‘Hamilton support means a lot’: black racer Myles Rowe a step closer to IndyCar

Rowe and Reid both keenly felt some negative reaction in the paddock towards them from those who saw the new team as Penske’s favourite sons – “Someone said ‘Why don’t you stick to basketball?’” reveals Reid.

“We had a hard time to connect with the community when we went into the paddock out of nowhere, and everyone in the team was black,” says Rowe.

“Now it’s a lot easier to make friends – people don’t always think you want something from them.”

Not much has had a greater effect than the Hamilton recognition.

“I think my girlfriend was more excited than I was, I was just in awe, speechless,” says Rowe.

“For him to come out of the blue and actually repost and show support for the cause and what I’ve been doing means a lot, because I really appreciate everything he does.

“It makes it bigger than me.”

Last year Rowe was leading IndyCar’s fourth-tier junior championship at the final round too – again in Portland – but was taken out by a team-mate and saw the title slip through his fingers.

Therefore this year has represented something of a redemption story too for Rowe, but the ice-cool American has both managed to put it behind him while also not choking on a 2023 title chase which he has lead from the second round.

“I’ve learned just to enjoy the process of a race weekend more,” Rowe says. “Not that the pressure ever got to me in 2022, but it definitely I think it affected just the total environment of the race itself, and that just made it less enjoyable.”

Reid says “nerves crept in” mid-season for others in the team, particularly in searingly hot conditions at Circuit of the Americas when brake issues led to a poor qualifying, but Rowe simply laughs at the suggestion he might have ever been worried.

“You mentioned COTA, and I even crashed in the first practice session in Portland, but I was good man – I guess other people were on edge!”

Some big names are pushing the Force Indy project forward and making sure Rowe gets the most out of his talent.

Several from the Penske team itself are involved, but none more so than double IndyCar champion Will Power, who has kept an eye on and then later mentored Rowe ever since the Australian spotted a rapid then-12-year-old gunning it round a North Carolina karting track.

Power posted an unusually emotional video of Rowe pulling in after securing the championship, and Rowe says he identifies with the Australian driver who became his key link into getting on the Indy ladder.

“He’s kind of chill and reserved like me, but you can see the joy he gets from me winning,” says Rowe.

“Roger congratulated me, but he’s also reserved, like ‘Well done, but we expected you to do this – what we’re here for is to win.’ I take it as a compliment.”

Part of his title prize-money goes towards funding a drive in IndyCar’s F2 equivalent Indy NXT with the HMD team, and Rowe feels he’s more than ready for the step up to its 180mph, 500bhp machines.

Though all concerned are keeping their feet firmly on the ground, there’s now a new tantalising link to IndyCar for those involved with Penske.

AJ Foyt Racing, the eponymous team of IndyCar’s most successful driver, will now become to some extent a junior entity for Penkse in IndyCar with the latter providing technical support and staff.

A team which has tended to hire already proven winners now has a place to nurture new talent. It’s already a target Rowe could realistically aim for in the near future.

“I talked to [Penske team president] Tim Cindric about what they are doing, so that could mean some positive things for us as well,” says Reid.

“It’s very, very difficult for [anyone from a] new team and a new effort to go directly to Penske, he’s top shelf, he doesn’t do development, he hires champions. I think it could bode well for us. We’ll see.”