"It's difficult to see the changes year over year because the changes in diversity happen slowly over time," said Ashmore, "but if I go back 10 years and think about what the paddock looked like, it's completely different."
In May, she became the first woman to win the Indianapolis 500 as a member of the pit crew. She is from Michigan and is one of the brilliant technical and engineering minds on the team and is responsible for all of the electronics and communications systems.
There were other women in the victory lane with the Swede and the team. At the world's largest single-day sporting event, Ashmore was joined by Nicole Rotondo, the engine tuning specialist from Honda Performance Development who made sure Ericsson had all the power and fuel efficiency he needed to win. The first black man to win the Indy 500 as crew chief and chief mechanic was Dave Pena.
It was an amazing day for the sport.
I can't think of anything more important than Ashmore's and Pena's wins on the sport's biggest stage, and all of the visible increases with more women and people of color. In a sport that's been mostly white and male since its formation more than a century ago, there were noticeable gains in inclusiveness in 2022.
"When I was a student and I was just a fan watching racing on TV, I never saw a female in a technical role. I only ever saw the woman on an arm of a man. She was there as eye candy or to support her husband driving. But that was it. You never saw females in roles with responsibility." - Angela Ashmore
Ashmore said that new groups of diverse people are not just participating. They are coming in and being the best at what they do and be successful. That's crucial. People think we are here to check a box or fill a quota.
It's nice to be able to say, 'No, I'm here doing a really good job, actually, and I just happen to be a woman,' even though it's nice to win the Indy 500. It is more diverse than I have seen before. There's more gender diversity now than there used to be. That is a huge step forward.
The champagne was sprayed by Jessica Mace and Ashmore and Rotondo.
The Ohioan, a veteran open-wheel race car mechanic, added to an over-the-wall legacy when she changed the right-rear tires on the race-winning car. Mace isn't the first woman to win an open wheel race, but she represents everything that's possible in the series.
The sight of women working with tools in their hands or plugging laptops into cars to program performance-monitoring data-acquisition systems and engine-control modules became more common last season. There is a growing number of Black men and women working for the teams.
2022 Indianapolis 500. This isn't even all of the engineers and mechanics. This is an amazing group of intelligent hard working people, and I am proud of their successes and characters. 💕 pic.twitter.com/aux501gygu
— Cara Krstolic (@Cara_Adams) June 1, 2022
Simona De Silvestro will return to drive in the Paretta Autosport program in the year 2022. One of the mechanics from Paretta's original crew, Caitlyn Brown, went to work for Team Penske on the car of Newgarden, who went on to win five times.
Kate Gundlach won two races last season as the performance engineer on Pato O'Ward's Arrow McLaren SP car. A damper specialist helped make the speed that produced two pole positions and a visit to the podium on the sister car.
There are more positive stories from the year.
Shepherd was promoted to the top position in her profession and moved to the factory IMSA sports car program. Shepherd became the first woman to take the overall win at the 12 Hours of Sebring when she was a race engineer. It's remarkable that Ashmore, Pena, and Shepherd won the biggest races in the same year.
Ashmore said that firsts only happen once. There will be a time when there won't be any more firsts left. We're going to start having second and third-time winners when those things have been accomplished. It will no longer be news, which will be great.
It isn't time to celebrate because there are more women and people of color who are proud of the changes taking place. We won't have a "Job Done" banner on the entryway to Gasoline Alley for a long time.
Anna Chatten, one of the most tenured female mechanics in the series, is the lone woman working on the pit lane. The only black person among the hundreds of combined crew members would have been Pena. They are not the only ones who are leading the transformation of the organization.
"There is a lot of work to be done there," said Tim Cindric, president of Team Penske. The first challenge is getting the word out that this is a career that can be done. When I went to the racing world, it was usually just one way, since I grew up in a very diverse world. White males were the majority of the group. It was odd to see everyone else.
The leaders of some of the biggest teams in the series can attest to the changing times.
"And now, I look at it from our NASCAR team, our IMSA team, and we are represented by people from 14 countries," he said. There are two women in our sports car program. Lauren Sullivan is an active member of the program. She wanted to go racing after working for Boeing and rose through the organization. It's good to see that we're getting a lot of interest through the responses to job postings, unlike before.
There is a renewed level of respect in racing. Women who have come in to work for us have shown how determined they are. Veteran mechanics will mentor anyone that has the drive. If you have the skill set and the right attitude, we'll teach you whatever you need to know.
Zak Brown, the CEO of McLaren Racing, points to the benefits of hiring people with different experiences.
The American whose team might be the most diverse in the series said that it is something that is very passionate. It is intentional. We want to put together the best racing teams, and there are a lot of amazing people in this world that are attracted to our sport and are welcome: male, female, race, sexual orientation. Our Formula One team has 26 nationalities and I think people coming to you and working with you that have different perspectives adds value to the conversation. It's a competitive advantage to have a variety of thoughts.
It would be great if the new history makers and cultural beacon could inspire more people to join them on pit lane.
"I have been asked a few times since Indy 500 to go and speak at school events, and most recently, I went down to the Cayman Islands and spoke at the Cayman International School," Ashmore said. MarcusEricsson and Kyffin Simpson were there. I thought the kids were excited to talk to the drivers. We talked about careers in science, technology, engineering and math, as well as using math and science in real world applications.
I couldn't believe how many of the students had questions for me. The questions were well thought out. The group of students came up to me after the session was over. They were amazed that the school was forcing them to be there. I enjoy listening to your story. I was struck by the fact that my achievements and what I do have an impact on other people's lives.
I didn't see a woman in a technical role when I was a student. The woman was on the arm of the man. She was there with her husband. It was all done. You didn't see females in responsibilities. It's cool to think that kids my age are watching TV the same way I was when I was a kid, and that it's having an impact. They're seeing Anna, Kate, and Danielle, and that's going to make a big difference.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
