Team owner, sponsor

The founder and owner of the Menards home improvement chain has been a key figure in IndyCar and the NASCAR Cup Series. Winning the Indianapolis Racing League championships in 1996-97 with inductee Tony Stewart and 1999 with Greg Ray, and capturing the 2011 Brickyard 400 with son Paul. Team Menard rose to prominence in 1995 and 1996 by propelling Scott Brayton to consecutive Indianapolis 500 poles. In 2003, Menard partnered with driver and fellow team owner Eddie Cheever to form Menard Cheever Technologies (MCT) to build racing engines for the IRL and other series. In recent years, Menards has been the primary sponsor of Team Penske NASCAR entries for Paul and rising star Ryan Blaney. Former Team Menard drivers include inductees Geoff Brabham, Steve Kinser, Arie Luyendyk, Danny Ongais, Stewart and Al Unser. Menards has also been the title sponsor of numerous NASCAR and IndyCar races. Said the younger Paul after his Brickyard 400 victory, “My dad’s been trying to win this race for 35 years, so this one’s for my dad.”