Ahead of Indy 500, here's when Donald and Melania Trump attended NASCAR race in Daytona, Florida
An estimated 300,000 people are preparing to attend the Indy 500. Will President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump be part of that crowd?
So far, signs point to no.
The Indy 500, the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, starts at 12:45 p.m. ET Sunday, May 25, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana.
According to the Indy Star, a USA TODAY Network newspaper, Donald Trump will not attend the 109th Indianapolis 500, despite "an open invitation" from longtime friend and Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Roger Penske, citing a report from Politico's Adam Wren. An Indianapolis Motor Speedway source with direct knowledge of the situation told IndyStar the track was of the same understanding.
Though Donald Trump visited the Indy 500 at least once in the past as a private citizen, per IndyStar reports, he has yet to attend the Indy 500 in any political capacity.
But it should be noted, Donald Trump attended the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway six times, including once as its grand marshal with Melania Trump at his side. The 2025 Great American Race in Daytona Beach, Florida, marked his return there as president. Photos of Donald Trump on the track with granddaughter Carolina Trump went viral.
Here's a look back at Donald Trump's trips to the Daytona 500 with first lady Melania Trump, what we know about the great race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and that time he almost attended the Indy 500.
There were no known plans of President Donald Trump's attendance at the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana on May 25, 2025.
Donald Trump's attendance at the Greatest Spectacle in Racing has long been rumored over the years. Scheduled, even, according to the IndyStar. On April 5, 2011, the billionaire reality TV star Donald Trump was scheduled to be the pace car driver for the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500. However, one month later he backed out of the race.
In April 2011, Donald Trump had told Bill O'Reilly that then-President Barack Obama "doesn't have a birth certificate," and two days later, Donald Trump said on NBC that Obama's citizenship issue could be "one of the greatest scams in the history of politics and in the history, period."
As backlash on Indianapolis Motor Speedway's pick to drive the pace car for such a historic edition of the race rolled in, Donald Trump continued his lashing out at Obama's credentials. Then on May 5, 2011, Donald Trump bowed out of the honorary position, citing his busy schedule and his potential to run for president in 2012. Four-time race-winner A.J. Foyt replaced Donald Trump as the 2011 Indy 500 pace car driver.
Donald Trump did attend the Indy 500 as a private citizen in 2002, per IndyStar reports.
One week after Donald Trump attended Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, Louisiana, with many members of the Trump family in tow, he attended the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida on Feb. 16, 2025. Super Bowl 59 and the Daytona 500 were two high-profile sporting events that Donald Trump attended, less than a month after his second inauguration.
Here's when Donald Trump attended the Daytona 500, the signature NASCAR race:
February 1998
February 1999
February 2000
February 2001 with then-girlfriend Melania Knauss, now first lady Melania Trump
February 2020, during his first presidential term, Donald Trump served as the grand marshal for the 62nd annual Daytona 500. It was months before the 2020 presidential election, in which he lost to President Joe Biden.
Feb. 16, 2025, President Donald Trump was the pace car driver. He was accompanied by son Eric Trump, his wife, Fox News host Lara Trump and their two children, Luke Trump and Carolina Trump. Donald Trump typically visits his private club and primary residence, Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, every Presidents' Day weekend, which coincides with the Daytona 500. His February 2025 return to Daytona International Speedway marked his second as president, and that weekend was the third appearance in his home state of Florida since he was sworn in as the 47th president of the U.S. on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, 2025.
Some highlights from Donald Trump's previous trips to the Daytona 500 in Florida include:
When he brought his date, then-girlfriend and model Melania Knavs (also known by her professional modeling name Melania Knauss) to "race day" in the early 2000s
In February 2020, Donald and Melania Trump returned as president and first lady, with him giving the command for drivers to "start their engines" as grand marshal. His presidential motorcade passed the grandstands as he led the drivers around the track before the NASCAR Daytona 500 race, and his presidential limousine − the Beast − did a pace lap. His car also drove on "the apron" of the track. Melania Trump wore a black flared halter dress by Dior with tiny white embellishments and a wide white trim at the waist.
In February 2020, Donald Trump Jr. brought his then-girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle, former Fox News host and Trump ally, to the Daytona 500. Donald Trump Jr. acted like a Trump fan himself, getting photos and video of his father being greeted by Trump fans at Daytona International Airport, which is next door to Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach.
In February 2025, searches about "the little girl on the track with Donald Trump" spiked online after Donald Trump posed for photos with his youngest granddaughter, Carolina Trump, daughter of Eric and Lara Trump.
See photos below of Donald and Melania Trump at the Daytona 500 NASCAR race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, over the years.
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Trump attended Daytona 500 in Florida many times. What about Indy 500?
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