Car Guy Magazine Car Guy Magazine Issue 1214 | Page 11

Able to accomplish more in his seven decades
than most of us can barely envision, Roger Penske
is one of the most successful gladiators ever to do
battle in the automotive arena.
He achieved initial success as a racecar driver
in the early 1960s, followed by even greater glory
as a racing team owner. He parlayed a single newcar dealership into a diverse business empire that
includes the ubiquitous truck-rental firm bearing
his name and one of the largest auto-retailing
empires in the world. Enshrined in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, he sits on corporate
boards and currently resides at number 140 on the
Forbes list of America’s richest people.
While Penske has few equals in the world of
wheels, he remains refreshingly soft-spoken and
true to his humble origins. As with most self-made

Facing Page: One of the most successful names in racing, Penske’s
IndyCar teams have won the Indianapolis 500 an
unprecedented fourteen times.

people, his empire started out rather modestly.

Top: Penske in the famed Zerex Special at the Riverside
Grand Prix in 1962.
Bottom: Managing the team at the Indianapolis 500.

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