Roger Penske still racing hard at 78 years old

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 22: Team Penske owner Roger Penske watches during final practice on Carb Day for the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500 mile race at Indianapolis Motorspeedway on May 22, 2015 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Roger Penske is 78 years old and has a net worth estimated to be about $1.5 billion. But don't expect him to quit racing anytime soon to retire to the beach or the mountains.

"I'll be at the races as long as I can stand up," said Penske during Wednesday's stop on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour.

Shortly thereafter, he doubled down on the statement, essentially saying that only death or grave illness would keep him from the track.

"Well, I don't know when I'll leave the sport," Penske said with a straight face. "But it will probably be pretty abrupt when I do."

Penske said racing is what built his business empire, which employs more than 23,000 people worldwide in his Penske Automotive Group.

"Racing has given me the opportunity to compete on a worldwide stage," said Penske, who Wednesday night will host 42 current and former team drivers and hundreds of guests at the team's lavish 50th anniversary party in Charlotte. "It shows execution. It shows that we can handle adversity. ... Without racing, I would have never had the connection in the automobile business, and that's really the heart of our company."

And Penske shows no signs of slowing down.

"We might having a party the first night of the season, don't get me wrong," said Team Penske driver and 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski. "But RP (Penske) is as focused and determined as ever. He hasn't lost any of that, I can tell you that. Sometimes, I wish I got a little break from that, but that's OK."