INDIANAPOLIS — Much of Roger Penske’s life has been a race against time.
He became one of the most successful, self-made entrepreneurs in United States history by racing against time for the next big deal, the next contract that needed to be signed or the next company he could turn into a winner.
It’s those traits that have made Penske Corp. a worldwide success.
Away from the boardroom, Penske took his race-against-time approach to the race track. That attitude made him the most successful team owner in racing history with accomplishments too numerous to list.
There is one record that he is most proud of and that is his 18 Indianapolis 500 wins. His goal is to make it to 20.
Every time Penske wins the Indianapolis 500, he changes the number on his license plate. When Simon Pagenaud won the Indy 500 in 2019 for the team, Penske changed his license plate from 17 to 18.
Penske has owned the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the most successful car owner in history.
On Nov. 4, 2019, Penske took the next step and became owner of the most famous speedway in the world. His purchase from Indiana’s Hulman-George family ended a 74-year run for that family as the stewards of one of the greatest sporting traditions on Earth.
At age 85, Penske continues his race-against-time mentality.
His body may say 85, but his business mind remains as sharp as ever.
“I talk to him almost every day and on most days multiple times, and I spend full days with him every week. I’ve seen zero slowing down,” Penske Entertainment CEO Mark Miles told SPEED SPORT. “You are absolutely right mentally, but even physically we should all be Roger Penske in terms of stamina and endurance and energy and drive.
“Every day is a pleasure.
“You can’t be 85 and bound up and down stairs like a 16-year-old, but he can wear me out going up and down stairs and going around the facility,” the 68-year-old Miles continued. “We just love what we are doing. It’s not even a question for either one of us.”
Penske is as consumed by business as he is by racing. When one project is complete, it’s on to the next project.
It’s always been that way with Penske.
When he was a youngster, Penske’s father, Jay, was a successful businessman in Shaker Heights, Ohio. He saw promise in his son and sent him to the prestigious Culver Military Academy in Marshall County, Ind.
The list of notable alumni who have attended Culver Military Academy is as impressive as it is deep.
The late George Steinbrenner, a shipbuilder and owner of the New York Yankees; actor Hal Holbrook, Weather Channel founder Frank Batten, film critic Gene Siskell, Duke University’s Eddie Cameron and Indiana’s two-time governor and two-time senator Evan Bayh are among those who have attended Culver Military Academy.
Nearly 75 years later, Penske lives with the same values impressed upon him at Culver Military Academy.
“The one thing I learned was to shine my shoes,” Penske told SPEED SPORT. “Overall, that experience at Culver was terrific. I learned how to be a leader. You worked with people from different parts of the world at Culver. I would say it was a great foundation for me to have discipline, to understand you had to work to get to the front and that was important to me in life.”
Working for Roger Penske isn’t for everyone. It requires an all-consuming commitment to success.
It’s a pace few are able to endure.
“I’ve never really thought that way because every day is different,” Penske said. “When you get into that mode is when you are doing the same thing every single day. The good news for me is we have such a varied group of companies, customers, and challenges, that is what gets me up every morning. I don’t get up in the morning not knowing I have a lot to do and then things change when you walk into the office.
“That’s the fun I’m having every day.”
If Penske had his way, there would be 30 hours in a day and nine days in a week. With businesses all over the world, it isn’t unusual for Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles or Miles to get an email or a text message from Penske at 2:30 a.m.
Penske gets more done on less sleep than most people.
“I’ve never been one to stay out and rebel rouse,” Penske said. “I get the sleep I can, and I want to have a clear head when I go to the office or out with my family. It’s the way I grew up. I’m used to not a lot of sleep, but when I get it, I sleep well.
“The pressure of all of these things has some effect on getting to sleep because you think about all of these things that you have to do the next day.”
In Penske’s world, the next day means the next project and another race against time.
At 85, Penske continues to keep time on his side.