IndyNext driver Myles Rowe on hand for 16 Tech Bridge opening
Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar
IndyNext driver Myles Rowe, left, prepares to drive an Indy 500 Pace Car across at the 16 Tech Bridge during its official opening on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Indianapolis.
Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar
Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar
16 Tech Bridge design team members Vishaan Chakrabarti, left, of PAU and Michael Stein of Schlaich Bergermann Partner are recognized during the official opening of the 16 Tech Bridge on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Indianapolis.
Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar
Indianapolis City-County Council President Vop Osili speaks during the official opening of the 16 Tech Bridge on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Indianapolis.
Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar
A view of the White River from the 16 Tech Bridge on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Indianapolis.
Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar
Adelle Hill-Stokes, one of the Riverside Riders bike club founders, speaks during the official opening of the 16 Tech Bridge on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Indianapolis. The riders crossed the new bridge with an Indy 500 Pace Car.
Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar
Guests mingle during the official opening of the 16 Tech Bridge on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Indianapolis.
Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett speaks during the official opening of the 16 Tech Bridge on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Indianapolis.
Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar
Musicians perform during the official opening of the 16 Tech Bridge on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Indianapolis.
Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar
IndyNext driver Myles Rowe drives an Indy 500 Pace Car across the new 16 Tech Bridge during the official opening of the 16 Tech Bridge on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Indianapolis.
Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar
The 16 Tech Bridge on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Indianapolis.
Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar
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Fox News
3 days ago
- Fox News
Myles Rowe Earns First INDY NXT Win, First By Black Driver In Series
NEWTON, Iowa — Myles Rowe, whose love for racing started from go-karting, became the first Black driver to win an INDY NXT Series race, as he captured the 75-lap event Saturday at Iowa Speedway. Rowe passed series points leader Dennis Hauger with 14 laps remaining and cruised to the win by more than a second on the 0.894-mile oval. In August 2021, Rowe became the first Black driver to win any INDYCAR-sanctioned race when he won at New Jersey Motorsports Park in the USF2000 Series. He rattled off several more wins and won the 2023 USF Pro 2000 Series title. "I'm super proud to be able to represent and be winning now and be up front," Rowe said. "It's super crucial to be able to see somebody that looks like you doing well, someone to look up to. Especially when you're younger, things are a lot bigger and seem a lot more unfeasible, especially motorsports-related." The last 18 months haven't been as smooth, as he has continued to work his way up the INDYCAR ladder and began racing in the INDY NXT Series in 2024. NXT is the top developmental series for INDYCAR. He was 11th in the series standings last year driving for HMD Motorsports and moved to Abel Motorsports this year. "It's huge, for sure," Rowe said. "It means a lot to me. I just want more. Honestly, it's great that this is a first, but I'm looking for multiple wins, and then to carry that on to INDYCAR" The 25-year-old Rowe was born in Georgia, lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. and graduated from Pace University in 2022 with a degree in film and screen studies. Rowe drives as part of the Race for Equality & Change program of Penske Entertainment, which has worked to encourage opportunities for drivers and crew members. His program is also in partnership with Force Indy, which has worked with Rowe for several years as part of its mission to create racing opportunities for under-considered communities. Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Myles Rowe becomes first Black driver to win IndyCar or NASCAR race at Iowa Speedway
NEWTON, Iowa — When Myles Rowe exited his car in victory lane Saturday at Iowa Speedway, it marked another milestone on the road to IndyCar and a historic win. Rowe, the only Black driver in IndyCar or its developmental series IndyNXT, became the first Black driver to win an IndyCar or NASCAR race at Iowa Speedway. And Rowe is the first Black driver to win an IndyNXT race. Advertisement Pato O'Ward, a native of Monterrey, Mexico, who moved to San Antonio at age 11, won the first IndyCar race at Iowa Speedway in 2022. "I'm super proud to be able to represent and be winning now and be up front," Rowe said. "It's super crucial to be able to see somebody that looks like you doing well, someone to look up to, especially when you're younger." Willie T. Ribbs was the first Black driver to race in the Indianapolis 500 in 1991. Rowe's 2021 victory in the developmental USF Pro 2000 series was the first win by a Black driver in an IndyCar-sanctioned event. He was the centerpiece of IndyCar's Race for Equality & Change program, announced in 2020 to diversify its pool of drivers with more women and people from historically marginalized races. Rowe, 25, raced last year at Iowa Speedway in his rookie IndyNXT season, and was in Iowa in June for a tire test. On Thursday, he said Iowa Speedway was the "perfect" track for the smaller IndyNXT cars. Advertisement From last year: She's a model with 3M Instagram followers. He's a Black artist: IndyCar's next generation To get his first win, Rowe had to ride out a tornado Friday in the Iowa Speedway Media Center after severe weather cut IndyNXT practice short. "The first time I had a tornado drill in racing," Rowe joked. "So that was quite fun. But it will definitely be memorable for multiple reasons." Rowe passed pole sitter Dennis Hauger between turns three and four for the win. The pass came on the outside with about 10 laps left. "In practice we were doing a good bit of high-line running," Rowe said. "That was actually working. The question was, was it going to work in the race. It was pretty tough doing that, but I knew once we slowed down to minimum speeds that it may be a little bit more feasible." Advertisement Hauger said he got stuck on the bottom and Rowe was faster. "I was able to stay really close the whole race," Hauger said. "Once we sort of roughed up a bit in the second half of the race, he was able to get runs." 'You feel that intensity.' Will IndyCar return to Iowa Speedway? Pivotal weekend may decide future Iowa Speedway has long been a proving ground for IndyCar and NASCAR prospects. Brad Keselowski won the 2009 NASCAR Xfinity Series race, the first for NASCAR's top developmental series at Iowa Speedway. He later won the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series championship. In 2024, Keselowski said that winning the 2009 Xfinity Series race was "one of the highlights of my career" and added, "I felt like I had really made it that weekend. So it was really special." Advertisement Now Rowe wants to race in IndyCar. His historic win made it clear that he's on that path. "I'm looking for more," Rowe said. "Racing drivers, we're never satisfied. I just want more of this. That's what I'll be doing and chasing." Philip Joens covers retail, real estate and motorsports for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-284-8184 or pjoens@ This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Myles Rowe first Black driver to win IndyNXT race at Iowa Speedway
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Myles Rowe Makes History with First INDY NXT Win at Iowa
With 14 laps to go in Saturday's Indy NXT race at Iowa Speedway, Myles Rowe muscled the high line passing championship leader Dennis Hauger for the lead en route to his first victory in the series. With the win, Rowe becomes the first Black driver to win in the IndyCar feeder series. The win follows a breakout second season for the driver, who finished second last month at WWT Raceway behind Lochie Hughes. "We've been working, a minute, for this," Rowe told Fox Sports. "We knew we had the pace it was just about waiting until the last lap of the race and seeing that we could do it. I'm so ecstatic, it's really good. Abel Motorsports, they work so hard, my family, my support system, is amazing. I finally did it for them, we don't stop here, we're looking for a lot more than this." Rowe's second year in INDY NXT is make or break as the sophomore driver looks to impress the IndyCar teams and find a seat in this upcoming silly season or the next. Rowe joined INDY NXT following his 2023 championship-winning season in the USF Pro 2000, becoming the first Black driver to win in an IndyCar-sanctioned event in 2021, and following it up with the championship in his third year. With qualifying cancelled Friday, as the track was placed under a tornado warning, Rowe started fourth and played the waiting game. With Iowa's repave, the track is flat and the inside line is highly favored, with drivers only going high in passing attempts and to deal with traffic. Rowe waited until Hauger was stuck behind a lapped car and used his oval experience to make the pass coming to the start/finish line with 13 laps to go. He would lead the remaining laps. "I knew that with the nature of the track being basically flat, especially starting on new tires, passing at the beginning wasn't going to be realistic, trying to wrap it around the outside," Rowe told Fox Sports Georgia Henneberry. "I knew I would have to come to traffic and be a little bit strategic and patient." Hauger settled for second in just his second oval race of his career, coming to Indy NXT for his rookie season from the European Formula ladder. Hauger has been the runaway star of the Indy NXT season with five wins, but the learning curve is steep on ovals. Hanging on to second showed a better understanding at Iowa than in St. Louis at WWT Raceway last month, where Hauger faded from pole to fifth. Hauger's Andretti teammate Salvador De Alba took the final spot on the podium after starting sixth. This is De Alba's first career podium in the series. You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car
