The Greatest Spectacle In Racing, the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, is 46 days away, Sunday, May 25. On Wednesday, defending Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden, Team Penske owner Roger Penske, owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, and NASCAR drivers Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney met U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, who said that he would look into attending this year’s race.
The Indianapolis 500 is the largest single-day sporting event in the world, and Mr Trump attended the Daytona 500 in February. While Roger Penske says that the President has an open invitation to the Greatest Spectacle In Racing, it is unclear if he will attend.
Based on fans’ reactions on social media, many say that they would not attend the race and would stay home instead. If the President does attend the race, it will be all about him when it should be about the 33 drivers competing. Trump attended the 2024 Miami Grand Prix and was a McLaren Formula One Team guest during this year’s Super Bowl.
The Indianapolis 500 is about tradition; it’s a sporting event, the most significant motorsport event in the world. It’s about the 33 drivers, the teams, the history, the speed, the winner, and of course, drinking the milk! It is not about a single individual.
The race is almost sold out, and while some fans say they won’t attend if the President is there, this should not stop fans from attending what will be another fantastic race.
Let’s not forget that season, a driver wanted to run an INDYCAR supporting candidate, Donald Trump, in the race. However, Penske Entertainment refused this request as they did not want to turn the race into a political rally.
Should President Trump attend the Greatest Spectacle In Racing next month it could cause a logistical headache for Kyle Larson who is hoping to compete in the double-header, the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day having attempted to do that last season but was unsuccessful due to the bad weather which delayed the Indianapolis 500 but also Trump attended the Coca-Cola 600 last season which caused delays for Larson in getting to Charlotte.
The important thing is that the Indianapolis 500 is protected for what it is: The Greatest Spectacle In Racing.