WASHINGTON — Roger Penske casually sat on the pit road wall Friday at a race course that he probably thought would only exist in his imagination.
The chairman of Penske Entertainment Corp. soaked in the atmosphere as INDYCAR officials prepared to ring the bell for the New York Stock Exchange from pit road. One turn away, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser was getting into a two-seater INDYCAR for a ride around the 1.7-mile course.
INDYCAR is just two days away from what is expected to be an epic Freedom 250 race on the streets of Washington. The race is the result of a President Donald Trump executive order that allowed the fast-tracking of permitting and use of federal lands, a spend of millions and millions of INDYCAR dollars and plenty of hours of sweat and hustle from INDYCAR and its partners.
“To think about just months ago that we came together with FOX and the president — obviously with his executive order — to be able to have an event in the nation’s capital is outstanding,” Penske told me Friday. “It’s iconic.
“I think there would be something that can’t be demonstrated anywhere else in the world, and to have it here in the United States and to think INDYCAR is a premier event here. It’s terrific.”
Founder and Chairman of the Penske Corporation Roger Penske spoke during an event earlier this week ahead of Sunday’s Freedom 250.
The 89-year-old Penske has chaired Super Bowl committees and owns the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (in addition to owning INDYCAR). But from when the executive order was issued in late January to today, he has seen a street race come to fruition much quicker than normal.
Penske said the bipartisan support from the mayor’s office as well as from cabinet officials has been key.
“I can tell you the complexity here has been amazing. We have to deal with so many different opportunities within the city that we need to cover, that we need to have them in alignment,” Penske said. “The Super Bowl, obviously, is really an event that’s worked on for three or four years. Here, we’ve had four or five months to get ready.
“So I would say this is very, very difficult [to do].”
With an estimated crowd of $140,000 each day and Trump expected to attend and wave the green flag, Penske hopes the celebration of the country’s 250th birthday and the buzz of the event will boost INDYCAR’s visibility. FOX coverage begins at 11:30 a.m. ET with the race green flag at 1:13 p.m.
“It’s going to give us visibility that we’ve never had before, and you put this in the same class as the Indy 500 from the standpoint of national presence and worldwide TV audience,” Penske said.
“It’s a super, super opportunity for us to showcase our sport.”
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