Also the head of the team that will compete in the Indy Lights Series in 2022, Rod Reid spoke exclusively to GRAND PRIZE and pointed out the role of boss Roger Penske in the creation of Force Indy
Founder and head of Force Indy, a team that will compete in the Indy Lights in 2022 and works to promote greater inclusion of black men and women in the sport, Rod Reid gave an exclusive interview to GRANDE PRÊMIO and detailed the process of creating the team.
Force Indy was born out of a motorsports program - NXG Motorsports, which has evolved into a non-profit organization - whose mission is to bring the educational and vocational aspects of motorsports to young black men and women in the United States. Reid was teaching Indianapolis Motor Speedway when it was acquired by Roger Penske in January 2020.
"He didn't know anything about the classes," Reid related, about the day he asked the new owner for permission to continue teaching his classes at the venue. "He asked me, 'What are you doing?' I told him. He said, 'I think this is great, why aren't there more blacks and African-Americans in motorsports?', and I said, 'nobody in motorsports has opened the doors to anything; so if you are not welcome, if nobody brings you in, you don't think you should be there. He was very, very disappointed that people felt unwelcome in a place that he owns. Penske said, 'let's work together to continue work with the kids at NXG Motorsports, and I would love it if an African-American boy or girl would race in the Indy 500 again. I said, 'I think that's a great goal, but I would like to see a team led by an African-American boy or girl.
So Force Indy was born. For-profit and separate from NXG, but with all its roots there. Reid also made a point of clarifying: Penske did not act just for - and to - be a good Samaritan. There is an obvious economic bias in the decision.
"When someone says they're going to do something to support or help the black community, it's seen as a handout, almost like a government program, like, 'we're doing this just to help black people.' No. That makes economic sense, because if you are aware that there are people who look like you in racing, like in basketball and American soccer, you tend to want to support that. And who will benefit from that support? The owners and the promoters (of the races). So having more black people in the stands doesn't just help black people, it helps the organizations that own the brands," he explained.
CHECK OUT THE FULL STORY ON THE BIG PREMIUM
+ Include to win, win to include