Myles Rowe Makes History as the First African American Driver to Secure an Indycar Championship

tháng 9 27, 2023

Myles Rowe Makes History as the First African American Driver to Secure an Indycar Championship

Myles Rowe, competing for #99 Pabst Racing with Force Indy, etched his name in history on September 2, 2023, as the first African American driver to secure a championship under INDYCAR sanction. His momentous victory came at the Portland International Raceway in Oregon, where he clinched the 2023 Cooper Tires USF PRO 2000 title, boasting a comfortable 64-point series lead in the final race. This triumph propels the 23-year-old Rowe into the 2024 INDY NXT by Firestone series.

During the 2023 USF Pro 2000 season, Rowe stood out with five wins, four pole positions, three fastest laps, and seven podium finishes, surpassing his competitors in these categories. His runner-up finish in the previous year's USF 2000 Series Championship, where he was just six points shy of the title, foreshadowed this year's impressive performance. Myles Rowe, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, has nurtured his passion for racing since the age of four and previously claimed victory in the 2018 Lucas Oil Formula Car Race Series.

Myles Rowe expressed his thoughts on this remarkable achievement, saying, "This year was a test to see what I've got, and luckily, I was able to pull it off."

The formation of the USF2000 race team at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was announced on December 3, 2020, through a collaboration between Rod Reid, a prominent Black business leader in Indianapolis, and Roger Penske, the owner of one of the most successful racing organizations in history. This initiative was part of the Race for Equality & Change diversity program. Rowe made history on August 29, 2021, as the first Black driver to win an INDYCAR-sanctioned race in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

Rod Reid, the Team Principal and Co-owner of Force Indy, reflected on the journey, saying, "When I first envisioned the Force Indy team, I saw it as a pipeline to create opportunities for black and brown talent, an opportunity to change the face of motorsports. I never imagined winning a championship nearly two years to the day we won our first race."

Force Indy, dedicated to promoting diversity and opportunities for people of color in the INDYCAR paddock, rejoices in this historic moment. Their mission is to foster diverse representation and leadership in motorsports. Force Indy was established as part of Penske Entertainment's Race for Equality & Change initiative, launched in July 2020 to drive fundamental transformation within the motorsports industry.

The #99 car's championship win continues to honor Dewey "Rajo Jack" Gatson, a Black racer denied entry to the Indy 500 in the 1930s and 40s. Rowe drove the red rear-winged USFPro2000 car in tribute to the Red-Tailed 99th Squadron of the Tuskegee Airmen.

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