SEBRING, Fla. — Legendary team owner, business leader and former race car driver, Roger Penske, has been named grand marshal of the 74th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 21.
Penske’s honorary role in the race will include delivering the command for IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers to start their engines, and a pre-race lap of the circuit to acknowledge all the fans attending the great race.
Team Penske is celebrating its 60th anniversary season in 2026 and Penske’s team began the year perfectly with a win by the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsports team in IMSA’s season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona in January. It marked the team’s third consecutive Rolex 24 At Daytona victory, and on March 21, the team will look to defend its title in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring nearly 60 years to the day after claiming its first-ever Sebring win.
Under the direction of the “Captain,” as he’s known, Team Penske has won races across multiple racing disciplines, including IMSA, INDYCAR, NASCAR and Formula 1, producing more than 660 race victories, over 700 pole positions and 48 championships. Among those wins are an amazing 20 Indianapolis 500 victories.
“It’s only fitting that in Team Penske’s 60th season, and with a Porsche Penske Motorsports team back as defending champion of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, that one of the most significant individuals in the history of motorsports will serve as the grand marshal of this year’s race,” said Matt Muha, president and general manager of Sebring International Raceway. “It is an honor for Sebring and the entire IMSA organization to have Mr. Penske here to give the command to start engines and to be recognized by Sebring fans for his many achievements.”
While Penske is perhaps best known as founder and chairman of the Penske Corporation and owner of Team Penske, even before the establishment of his racing team in 1966, the native of Shaker Heights, Ohio competed in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring for four consecutive years – 1961-1964.
Co-driving with Bob Holbert in a Porsche RS61, Penske’s first effort at Sebring resulted in a class victory and a fifth-place overall finish. His next attempt, driving with Bruce McLaren, again resulted in a fifth-place overall result, and a second-place finish in class. In 1963, Penske and co-driver Augie Pabst won their class and finished fourth overall at Sebring. In his final race as a driver competing at the Twelve Hours of Sebring, Penske partnered with Jim Hall in 1964, and the duo finished fourth in class and 18th overall.
Team Penske first raced at the Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 26, 1966 as drivers Ben Moore and George Wintersteen drove a Chevrolet Corvette Stingray to a class victory and a ninth-place overall finish in the legendary endurance race.
Porsche Penske Motorsport fields two cars in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, with the No. 7 Porsche 963 returning as the defending champion at Sebring and the No. 6 963 is the reigning series championship car after winning the season title last season.
“I have great memories of racing at Sebring as a driver and our race teams certainly have quite a history of competing at the track,” said Roger Penske. “As we celebrate Team Penske’s 60th anniversary season in 2026, I am honored to be named Grand Marshal for this year’s Twelve Hours of Sebring race.”
