Sports
BLAC RACING: Force Indy Takes Diversity In Motorsports To A Whole New Level
March 15, 2023 · Updated March 15, 2023·By B.J. Strawter, Jr.
Force Indy is a majority African American race team that was created specifically to develop talent in a diverse group of people. Established in October of 2020, Force Indy is a change agent in the motorsports industry b
March 15, 2023 · Updated March 15, 2023
Force Indy is a race team that was founded by a diverse group of people, with the goal of developing talent in motorsports.
Established in October 2020, Force Indy’s mission is to find skilled and talented individuals and mentoring them for success at the highest level. Their vision is to see motorsports grow ethnically and across gender.
The foundation of Force Indy is an alliance with NXG Youth Motorsports founder Rod Reid and Roger Penske, owner of one of the most successful racing organizations in history, Team Penske. Their leadership brings years of experience from grassroots racing to the professional Indy Car level. Force Indy’s priority is in finding skilled and talented individuals and mentoring them for success at the highest level.
Force Indy has drivers in the Indy NXT Series And the USF Pro 2000 series. The Indy NXT Series is the preparatory class for Indycar with which it shares most race weekends. Indy NXT Series is an educational category for drivers, technicians, and teams to gain experience at a wide variety of venues: street circuits, road courses, and ovals.
The USF Pro 2000 series has served as a vital step on the career path of many of today’s top drivers. It is the third official step on the USF Pro Championships ladder.
Meet the Drivers
NXT Series: Ernie Francis Jr
Ernie Francis Jr. is a 25 year old American sports car and open wheel driver competing in the Indy Lights Championship with Force Indy. Ernie also competes in the Pirelli Trans-Am Series with Breathless Racing winning four straight championships
USF Pro 2000: Myles Rowe
Myles Rowe, a Black racecar driver, made history by becoming the first Black racecar driver to win an IndyCar sanctioned event in 2021. In the following year, he won the USF2000 Championship. You can watch Myles compete this weekend March 25 – 26, Sebring, FL Sebring Int’l Raceway 3.74-Mile, 17-Turn Road Course.
Historically diversity has been an issue in racing it’s nice to see that we are moving in the right direction. We hope to see more African American drivers competing at the highest levels of motorsports in the future.
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