People and Pop Culture
Closing Shot: Milking the moment
When the checkered flag waved at this year’s Indianapolis 500, sponsor Menards found itself atop the motorsports mountaintop, soaking up the added exposure.
Driver Simon Pagenaud showered himself with the ceremonial bottle of milk after handing Team Penske another Indy 500 victory.getty images
If you’re keeping score, Simon Pagenaud’s win in the Indianapolis 500 on May 26 was the 18th at the famed race for team owner Roger Penske. But it was the first such victory for one of motorsports’ biggest supporters, and it put his company firmly in the spotlight.
John Menard, owner of Midwest-focused home improvement retailer Menards, has sponsored a team at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for decades, and once even owned a team, but victory in what’s dubbed “The Greatest Spectacle In Racing” had always eluded him.
That ended when Pagenaud took the checkered flag after starting in the pole position. It was the 35-year-old’s first win in the race as well.
Within the first few days afterward, Wisconsin-based Menards earned about $5 million in media exposure value across television, social media, digital media and radio, according to Apex Marketing Group. That figure was set to climb in subsequent days as Pagenaud went on a media tour.
Menard typically stays away from the limelight and doesn’t usually grant interviews, though he did take part in one after Pagenaud’s win. But his commitment to racing is undeniable. His company also serves as a major sponsor of Team Penske’s NASCAR operation, which has an alliance with a team where his son Paul races as a driver, and it is the title sponsor of the ARCA stock car series.
Menards is activating its deals as much as ever, recently starting social media accounts for Menards Racing, shooting commercials with Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney and doing in-store promotions.
In his press conference at Indianapolis Motor Speedway following the triumphant race, Menard touched on how the Indy 500 win compared to his prior highlight of racing, when Paul won NASCAR’s Brickyard 400 event at the same track in 2011.
“That was probably the highlight of my personal racing career just because it was my son that won,” Menard said. “But this ranks right in there.”
As for Team Penske, the accolades for winning yet another Indy 500 arrived from the highest levels. Immediately after the race, President Donald Trump tweeted about the win and called Roger Penske from Japan as the team owner celebrated in Victory Circle.
