Folks, not many people can say that they have seen the inside of the Oval Office. And not many can say they have sat down in the White House and had a conversation with the president. But now, Roger Penske, the Team Penske and IndyCar owner, and some of his drivers can! Recently, President Donald Trump invited Team Penske to the office to honor them and some of the best folks in the racing world, and the Penske drivers couldn’t help but be grateful to the boss man for having this opportunity.

Well, the reason Donald Trump called Team Penske “the greatest champions in the world” was for the kind of dominance they have had recently. They have quite literally remained undefeated in the Next-Gen era. Since the car debuted in 2022, Team Penske bagged three consecutive championships in the Cup Series. And not just NASCAR; Penske owns IndyCar, and Team Penske boasts 20 Indy 500 victories along with 17 championships! Among the invitees was defending Cup Series champion Joey Logano, and he couldn’t fathom being there, even though it wasn’t his first time.

Joey Logano left flabbergasted after white house visit

It’s no secret that Donald Trump is a big racing fan. He’s often visited NASCAR races. He was the 2020 grand marshal at the Daytona 500. And even this year, he visited the great American race. His whole cavalry even took a lap of the iconic track. Remember his Cadillac, ‘the Beast,’ running on Daytona? That was an interesting sight to watch. Anyway, thanks to Roger Penske’s recent success, Trump wanted to honor him and his men.

Addressing them, he spoke about how this meeting was just a celebration of racing. President Trump said, “It’s a celebration of Roger [Penske] and his great success and his life and these incredible champions who really do what very few people could do. These are great champions, and it’s a great sport… We love champions, and these are the greatest champions in the world. These are the greatest champions in racing, and it’s an honor to have you all.”

Along with Roger Penske, there was Joey Logano, 2023 Cup Series Champion Ryan Blaney, and crew chiefs Paul Wolfe and Jonathan Hansler. Representing IndyCar, Josef Newgarden, the two-time Indy 500 winner, was there. Even NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps and NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell were invited. President Trump even joked with Newgarden about his back-to-back Indy 500 wins, saying, “What the hell are you doing? What are you eating?” 

And while Joey Logano had a great experience, things did not go as he had thought. Speaking to the media ahead of the Food City 500 this weekend, Logano said, “It was just a surreal experience. To see your race car sitting up in front of the White House is really special. The last time we went was back in ’18. And we didn’t have the opportunity to go in ’22, and now we and the opportunity to come back. So it was definitely very special to do and have a little bit of an idea of what to expect this time. Although it still didn’t go the way I expected but it was still pretty special.“

This was the second time Logano visited the White House. The first time was after winning his first Cup championship in 2018. Even then, Trump was in office, and Logano was equally amazed even back then. He had said, “I kind of got to pinch myself to think what I’m doing here right now. What an amazing day we’ve had, an amazing run we had last year to be able to win the championship, and like Roger and Mr. President said, it takes an amazing team to make that happen. “

Also, what amazed the #22 driver this time was how all the important discussions and decisions that have taken place in the office were where he stood. “You walk into the oval office and just think, Gosh, all of the things that have happened in that room. The meetings and other stories we don’t know. We’ll never know. But it all happened, and it’s a pretty big thing. To take a moment and let it soak in. So it’s special that we had the opportunity. Our sport gives us the opportunity to experience something not many people will ever get to do. I cherish that memory,” Logano added.

Well, it wasn’t just Joey Logano left in awe by President Trump, as Ryan Blaney was equally amazed!

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Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney was in awe of the white house!

Team Penske’s yet to get their first win for the season. But that’s kind of been their pattern; they start winning late and then tend to dominate the playoffs. Look at how Logano had just a single win and 4 top 5s in the regular season and still went on to win the championship. And Team Penske has mastered the playoff format; they get crucial wins when needed and bag the title. So don’t count them out just yet.

NASCAR is headed to Bristol this week, and Ryan Blaney’s got a P5 start to the race. Maybe he can get his first win for the season and put back the upset of Darlington, where a late caution saw him lose his hard-earned lead as a blistering 9.42-second pit stop by Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin saw him snatch the lead and the victory.

Surely, what must have made him forget the disappointment at Darlington would be the White House visit. Speaking on which, he said, “It was a cool experience to be able to celebrate Penske’s accomplishments. From my championship to Joey’s. And Josef (Newgarden) Indy 500. Sportscar guys, 24 Hours. It was nice to get invited and be able to go. Couldn’t turn down the opportunity to go to the place and meet the person that’s running your country. No matter who’s in there, you are gonna take that opportunity. So it was a fun day.”

More so, Blaney felt proud to be part of the Penske group, thanks to this honor. “It was nice to just walk around and see the ins and out. See, the Oval Office was, I think, one of the nicest things for me, so this is the place for no matter who’s in there. That was just really cool to see. I am happy that Roger was able to go and celebrate his accomplishments. He’s had an amazing last few years…I was just happy to tag along.”

Folks, what do you think of Team Penske’s chances this season? Would they again be called to the White House next year to celebrate the 2025 championship? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.