How can Roger Penske top 2019, a year of record team success and individual achievement, one that most couldn’t match in a lifetime?

It began with his induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Then, he was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame. It ended at the White House to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor.

In between, Team Penske had the most successful of its more than 50 years of competition: 40 wins, 43 pole positions, three series championships, and a historic 18th Indy 500 victory. Penske did it by working with three different automakers: Ford (NASCAR and Australian Supercars), Chevrolet (IndyCar) and Acura (IMSA.)

Before the year was out, Penske announced his purchase of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar series.

His blue-chip roster of corporate partners includes Shell-Pennzoil, Verizon, PPG, Discount Tire and Coca-Cola. His line-up of world-class drivers has included Mark Donohue, Rick Mears, Mario Andretti, Bobby Allison, the Unsers, Helio Castroneves, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano. The Team Penske Museum is in Scottsdale.

Penske was one of America’s most successful road racers until he retired from driving in 1965 to focus on his first business, a Philadelphia Chevrolet dealership. Today, he has subsidiaries in retail automotive (more than 20 in Arizona), truck leasing and transportation logistics, operating in North and South America, Europe, Australia and Asia. Truck leasing alone has more than 330,000 vehicles from 3,000 locations. Revenues top $32 billion with more than 64,000 employees worldwide.

Penske, 83, sat down with The Republic before Sunday’s FanShield 500 at Phoenix Raceway. Some answers have been edited for length.

Question: How do you describe 2019?

Answer: From a racing performance perspective, to have 40 wins and 43 poles and 3 championships, you’d have to say that’s the top of your game. Adding, from a personal and family perspective, to get the Medal of Freedom, that is something you treasure for the rest of your life. Being invited to the White House, sitting with the President of the United States, taking pictures with him, then getting the Medal, it’s something you would never believe would happen. When I think about great years, 1972 when we won Indianapolis for the first time, 2012 when we won the NASCAR championship for the first time, but ’19 goes down in the books. What’s even more impactful, Nov. 4, I signed an agreement (to buy IMS). Our businesses performed well. It goes to show you, a year like that, how good this country is. By hard work, assembling good people and relying on them and delegating to them, the sky’s the limit. And my health is as good as it’s ever been.

Q.: What were you thinking when the President placed the Medal on you?

A.: You really don’t feel anything. You’re in awe of the office and what the President of the United States means to the world. The fact that he has recognized you for what you’ve developed and put back into society (leader in revitalization of Detroit and Super Bowl host committee chairman), the things that have made a difference in many people’s lives, to come together and converge at that point. If you have to say, ‘Would you give up an Indy 500 win for the Medal of Freedom?,’ you certainly would.

Q.: What do you think about Phoenix hosting NASCAR Championship Weekend?

A.: I think it’s going to be terrific. It’s a great market that continues to grow. We know it from our own automobile business. The economic benefit, the whole Valley is going to benefit from it. Phoenix, at that time of year, is a home run. They (NASCAR) have to be sure they have a great racing product on the track. That’s going to be the determination. If it’s follow-the-leader, that’s where the rules (changes) come in. I hope the racing product will sustain this date for a long time.

Q.: As owner of the IndyCar series, would you like to bring it back to Phoenix Raceway?

A.: I’d love to come back to Phoenix. I was very sorry to see us leave there. I want an opportunity to sit down with the people in Daytona (NASCAR executives) and see what we can do to try to build the race there. That’s a great oval race. We had a decent crowd but you’ve got to build on it. We’re going to run in Richmond (Va.) now. If we can run Richmond (less than a mile), why not Phoenix? Let’s see what NASCAR does. Maybe we could do a race on Saturday when the NASCAR guys are there.

Q.: Based on what you see in your retail automotive business, what’s the future of electric vehicles?

A.: Today there’s probably less retail interest in pure electric vehicles because of brain anxiety and infrastructure. The experience driving one is terrific. On the other hand, plug-in hybrids, that’s the bridge technology that’s available today. I said to someone the other day, if you went to an auto show in the U.S. and you asked the person coming into the door, ‘What’s CO2?,’ they’d think it was a new Coke drink. On the other hand, you go to Europe, it’s a whole different discussion. Electric vehicles will be mandated in certain cities, which I understand, for pollution and trying to reduce the temperature of the environment.