St. James, Paretta Launch Women In Motorsports North America
Seven-time Indy 500 driver and Automotive Hall of Fame inductee Lyn St. James and current IndyCar team owner Beth Paretta have announced the launch of the Women in Motorsports North America (WIMNA) organization.
WIMNA is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit charity “that looks to foster mentorship, advocacy, education and growth to help ensure a successful and effective future for women in professional motorsports roles.”
“Our strength is in our members and the breadth of their perspectives across many disciplines, including engineers, drivers, team management, PR/marketing, track operations, sponsor relations, and event promotions,” said Paretta.
Resources include best practices at the race track, job listings and a recommended reading list. The WIMNA Mentorship Matters Program, meantime, is a monthly, fireside chat-style virtual discussion for industry members to interact with mentors and moderators. More details of the program and overall organization will be announced in the coming weeks. For more information, visit womeninmotorsportsna.com.
Kenny Koretsky and Family Purchase Maple Grove Raceway
Veteran NHRA racer Kenny Koretsky and his family, including his sons Kenny Jr. and current Pro Stock driver Kyle, have purchased Maple Grove Raceway, located near Reading, Pennsylvania. The track has hosted NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series events for nearly four decades and will host the opener to the NHRA Countdown to the Championship, the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals, September 15–18. Maple Grove also hosts regional racing throughout the season, including the upcoming NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series regional race on May 27–29. Koretsky, who won his first Pro Stock race in 2021 after making his class debut in 2020, discussed plans for several renovations to the facility, including general cleanup, landscaping, paving and upgrading the bathrooms, among more upgrades. For more information, visit maplegroveraceway.com.
Paretta Autosport Announces Return to IndyCar, Partnership With Ed Carpenter Racing
The team plans to compete with its No. 16 Chevrolet-powered entry with driver Simona De Silvestro.
Paretta Autosport has announced its return to the NTT IndyCar Series and a new technical partnership with Ed Carpenter Racing (ECR). The team plans to compete with its No. 16 Chevrolet-powered entry with driver Simona De Silvestro at the Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America (Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin) on June 12, the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Lexington, Ohio) on July 3, and the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on August 7 on the streets of Nashville, Tennessee, Team Principal Beth Paretta said. Additional races may be added.
In addition, team owner Ed Carpenter—a three-time Indianapolis 500 pole sitter—will supply a car and crew members to augment the returning members of last year’s Indy 500 Paretta Autosport team. For more information, visit parettaautosport.com.
For more racing news, visit Performance Racing Industry’s (PRI) website.