Chip Ganassi Racing, PNC Bank Announce 2023 Women in Motorsports Internship Class
Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) and PNC Bank have selected their intern class for the second year of Women In Motorsports Powered by PNC Bank with Chip Ganassi Racing. The initiative was launched last year to help drive awareness and support gender equality and economic inclusion for women in the workforce. The program is aimed to provide more women with opportunities in traditionally male-dominated careers in the field of motorsports.
The trio of female college students will receive fully funded internships that provide valuable exposure within the professional motorsports industry. They will receive hands-on experience and mentorship, operating alongside team leaders that have led the organization to 21 championships over its 33-year history.
The two-month internship begins May 30 and will see the interns travel with the team to select races during the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. After reviewing a magnitude of qualified applications, the following three women were selected:
- Hailey Hein; Northern Arizona University; Mechanics
- Nicole Goodman; Indiana University; IT
- Raegen Moody; Auburn University; Engineering
Each student has demonstrated their passion for motorsports and the pursuit of a career in STEM. Hein is an off-road racer and automotive service technician, while Goodman works as a laboratory instructor and Moody serves as a race engineer on her school’s iRacing team.
CGR plans to hire one of the 2022 Women In Motorsports interns, Rebecca Hutton, as a full-time engineer upon graduating from college. CGR and PNC Bank plan to open the 2024 application window September 1. Interested applicants can learn more and apply in the coming months at ChipGanassiRacing.com/WIM.
Hertz and Tom Brady’s Namesake BRADY Brand Supercharge New Motorsport Team
Hertz Team JOTA, the new Hypercar motor-racing team sponsored by Hertz and Singer Group, has announced Tom Brady’s BRADY as its official apparel partner and unveiled the Porsche 963 LMDh race car’s new Hertz Racing Gold livery.
Hertz Team JOTA is competing in the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and at the 100th edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours. The team brings together the pedigree of one of the most experienced sports-car teams of recent times in JOTA and a collective of global partners, including title sponsor Hertz, California luxury brand Singer Group and now Tom Brady's next-generation apparel brand BRADY.
NASCAR Sells California’s Auto Club Speedway
According to published reports, NASCAR has sold land on the site of Auto Club Speedway, the two-mile, low-banked D-shaped oval superspeedway near Fontana, California. Approximately 433 acres of the 522-acre site is said to have been sold to an unknown buyer at an undisclosed price. Reported plans include the demolition of the famed track, which will be replaced with a short track by 2026. Fontana most recently played host to the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series during the Pala Casino 400 on Sunday, February 26—likely the last time NASCAR will race at the superspeedway. Track officials had previously filed for the reconstruction of the facility in September 2020, according to reports, but plans were put on hold as of February of last year.
Extreme E Reveals New Sporting Format, 10 Races for Next Season
Officials with Extreme E—the off-road racing series featuring electric SUVs and founded by the same team behind Formula E—have revealed updates for its third season. The next race season will double from five to ten rounds of racing—with no additional carbon footprint—as each X Prix will now be a doubleheader event with back-to-back rounds. This means double the opportunity for wins, podiums and crucial points.
Five cars will compete in both qualifying round 1 and round 2, which will now each consist of two heats, five cars each. Intermediate classification points are awarded for Q1 and Q2, with a single championship point awarded to the winners of each heat—something that could prove crucial at the season’s end.
The top five teams will compete in the Grand Final, with the winner taking the top step on the podium. Remaining teams will battle in a Redemption Race, where championship points will still be awarded. Two winners will be crowned at each race weekend: one Saturday and one Sunday.
The next season kicks off with the Desert X Prix on March 11–12 in Neom, Saudi Arabia. For the complete details, visit the Extreme E announcement here.
NHRA’s Maynards Launch JCM Driver Development Program
NHRA team owners Joe and Cathi Maynard have launched the JCM Racing Driver Development program and announced its 2023 lineup of drivers. Junior drag racer Waylon Bennett, 10; Super Comp driver Kayleigh Hill, 21; and Super Stock racer Wyatt Wagner, 21, make up JCM Racing’s inaugural class of developmental drivers, which was created “to offer young racers the opportunity to hone in and perfect their driving and sponsor relation skills as they work towards a career of competing in the NHRA’s professional ranks.”
Drivers will receive funding to help offset their operational costs, but the “true value” lies within the access to the JCM Racing team leaders, drivers and resources. JCM Racing also campaigns two Camping World Drag Racing Series entries piloted by Tony Schumacher and Tim Wilkerson.
Details for the 2024 program—which will be limited to Jr. Drag Racing League competitors, one driver per division—will be announced at a later date. For more information, visit the announcement here.
15th Annual Motor State Pro-Touring Challenge Set for July
Officials with Motor State Distributing’s Pro-Touring event—the Motor State Challenge—have announced details for its 15th annual event, set for July 20–22. Drivers will compete in the timed road course event at GingerMan Raceway (South Haven, Michigan) on Friday. Saturday will feature autocross on the road test track at the Tire Rack corporate headquarters in South Bend, Indiana.
Up to 100 drivers from the United States and Canada are expected to compete across standard and manufacturer Vintage and Late Model classes, as well as the QA1 #goDRIVEit class, designed for participants who drive their vehicle to the event, race it then drive it home. It also features the unscored/untimed Touring class “for those wanting the on-track experience without the competitive pressure.”
For more information, visit motorstatechallenge.com.
For more racing news, visit Performance Racing Industry’s (PRI) website.