For the first time since 2019, some of the biggest names in racing will head to the White House for a visit to highlight their achievements.
According to President Donald Trump's public schedule, he will participate in a photo op with racing champions on Wednesday, April 9. The op, which is open to the White House Press Pool, will take place on the South Portico.
The public schedule did not specifically list which racing champions would participate. However, Team Penske's Joey Logano, the reigning Cup Series champion, is expected to be in this group.
Logano previously visited the White House in 2019 while celebrating his first Cup championship. He followed Martin Truex Jr., who visited the most famous building in the United States in May 2018.
They followed other drivers such as Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, and Kevin Harvick, among others.
Photo credit: Getty Images
NASCAR has not visited the White House since 2019. Drivers such as Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, and Ryan Blaney missed out on opportunities to celebrate their championships at a prestigious place. Logano missed out on celebrating his second title with another trip to Washington, D.C.
Politics aside, this absence is something that Elliott discussed over the offseason. He told AltDriver that he hated that he missed out on the opportunity to visit the White House as a champion. He previously accompanied his father, Bill Elliott, and other drivers on a trip when he was a child.
"Dad got to go, and I was just a kid, but I went," Elliott said during Daytona 500 Media Day. "And I still have some photos of being there in the White House and being in the Oval Office and all that stuff.
"I mean, golly, I was probably in the second or third grade and just to have that experience was incredible. I don't remember it, but to have those pictures to look back on is really cool."
With racing champions now making the trip back to the White House, there is now an opportunity for Elliott. He just needs to win the Cup championship for the second time so that he can finally check this item off the to-do list.