Trump Hints at Attending the Indy 500 in Meeting with Motorsports VIPs

What’s Happening?

Donald Trump welcomed Roger Penske to the White House to celebrate the team’s vast success and achievements across motorsports and showcase the cars that earned Penske his most recent success.

“Roger is a great friend of mine… countries like Japan and Germany spend billions trying to win the Indy 500, and he [Roger Penske] has done it 20 times; he clearly understands about cars.” – Donald Trump

• The cars showcased were Joey Logano’s 2024 Championship-winning Mustang Dark Horse, Josef Newgarden’s 2024 Indy 500 winning Indycar, and the No. 7 Porsche 963 GTP, winner of the 2025 edition of the 24 Hours of Daytona with Felipe Nasr, Laurens Vanthoor, and Nick Tandy.
• Among the drivers present was Ryan Blaney, champion of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. Joey Logano, a 3-time champion for the team in 2018, 2022, and 2024. Felipe Nasr and Laurens Vanthoor, winners of the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2025, along with 2-time Indy 500 winner and Indycar champion Josef Newgarden.
• The group met with Trump in the Oval Office for a closed press meeting and a group photo before going outside for a presentation of the cars and for media questions.
• Trump answered a question about the earlier announced 90-day pause on tariffs, which have severely impacted NASCAR fans with increased prices, especially for diecasts, which are manufactured in China. “We did it for the countries who did not retaliate; if you do retaliate, we’re going to double it… Somebody had to do what I did, and no other president would.”
• President Trump praised Roger Penske for his positive changes at the Indianapolis facility and track; while doing so, he was asked about attending the Indianapolis 500. The president smiled and said, “Maybe this year.” Hinting at the possibility of an appearance at the prestigious event.

Notably, Donald Trump has attended the Daytona 500 twice while in office, including this year. He also attended this year’s Super Bowl and 2024 NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 but has never attended the Indy 500.

After presenting both names, Trump asked Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano, NASCAR’s most recent champions, how fast they could go in that car, to which Blaney replied, “About 190, 200 [MPH]”. And Trump answered, “You can have it. That is fantastic. It takes special genetics to do that; very few people could do that… mentally and physically… people who do this are great athletes; it’s not just the car. These are great champions. This is a great sport…”

Similar ceremonies were held in 2019, when Trump, during his first term as president, welcomed Joey Logano, champion of the 2018 season, to congratulate him. In the same year, he also welcomed that season’s Indianapolis 500 champion, Simon Pagenaud.

Full Ceremony Video

What do you think about the possibility of the president visiting the Indianapolis 500? Will Roger Penske continue adding to his shelf of trophies this year? Let us know by joining the discussion on our Discord or X, and remember to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more updates.