IndyCar’s Race for Equality & Change effort approaches 5 years with no signs of slowing down

After securing the third place spot following a restart at the Indianapolis Grand Prix  earlier this month, driver Myles Rowe’s focus was to hold his position.

“Our tires actually fell off quite severe in the end,” Rowe said. “I was just making sure I managed and got to the finish line.”

It was a successful weekend for Rowe and his team Abel Motorsports with Force Indy securing not one, but two third-place podium finishes.

The Black 24-year-old has been working his way up the IndyCar ladder after starting in the sport’s entry-level US F2000 then moving up to the Indy NXT — the league below IndyCar.

Rowe’s career with Force Indy has been a part of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar owner Roger Penske’s Race for Equality and Change. The initiative works to bring more diversity to the sport at all levels — fans, drivers, pit crew members and team owners.

Rowe said it has helped his career as well as others.

“The Race for Equality and Change has brought many opportunities, not only to me, but other individuals in the sport, you know, not just as a driver, but engineers and mechanics as well,” Rowe said. 

The Indy 500 has only had two Black drivers in its history — Willy T. Ribbs and George Mack. Penske wants to increase that number and said Rowe is well positioned.

“I expect; hope to see him on the grid here in the next year,” Penske said.

The Race for Equality and Change launched in 2020 following the death of George Floyd — a Black man that was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer.  Many businesses made diversity, equity and inclusion pledges in response.

IMS and IndyCar’s initiative is multifaceted. Bring more diverse talent into motorsports and continue to work to diversify the fans attending races. That includes launching Force Indy — a team working to bring more Black drivers and crew members to the sport.  And in 2021, having the first majority women’s team compete in the Indy 500.

Jimmie McMillian was named chief diversity officer a few months after the initiative was announced and still serves in the role today.

“We looked inward at things and said the time is really now to do something we can't live in denial that we can do better,” McMillian said in an interview in 2021.

Now almost five years later, Race for Equality and Change isn’t slowing down.

“We’re committed as a company. I’m committed personally, Penske said. “There’s a lot of things that we’ve been able to do here together, to look at over socially, so many things that are important to the country and to me, personally.”

Nationally there has been a pushback on DEI policies and initiatives. In January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to end DEI efforts in the federal government. The order also pressured private sector businesses to stop DEI work or face possible legal action for not complying. More recently the Trump administration has targeted universities for their policies.

Some companies that have ended or pulled back on DEI include Walmart, Amazon, Target, Ford and Meta. IndyCar and IMS join the NFL, Costco and others to reaffirm DEI commitments.

Rowe said he’s proud to see the Race for Equality and Change continue.

“For the Speedway to launch that initiative and keep with it and hold up to it, it shows the character that that we have for racing in North America, and kind of the passion and and kind of the strive to build motorsport and make it accessible for all,” Rowe said.

Doug Boles is the president of IMS and IndyCar. He said the move to include doesn’t stop in the driver's seat or the garages.

“We have to make the Indianapolis Motor Speedway something that our entire community is proud of, and the only way we do that is [to] continue to engage people and bring people of different backgrounds to the Speedway for all our events,” Boles said.

Contact WFYI All Things Considered newscaster and reporter Samantha Horton at shorton@wfyi.org or on Signal at SamHorton.05.