Racing legend Roger Penske publicly acknowledged for the first time that he had a kidney transplant in September 2017. The kidney donor was his eldest son, Greg.
Penske, the CEO of auto retailer Penske Automotive Group Inc., made the admission in a private media gathering on Friday in St. Petersburg, Fla., as the famed Team Penske NTT IndyCar Series team prepared for Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. It was the season-opening race for IndyCar.
The operation was performed at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., several days after Josef Newgarden won the 2017 IndyCar Series championship in September of that year.
Penske made the admission when a reporter asked Tim Cindric about his left hip transplant last month. That procedure was also performed at the Mayo Clinic.
Penske was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2005 and that forced the removal of one of his kidneys.
“When I did that transplant, we were up at the end of the day. They said, ‘Would you like to get up and walk over to the window?’” Penske said. “Next day, I’m over in my son’s room. They get you going. It’s amazing. It’s a good spot, good spot.”
Both father and son have since fully recovered.
The 82-year-old Penske went on to win a 17th Indianapolis 500 with Will Power and a second NASCAR Cup championship with Joey Logano in 2018. He was also inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame this past January.
It was the first time Penske had won an Indianapolis 500 and a NASCAR Cup title in the same season. He called 2018 the greatest season in Team Penske history.
