Roger Penske recalled his father's old saying in his Class of 2019 NASCAR Hall of Fame acceptance speech. The 87-year-old racing mogul is the founder and chairman of Penske Corporation and is known for being the owner of Team Penske.
Worth $3.2 billion (according to Celebrity Net Worth), Penske reflected on his lessons and the impact that his father, Jay Penske, a successful corporate executive in his time, made on the racer-turned-American businessman's life while concluding his Hall of Fame speech:
"My dad had us saying, 'Effort equals results.' It's a saying we use for the 66,000 employees every single day. In fact, I carry a coin with me for that message. I have one with me tonight. It's always a reminder to me where I came from and where I'm going. Thank you again for this special Hall of Fame honor." [15:58]
After a brief racing career, the Shaker Heights, Ohio native focused on the automotive industry. Besides owning successful racing teams in the NASCAR and IndyCar Series, Penske also owns the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Roger Penske shares the idea of NASCAR x IndyCar doubleheader weekends
Roger Penske has hinted at "cross-pollination" between NASCAR and the IndyCar Series' racing schedules. He also noted the increase in fan base at the Indy 500-Coke 600 Double which benefited both racing series.
Stock car and open-wheel racing align only on two events: NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the Indy 500 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway during Memorial Day weekend. In a media interaction at last week's NASCAR Awards banquet, billionaire Penske, who owns teams in both series, shared his thoughts on having more such doubleheaders.
"I'm not announcing anything, but think about it, we ran a doubleheader at Indianapolis with IndyCar and NASCAR. You could do that to give a fuller weekend and some diversity there. We've got assets, and we go to these temporary circuits," Roger Penske said. "To have two racing series, that could come in and help pay for those assets, and that build-out will be very important." [00:32]
In the 2024 NASCAR season, Team Penske ended the year with a third consecutive Cup Series championship and fifth overall. All three Penske drivers qualified for the playoffs. #22 Joey Logano took home his third Championship trophy and the #12 Ford's driver Ryan Blaney finished runner-up in the final driver's standings, illustrating the Ford roster's dominance in stock-car racing.