Youth-racing initiative that focuses on children of color aims to gear up

Sitting in the stands at Purdue Grand Prix Track in West Lafayette, Ross Whitfield couldn’t help but smile as he watched his son prepare for his first race of the day.

Max Whitfield, 14, is one of dozens of kids involved in programs this year through NXG Youth Motorsports Inc., an Indianapolis-based not-for-profit that teaches children about the motorsports industry through karting and courses centered on science, technology, engineering and math—commonly called STEM.

The program was started in 2006 by Rod Reid and his business partner, the late Charles Wilson, with a goal of giving children of color and from underprivileged areas an opportunity to learn the fundamental skills necessary for a career in the field.

But for the Whitfields, who enrolled with NXG last year, the program has become about much more.

“The primary force behind all this was that Max loves racing, but from that, I’ve really noticed some maturation, some development and some accountability,” the elder Whitfield said as he watched his son and others walk the track—a common practice among drivers in motorsports and a tool used by NXG to teach physics and mathematics.

“Rod Reid is very big on being responsible, being accountable, being early and punctual, so I’ve really noticed Max listen and respond to that message.”

Reid is trying to take those lessons to more young people, but for years, NXG has operated at a limited capacity due to a lack of space for growth. The demand exists—some kids even travel for the program from Detroit and Chicago—but not the capacity.

But NXG is working to change that. The organization has signed an option to purchase a 2.2-acre, city-owned plot just west of the former Central State Hospital site on the west side of Indianapolis.

Reid said he has big dreams to convert the former State Highway Garage complex at 50 N. Tibbs Ave. into a four-building headquarters campus to facilitate growth for the organization, including the launch of new programs and the expansion of existing ones.

Early concepts call for the rehabilitation of up to four buildings totaling about 24,000 square feet, some of which date to the 1930s and are considered historically significant. The organization’s offices are currently housed in about 1,200 square feet at 1302 N. Illinois St. The conversion, which would be phased in over several years, is expected to cost up to $20 million.

Most of that money—nearly all of it—has yet to be raised. But NXG has some key players—including Penske Entertainment’s Mark Miles and the president of the Metropolitan Development Commission—who say they support the idea or will participate in fundraising.

Tripling capacity

Right now, NXG offers three learning tracks, largely split into age groups: a youth motorsports academy that teaches children the basics, an advanced go-kart racing series focused on academics and competition, and an industry development program known as Path-to-Pro that strives to help participants build relationships with those already working in motorsports.

About two-thirds of the cost for the motorsports academy is absorbed by NXG’s sponsors, with parents on the hook for about $200, including a $50 application fee.

A move next to Central State would mark a major expansion for NXG, to be sure. Its various programs typically serve about 250 children per year, but Reid expects that figure would nearly triple to 700. He said he also expects to employ at least 28 people after the move, compared with the 17 on staff now.

“I really think this decision will include, truly, an expansion of our programming and create an opportunity, not only for the kids we serve broadly throughout the city but especially on the west side,” Reid told IBJ. “We can be a hub for those kids and those families. You always hear about the third place—somewhere else they could go to besides school and home—and have it feel like it belongs to them. We can do that here.”

A dedicated campus would introduce opportunities for remote-control car races, drone soccer, car detailing and engine building, as well as a computer lab and high-speed internet. The project is expected to sit on IndyGo’s Blue Line, along Washington Street, providing greater access to NXG’s programs for urban children and their families.

The main building at the new campus would be the closest to Tibbs Avenue, separated by a row of parking. It would contain new offices for NXG, along with spaces for remote-control cars and racing-simulation machines.

Another building would be home to classroom and detailing space for the program, while a third space would be used to teach participants about building engines and working with components for race cars. The fourth building would house a computer and arts lab.

Reid also hopes to create a competition plaza at the center of the campus consisting of two tracks, which would be used for remote-control car races and drone soccer.

NXG would still take its full-size karts to various racetracks for in-car lessons, as its new campus would not be able to accommodate those lessons. The program uses space at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, along with smaller tracks like the Purdue Grand Prix course and another in Whiteland for go-kart-focused lessons and competitions.

Donna Carroll, whose daughter Gabrielle has been involved with NXG since the first summer of the pandemic, said she is eager to support the effort to help the not-for-profit secure its new home.

“This facility, the investment in the community and the opportunity to expand from go karts, to remote-control cars and drones and to learn all these great skills … it’s a huge step,” said Carroll, who is an engineer at Eli Lilly and Co.

And it couldn’t happen in a better place in the city, she said.

“To invest in the Haughville community and make an impact on that neighborhood—it’s just such a great selection, in my opinion,” she said. “This is a really beautiful mission.”

One of NXG’s primary goals is to help develop a talent pipeline for motorsports, particularly among people of color and women, groups that have historically not had strong opportunities for advancement in the industry, including in Indianapolis.

Making a difference

So far, only a handful of about 2,800 children who have participated in NXG’s programs have gone on to be involved in motorsports, but dozens if not hundreds of others have gone on to pursue careers in engineering or advanced sciences, Reid said.

“The education piece … and the transferable skills that children gain from being in our program will be helpful to them in life regardless of whether they want to be in motorsports or not.”

But Reid said he expects a new campus could go a long way in helping boost that career-participation figure, particularly as racing teams give more opportunity to people of color and women, who are often overlooked for spots on teams.

“We’re nowhere near where we need to be” in diversity in motorsports, he said. “But there’s been this sensitivity and more effort made, and we’re starting to see it pay off.”

Whitfield, the other parent who spoke with IBJ, said his son has gravitated toward racing like the European-based Formula One, where there is more diversity among drivers and crews as well as front-office staff. He said he is hopeful NXG can continue to build the pipeline of racing professionals, whether they’re in the car or in the pits—and the new campus could help deliver on that goal.

“I really do think, once you expose someone to something, and they get to experience it, they feel welcome, like, ‘I belong here,’” he said. “Hopefully we’ll get to the point where people don’t even consider that there’s an issue or barrier … where [the racial and gender disparity in motorsports] stops being a thing.”

Reid said that, in addition to growing the NXG program in Indianapolis, he’d like to continue expanding programming to more Midwestern-area cities and to others nationwide on the IndyCar circuit that have larger Black populations, generally through weekend-based events. NXG has already offered jump-start courses in Detroit and St. Louis, but he hopes to go to Nashville, Tennessee, and Portland, Oregon, in coming years.

IMS support

Parents aren’t alone in lauding the efforts of Reid and the NXG team. In fact, one of the program’s biggest benefactors is supporting its plans for expanded operations in both words and action.

“I just think it’s terrific, and we’re committed to trying to help him pull it all off,” said Mark Miles, CEO of Penske Entertainment, which owns the IndyCar series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “They’re going to have the capacity there to offer all kinds of programs and services. And because the program is founded on the notion that parents should be involved … there’s going to continue to be a lot of support for these racers and participants in this new space.”

Miles said Penske Entertainment has “raised a considerable amount of money” in the past few years for the NXG program, though he declined to share a figure.

NXG, along with Reid’s Force Indy team that participates in Indy NXT, has also been a major focus of track owner Roger Penske’s efforts to help diversify the racing series and bring in more drivers, team members and vendors who have historically not viewed themselves as welcome at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“This program has a big impact on kids’ lives, and if any of them get involved in motorsports, then we’re all the better for it, from my perspective,” Miles said.

He said while IMS wasn’t considered for a permanent home for NXG, he and other leadership at Penske will continue supporting the program, including through the program’s eventual capital campaign. IMS has also committed to let NXG continue to host most of its karting activities on one of the track’s interior parking lots during the summer.

“I’ve personally committed to Rod to do all I can to help make the capital campaign a success, and that means finding resources wherever we can,” Miles said. “First, all the preparatory work has to be done, there has to be a feasibility study, and NXG has to get a handle on its plans for its facility and the timeline. But … I’m committed to trying to help him get this off the ground and realize his vision.”

West-side impact

The city of Indianapolis has also pledged support for the project, which it considers part of an ever-growing vision for the former Central State campus and the west side. The campus, which spans about 150 acres, now features single-family homes, apartments and town houses that run the gamut from affordable and workforce housing to market-rate. There’s also a Christel House school on the property, along with the Indiana Medical History Museum.

“Having something focused on youth motorsports and serving local youth who come from diverse backgrounds … was a huge reason that we thought this was an amazing project” from a real estate perspective, said Rusty Carr, director of the city’s Department of Metropolitan Development.

“And to think about what that can bring to Central State and to the near-west community as another pillar for education, youth involvement and pipeline development for motorsports, it becomes a no-brainer.”

In addition to its plans to offer the property for a reduced cost (the exact amount has not been finalized), DMD is also open to offering incentives to Reid for the site’s buildout. That could include tax abatements or tax-increment financing, among other potential project incentive tools.

Likewise, Metropolitan Development Commission President John Dillon, during a public meeting focused on the project, implored city officials to assist NXG in its move to the west side.

“We’ve been very aggressive with this location, and I hope we are very aggressive with this organization,” he said. “They deserve whatever we can do to help. … And I think that’s the consensus of the board. Let’s dig in and help them.”

Community and neighborhood leaders are also eager to support the project.

Beverly Mukes-Gaither, CEO of the Westside Development Corp., said a move by NXG will help set apart the west side in a significant way and create new development, education and financial mobility opportunities for the area’s residents.

“I am excited that Rod Reid has intentionally chosen to become a part of this community,” she said in written remarks. “The programming he will offer to the youth in the near west is like none currently being offered. It will address a void and will give the young people exposure to motorsports as a career with STEM as a foundation—something Black, brown and white kids that live in low-income areas don’t have” as an option.•