Donald Trump turns down ‘open invitation’ to attend

Donald Trump has declined an invitation to attend the 109th Indianapolis 500 this weekend, despite attending other major sporting events like the Super Bowl and NASCAR’s Daytona 500 since becoming President again. Roger Penske, a longtime friend of Trump and the owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, had invited him to the race, but Trump will not be in Indiana on Sunday, citing other commitments. Trump had hinted at the possibility of attending during a recent White House visit from Team Penske, who field three cars in the Indy 500.

Meanwhile, Team Penske’s drivers, Josef Newgarden and Will Power, have faced scrutiny after their cars were found to have illegally-modified parts known as attenuators, which absorb impact forces during crashes. As a result, both cars were moved to the back of the grid for Sunday’s race. Former F1 drivers Takuma Sato and Marcus Ericsson are also racing, with Sato starting second behind Robert Shwartzman. F1 hopeful Pato O’Ward will try to win his first Indy 500, while NASCAR’s Kyle Larson attempts the impressive feat of competing in both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte on the same day.