump and awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. I am humbled by the President’s acknowledgment of our achievements in business, in motorsports, and our community.”‘

“Thank you to President Trump for this special recognition. On behalf of my wife, Kathy (Penske), our family, and our nearly 65,000 team members worldwide, it will be my privilege to accept this prestigious award,” he continued.

So far, Team Penske has won five NASCAR Cup championships — three of them in the last three years — alongside two Xfinity Championships. Collectively, the team has celebrated 230 wins across the top two NASCAR divisions and 303 wins in IndyCar.

This season, Team Penske is ready to defend its NASCAR Cup championship title for the third consecutive year. As of now in the Cup season, though, Joey Logano has bagged just one top-10 finish in the opening eight races.

Ryan Blaney is setting the pace for the team with two top-5s and one top-10 finish, whereas Austin Cindric, despite giving his all, has only managed to cross the finish line within the top-10 in two races.

Post Edited By: Srijan Mandal
austin cindric Joey Logano Roger Penske Ryan Blaney

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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