Penske goes into motorsports’ big weekend as a Hall of Famer

INDIANAPOLIS — Roger Penske spent three summers of his childhood at Culver Military Academy, where young boys gathered for eight weeks at a time to learn about leadership, teamwork, integrity and accountability.

Penske looks back at those summers in Indiana and knows they helped lay the groundwork for the empire he’s built.

“Ironically, not too far from Indianapolis” Penske said.

Penske heads into the biggest weekend of motorsports with four cars capable of winning the Indianapolis 500, and another three that should contend in NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600. It’s his favorite weekend of the year because it celebrates motorsports — Penske’s equivalent of fishing or golfing or hunting — and this year, he is a central part of the celebration.

Penske was one of five nominees selected this week for NASCAR’s Hall of Fame . NASCAR Chairman Brian France called Penske “a man of the highest integrity” and cited the standard of excellence “The Captain” sets in every aspect of his life — excellence found in every element of the Penske Corp.

In his first interview since he learned of his election, Penske pointed to his parents and the childhood they gave him for shaping his career. Yes, they sent him to Culver, but “I wasn’t a bad boy,” he insisted. They also sent him to YMCA camp in Canada, where he learned portaging, rode the rapids and lived in jungle hammocks.

“I had a very different upbringing, I think my parents gave me the opportunity to do many different things than just hang out,” Penske told The Associated Press. “I learned to lead, and when you’re a leader you have to set an example and I think that’s been something that we’ve tried to drive through our organization. You’ve got to be transparent, you have to have integrity, we all make mistakes and nobody has a perfect career. But on the other hand, the ability to look someone in the eye, and they know that you’re dealing with them with honesty, is so important.”

Penske has been in motorsports more than 52 years and his success is global. His motto “effort equals results” came from his father and is passed down to his employees. He expects the very best, and delivers it in turn. His executives are as important as his secretaries. The drivers aren’t any more special than the employees who arrive long before the race weekend to set everything up to Penske standards.

“It’s a very flat organization in racing, and once you forget that, you don’t win,” Penske said. “It’s the truck drivers, the guy polishing the wheels, setting the air pressure on the tires, pulling the tear-off during a pit stop — all these things are as important, and people forget that. The best teams are the ones that get into the very detail, not just the