INDIANAPOLIS — Crew Penske will mentor a brand new entry within the IndyCar ladder collection that might be owned by a Black businessman as a part of a brand new “Race for Equality & Change” initiative.

Pressure Indy will compete within the USF2000 Collection, which is a part of the “Highway to Indy” system that results in IndyCar scholarship alternatives. The workforce is owned by Rod Reid, who runs the NXG Youth Motorsports program that has launched karting at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to greater than 2,300 underprivileged racers.

Pressure Indy plans to rent and develop Black mechanics, engineers and drivers all through its complete workforce.

“I began a race workforce in 1984, and I’ve at all times had a need to have a workforce of gifted people who appear to be me within the skilled ranks of the game,” Reid mentioned at Thursday’s announcement.

The workforce will use No. 99 to honor Dewey Gatson, who drove a roadster with that quantity. Gatson, thought of one of many first Black racers in America, gained occasions all around the United States however by no means had an opportunity to compete within the Indianapolis 500.

Pressure Indy will spend its first season based mostly in Harmony, North Carolina, to work intently with Crew Penske.

Roger Penske, who owns the workforce together with IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, backed the “Race for Equality & Change” initiative and realized of Reid’s work on the speedway with children when he bought the venue final yr. The initiative, introduced in July, is aimed toward recruiting and growing a various workforce all through all ranges of IndyCar and the speedway.

“We’re lucky to have Crew Penske provide steerage and race-winning expertise,” Reid mentioned. “Roger’s expertise might be a useful useful resource in making a profitable group. There isn’t any higher time than now to begin a workforce.”