Only two Black drivers have raced in the Indianapolis 500. These kids could be next.

INDIANAPOLIS — Most people walking around Indianapolis Motor Speedway don't look like Michael Pinner. Not the drivers, not the engineers, not the broadcasters, not the people in yellow shirts, not the pit crew, not even most of the fans.

But Pinner was there Saturday for the fanfare surrounding IndyCar's GMR Grand Prix, watching Black driver Myles Rowe at the US F2000, then competing with a group of young racers in go-karts as Indy car engines roared in the background.

Pinner reveled in the exhilaration and legend surrounding him. The lack of diversity, though; it's a strange thing and it's always there lurking, he said.

"It crosses my mind all the time," said Pinner, 14, who is part of NXG Youth Motorsports, a program that uses racing as a training tool for math, science, self-discipline and decision-making. "I know a lot of people don’t have the opportunity I have right now. I'm very grateful I can be where I am. I wouldn’t give it up for the world."

Maybe, as Pinner dreams, he will become an IndyCar driver one day and race in the Indianapolis 500. Maybe, as he talks about his backup plan of being a forensic scientist, he will become one of a small -- very small -- group of Black drivers to have ever taken the wheel at an Indy 500 race.

Willy T. Ribbs was the first Black driver, in 1991. George Mack followed in 2002. Rowe is part of Force Indy, a race team created specifically to develop talent with a diverse group of individuals, outside as well as inside the cockpit.

And for 15 years, there has been a group of kids with NXG, a program started by Rod Reid, also co-owner of Force Indy, that has given more than 2,300 local, mostly Black youth, a taste of racing through go-karts.

Some of them have gone on to work on pit crews, be engineers for racing teams and some are working for Force Indy now.

But more than in any other area of IndyCar racing, the most blatant lack of diversity has come in the driver's seat. If there ever was a time to change that, the leaders of NXG, Force Indy and IMS say, they believe that time is now.

They 'wouldn't be at IMS if not for NXG'

When Roger Penske entered the picture as owner of IMS and the IndyCar Series in 2019, the effort for diversifying catapulted quickly. Penske knew all about the lack of diversity in the sport. This was his kingdom, after all. But now he could do something about it on a broad scale.

"He sees the lack of diversity in the sport as a problem that can be resolved if people want to resolve it," said Jimmie McMillian, chief diversity officer for Penske Entertainment Corp. "And he is somebody who wants to resolve it."

Roger Penske: 'In 2023 & ’24, we want to have an African American qualifying for Indy 500'

The first step came in December with the creation of Force Indy, a US F2000-level open-wheel team with a mission to recruit Black men and women across the board -- from its drivers, mechanics and engineers to its employees in accounting, HR and communications.

The team is backed by Penske, competing in its first season at the bottom rung of the Road to Indy ladder system and through Penske's Race for Diversity and Change program created last summer.

NXG, though, was an eye opener for Penske, who until 2019 didn't know the program existed.

"He was shocked when he talked to parents and heard that the Speedway and the sport were not welcoming to people of color," said McMillian. "They told him they wouldn't be at IMS if not for NXG. That shocked him but it also hurt him, because from his perspective this should be a place that is welcoming for all."

Penske is working to make that happen.

“In 2023 and ’24, we want to have an African American qualifying for the Indy 500. You can say that, but you’ve got to start the process,” Penske told IndyStar's racing insider Nathan Brown in December. “This gives us an opportunity to say, ‘Hey, we’re going to be part of this surge, this effort on equality and change and the ability to bring something to the sport that’s missing.’”

Breaking down barriers

When he can, McMillian said, Penske likes to come out and watch the NXG racers. They, in his mind, are the future that IndyCar should become.

The NXG drivers were out Saturday watching races from a Gasoline Alley suite, talking to Rowe afterward, competing in their own NXG Grand Prix.

Camieal Roberson, 15, was one of those racers. She watched her brother compete with NXG and got the itch. She's now in her third season.

Her mom, Michelle, likes that the program breaks down all types of barriers for her daughter.

"I feel like she’s learning boys are not that big of a competition that they seem to be, that she can hold her own against the best of them," she said. "She's just as good as anybody else, no matter race, no matter sex. If she puts the effort in she can do it."

Roberson placed second during a race day last season and matched that at her first race this season.

Her dad, Kieaunta, said he could not be prouder of Camieal and her competitive spirit is infectious.

"That’s my baby girl," he said. "I want her to win and I want her to beat them like really, really bad."

For most of her time with NXG, Roberson was looking at a career in the biomedical field. She still is. But as she ages out of the NXG program this year, she doesn't want racing to end.

"I really don’t want to just let go of go-karting now that I see I'm getting better," she said. Seeing Rowe has been an inspiration to, possibly, make it big in the sport.

"I think it’s cool," she said, "to actually see someone we know in a race."

Someone who looks a lot like her.

'You know you have a chance'

Since the age of four, Rowe, an Atlanta native, has been fascinated with all things racing.

At 12, he won the Procup Karting Championship during his first full season of racing. He’s competed in the TAG Junior category in the Superkarts USA, World Karting Association, and the United States Pro Kart Series.

"I’ve been working hard for this moment; with all of the practice I’ve put in since I was 12 years old," Rowe, now 20, said when he was brought on to Force Indy. "When the opportunity came forth, it was a relief, honestly. It’s definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I’m very grateful for it."

Rowe is a past winner of the 2018 Lucas Oil Formula Car Race Series. In 2016, he was awarded two “Search for the Champion” grand prize championships from the Federal-Mogul Motorparts’ iconic Champion brand.

"We vetted many deserving young men and women and chose Myles based on his ability and performance, inside and outside of the cockpit,” Reid told IndyStar in February. “(Rowe) understands Force Indy’s mission of building a diverse team of talented individuals. He’s a great fit for the team.”

IndyCar isn't alone in its lack of Black drivers. NASCAR's top series has had just two full-time Black drivers, Wendell Scott and Bubba Wallace, in its history.

Rowe has been a force himself for younger Black youths aspiring to race, but weren't sure if they could, said McMillian.

"You immediately know that you have a chance," he said. "Someone that looks like you, someone that may share your background, things you're into culturally, can make it."

McMillian isn't just involved with NXG and Force Indy as a Penske executive. His son, 12-year-old Lance, is part of the program.

Lance was 3 or 4 when he started watching races incessantly, according to his dad. Even before McMillian joined Penske they would go to IMS and the race.

"Once I joined here I guess he got the job here, too," he said. "He became immersed in the sport, reads, studies, watches documentaries."

Not all kids, of course, have a dad who works for Roger Penske. And for them, NXG is invaluable, McMillian said.

"It's a pathway to fulfill that passion that most people of color like myself? They have no idea how to answer that passion," he said.

First choice: Indy 500

The opportunities that come out of the NXG program go far beyond driving. Stuart Kelly and Derrick Morris, both NXG alumni, are now Force Indy crew members.

"Not only is it important that African American girls and boys have access and exposure to the broad experiences and industries where they have been traditionally under-represented," said Michael Smith, community engagement director for NXG, "it is even more critical that they see reflections of themselves in the various roles and careers."

There are, after all, only going to be so many drivers. Still, Michael Pinner hopes to be one of them.

He'd never even thought of racing — it wasn't something his friends or family had on their radar — until a mentoring program called Boys To Men offered him the chance with NXG.

"Once I tried it and found out how good I was at it, how engaging it is, I loved it," he said. "When I'm on the track I really enjoy the adrenaline rush of just knowing I have this great opportunity."

He loves the bonds with his racing team. He loves looking out and seeing the diversity right there on his track.

And Pinner believes he just could be the next Black driver on the big oval at IMS racing in the Indy 500.

"If I get the opportunity I would love to be an Indy 500 driver," he said. "That would be my first choice."

IndyStar Motor Sports Insider Nathan Brown contributed to this story. Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on Twitter: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via email: dbenbow@indystar.com.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy 500 drivers: 2 Black drivers have raced, these kids could be next