Roger Penske Inducted Into NC Auto Racing Hall of Fame

October 5, 2023

MOORESVILLE, NC (October 5, 2023) - Through all his achievements in both motorsports and business, Roger Penske has been honored more times than can be surmised.

On Tuesday, October 3, 2023, Penske was inducted into a hall of fame that likely means as much as any honor the Team Penske founder ever received. The North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame (NCARHOF) may not be the most well-known outside of the Tar Heel State, but a deeper dive into what it means to Team Penske and the world of motorsports reveals a true honor to the man known as “The Captain.”

First, the location of the NCARHOF in Mooresville, North Carolina, adds a neighborly touch to the honor as Team Penske also calls the Lake Norman-area town its home. Once the foundation to numerous NASCAR operations, Team Penske remains as one of the top NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) teams that calls Mooresville home, and it is the only NTT INDYCAR SERIES team to reside in North Carolina. However, Porsche Penske Motorsport is one of several IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar teams in the Lake Norman area, filling a void that was left when many NCS teams moved to other parts of the Charlotte metro. Today, all three Team Penske entities work out of one, 400,000 square foot facility in the Mooresville Business Park. Many team members and drivers attended the ceremony that was part of the larger, year-long “Mooresville 150” celebration to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of Mooresville.

“We have our race shop here, just a few miles away,” said Penske from the NCARHOF induction stage. “It’s our home, really. Sure, it may also be Indianapolis, or it might be living in Detroit, but our home is here in North Carolina, and certainly Mooresville.”

Secondly, the breadth of motorsports legends that have been inducted into the NCARHOF is a “who’s who” list that any hall would love to call their own. In addition to Penske, other Team Penske notables inducted over the years include Rick Mears, Bobby and Donnie Allison and Rusty Wallace. On Tuesday evening, Wallace presented Penske for induction in front of thousands of fans gathered in downtown Mooresville. Other legends in the hall include motorsports’ most recognizable individuals including Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, David Pearson, AJ Foyt, Darrel Waltrip and Bill France, Sr., the founder of NASCAR, among others.  In addition, former Penske Racing South President, Don Miller, works tirelessly to make the NCARHOF an integral part of the Mooresville community, including the “Stocks For Tots” toy drive every Christmas that benefits abused children throughout the state.

Finally, entering the NCARHOF with his friend, Edsel Ford II, made the night even more special and congruous for Penske. The Ford Motor Company is one of the bedrock partners of Team Penske, serving as the manufacturer of the team’s entire NASCAR operation. Over their long history together, Team Penske and Ford have combined for 92 NCS wins, 56 NASCAR Xfinity Series wins, eight NASCAR championships and two Daytona 500 wins.

“Edsel and I go back. I was kidding him tonight. I was in Indianapolis, a little guy at one point, just starting there and a guy named Walter Hayes walked up and said ‘I’d like to introduce you to Edsel Ford.’ I said, ‘wow, who is Edsel Ford?’ Well, I certainly got to know him well as Doug (Yates) has over the years. He and I are personal friends, as are our families. His commitment at the Ford Motor Company and motorsports is just amazing.”

While the physical hall of fame resides in Mooresville’s Lakeside Business Park – the original home to Team Penske’s NASCAR operation – its most-visible assets are the sidewalk plaques that line Main Street in downtown Mooresville. These plaques were unveiled following the stage ceremony.

With Ryan Blaney’s win at Talladega the previous weekend, Team Penske has a great opportunity to secure another NCS championship in 2023 to go with Josef Newgarden’s Indianapolis 500 win in May. There are five races remaining in the 2023 NCS season that culminates with the championship finale at Phoenix Raceway on November 5.