Business & brands / Sports / Auto industry
Roger Penske
born 1937 · racing team owner, businessman, chairman of Penske Corporation
Former racing driver who built a transport and dealership empire based in Bloomfield Hills and became one of Detroit's key civic leaders, reviving the Detroit Grand Prix.
- Born
Shaker Heights, Ohio
age 89- Birth name
- Roger Searle Penske
- Also known as
- The Captain
- Detroit years
- 1960s–present
- Field
- Business & brands, Sports, Auto industry
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Penske raced sports cars in the late 1950s and early 1960s, then built a business empire out of car dealerships, truck leasing and automotive suppliers, run by Penske Corporation from Bloomfield Hills. His racing team, Team Penske, has won the Indianapolis 500 a record number of times, and in 2020 he bought the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the IndyCar series. In Detroit he became a leading civic figure: he chaired the host committee for Super Bowl XL in 2006, was a major backer of the M-1 Rail streetcar (the QLine), and led the Detroit Grand Prix, which returned to Belle Isle and helped fund the island park's repairs before moving to downtown streets in 2023. He has been mentioned as a possible mayoral candidate but declined to run.
Highlights
- Founder and chairman of Penske Corporation, based in Bloomfield Hills
- Team Penske: record number of Indianapolis 500 wins
- Bought the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar in 2020
- Chaired Detroit's Super Bowl XL host committee (2006)
- Led the Detroit Grand Prix on Belle Isle and downtown
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 2
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Related place · 2007–2022
Belle Isle Park
The island park where his Detroit Grand Prix ran for years; the race moved to downtown streets in 2023.
Founded
Penske Corporation headquarters
Headquarters of his holding company in Bloomfield Hills.