---
title: "President Trump Celebrates Indy 500 Winner Simon Pagenaud, Roger Penske With White House Party"
description: "Pagenaud is an \"incredible racer,\" the best, the most beautiful, believe me."
date: "2019-06-11"
modified: "2019-06-11"
authors:
  - name: "Jerry Perez"
    job_title: "Deputy Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/28465/president-trump-celebrates-indy-500-winner-simon-pagenaud-roger-penske-with-white-house-party"
categories:
  - "News"
---

# President Trump Celebrates Indy 500 Winner Simon Pagenaud, Roger Penske With White House Party

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2019/06/GettyImages-1148969183.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania opened the doors of the White House to welcome [2019 Indy 500 winner](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/28229/indycar-simon-pagenaud-and-team-penske-take-dominant-win-at-2019-indy-500>) Simon Pagenaud and Team Penske owner Roger Penske Monday night. The outdoor reception, which displayed Pagenaud's Chevy racer on the presidential lawn, was meant to celebrate the French racing driver and the Captain's heroic victory at last month's 500-mile race.

In the presence of the No. 22 Menards crew, Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles, and Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, Trump praised Pagenaud for his bravery and skill, calling the [first-time winner](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/27825/talking-cars-with-indianapolis-500-winner-and-indycar-rising-star-alexander-rossi>) an "incredible racer" and mentioning that he watched this year's race because of his friend Roger Penske's involvement in motor racing.

![message-editor%2F1560261983436-gettyimages-1155068083.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1560261983436-gettyimages-1155068083.jpg>)
**Getty**

"It's a great honor to introduce the winner of the Indianapolis 500, Simon Pagenaud," Trump said. "He is an incredible racer."

"I happened to be watching that one because my friend \[Penske\] is somewhat involved with racing," Trump added. "The job that Simon did, if you saw that, that was talent and it was a lot of courage - because I wouldn't do it... even for that trophy."

Of course, he was referring to the majestic [Borg-Warner Trophy](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/21091/five-little-known-facts-about-the-indy-500s-borgwarner-trophy>), which features the face of every 500 winner since 1911 and was also present at the memorable event in Washington.

This isn't the first time [Trump has welcomed a racing personality](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/26225/chasing-simon-pagenaud-around-daytona-in-a-2019-acura-nsx-is-the-best-kind-of-terrifying>) to the White House. 2018 NASCAR champion Joey Logano, who also races under the Penske flag, was honored in similar fashion in April of this year. Unlike support of IndyCar, the NASCAR invite didn't come as a surprise, given the fact that NASCAR CEO Brian France endorsed Trump during the 2016 election.

## Author
Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/drive_jerry/>)