Driving for Kids

Sébastien Bourdais

A true champion on the track and beyond, our Chairman Sébastian Bourdais cut his teeth in kart racing at the wee age of ten years old. Born in Le Mans, France, racing has always been in his blood. Rising the ranks of karting, he transitioned to Formula cars including Formula Renault, Formula 3, Formula 3000, CART ChampCar, Formula One and then propelled to IndyCar. 2017 and 2018 brought IndyCar wins in his hometown race, the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. In 2022, Sébastian ventured to IMSA and partnered with AJ Foyt Racing in the NTT INDYCAR series, and JDC Motorsports leading to a win in the 12 Hours of Sebring. This led to the full IMSA WeatherTech season in Ganassi’s DPI cars.

Scott Dixon

Rocketing into the karting scene at seven years old in New Zealand and Australia, a true champion of his profession, Scott is serving his 22nd season with Chip Ganassi Racing in the NTT IndyCar Series. Simultaneously, he races with Cadillac in IMSA, and has achieved six IndyCar championships won in 2003, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2020. He won the Indy500 in 2008, one of the biggest wins of his career. He also won with Chip Ganassi team in 2006 at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. In 2016, Scott’s Chip Ganassi team won third place in the Ford GT at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Scott now resides in Indiana, with his wife and two daughters. He got his first win of the 2023 IndyCar season at the Indy road course on August 12th.

Pato O’Ward

Pato hails from Mexico and began his racing career at the age of six. He transitioned to open wheel in 2013 and went on to win the 24 hours of Daytona and the 12 hours of Sebring in the PC class making him the youngest driver ever to win both races. He then went on to win the 2017 Prototype Challenge and the North American Endurance Cup. O’Ward completed f1 tests finishing 4th fastest in Abu Dhabi in 2021 and 3rd in the 2021 IndyCar series championship. He races for Arrow Mclaren in 2023, with 4 wins and 5 poles throughout his Indycar career.

Alex Palou

Alex Palou is a talented Spanish race car driver, being the 2021 and 2023 NTT IndyCar Series champion. Palou began his career in karting in 2003, where he won the WSK Euro Series Championship in 2012. In 2014, Palou debuted as an open-wheeler driver in the EuroFormula Open Championship with Campos Racing. He took victory for the first time in his career during the last race at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, where he became the first-ever Spanish driver to win in the GP3 Series. At the beginning of his 2022 season, Palou was able to secure pole position, finishing at St.Petersburg and at Long Beach, and finished off the season with a dominant victory in the Laguna Seca finale. In his 2023 season, Palou won the GMR Grand Prix, which qualified him to compete in the prestigious and highly anticipated 107th Indianapolis 500.

Patrick Long

Kart 4 Kid’s original Chairman, Patrick Long is a renowned racing driver whose indomitable spirit has left an indelible mark on the world of motorsports. Long is a Brand Ambassador and Competition Advisor for Porsche Cars North America and Porsche Motorsport NA respectively, and has won at some of the world’s most popular sports car races, such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Rolex 24 at Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring, Petit Le Mans, and the 12 Hours of Bathurst. In addition, Long has also achieved the status as a three-time American Le Mans Series champion and two-time Pirelli World Challenge champion. Long has been a Porsche factory driver since 2004 and is the creator of Luftgekuhlt, a popular event hosted to celebrate air-cooled Porsches. In 2021, Long announced that it would be his final full season as a professional racer, and secured The Michelin Endurance Cup title in the GTD Category with the Wright Motorsport squad. Long continues to play a vital role in the strategic development and successful implementation of crucial Porsche Motorsport initiatives across North America in his capacity as the Competition Advisor for PMNA. 

Hélio Castroneves

Hélio began racing karts in 1987 where he collected a national championship title as well as two years of experience in the World Cup CIK. From there, he kickstarted his career as a successful and well-known racer. In 1996, Castroneves moved to American open-wheel racing to participate in the Indy Light Series in the 1996 and 1997 seasons. In 2000, he signed with Team Penske for the year’s season, where he won his first series victory at the 2000 Detroit Grand Prix in his seventh start with the team. He also competed as Team Penske at his first Indianapolis 500 in 2001, where he picked up his first Indianapolis 500 Borg Warner trophy. After switching to the IndyCar Series for full-time competition in 2002, Castroneves became the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 in his first two starts, and later in 2009, he became the ninth driver to take a third victory in the Indianapolis 500 race. Castroneves returned to a full season of IndyCar in 2022, racing for Meyer Shank Racing in the 06 car.

Tony Kanaan

Tony Kanaan is a passionate racing driver who began karting at the young age of eight, and has since then held several records and won many races. Following his endeavors in Italy with his racing in F-Opel and competing in the Italian F3 championship, Kanaan ended up in the United States in1995 where he finished as the fastest driver in the test among 10 challengers, disputing a place in Indy Lights and secured two seasons in the IndyCar entry category. In 1998, Kaanan joined F-Indy (Cart) where he raced for Tasman Motorsports and won the Rookie of the Year title. Kanaan had an incredibly successful year in 2004, in which he won the IndyCar championship and broke a record by finishing as many laps as possible in every race of the season. Most notably, Kanaan won the 2013 Indianapolis 500 and is the absolute record holder for consecutive starts in IndyCar with 318 starts. This year, team officials announced that Kanaan will join McLaren Racing as a special advisor to the Arrow McLaren team in the NTT IndyCar series.

Josef Newgarden

Josef Newgarden is an open-wheel racer who joined the IndyCar series in 2012, being a two-time IndyCar Series Champion and the winner of the 2023 Indianapolis 500. In 2011, he was the Firestone Indy Lights champion, which led him to his spot in the IndyCar series the following year. Newgarden is a part of Team Penske, and is currently the winningest American driver in the IndyCar series. In 2016, he set an IndyCar series record for the most laps led by a race winner at his performance in the Iowa set. Newgarden continues to collect victories and pole positions at notable rates as he continues to compete in his 12th IndyCar Series (NICS) 2023 season.

James Hinchcliffe

James Hinchcliffe is a Canadian race car driver who began racing karts at the young age of nine. He is known for his media personality as well as his success in racing. He began his career in 2003 by starting as an open-wheel racer in karting and later began car racing following his third-place victory in the Bridgestone Racing Academy F2000 series. The following year, he achieved the status of top rookie in Formula BMW USA by snatching the victory in three races. After spending a decade in IndyCar, Hinchcliffe left with six race wins as well as the 2011 NTT IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year award and the IndyCar Fan Favorite Award in both 2012 and 2018. Hinchcliffe joined NBC Sports in December of 2021 and now works as an analyst for their IndyCar coverage.

Colton Herta

 Colton Herta has become one of America’s most successful open-wheeler race divers at a very young age. In 2019, Herta had a record-setting rookie season, and in the following year, he competed for the 2020 title through the final round, where he ended third in the NTT IndyCar Series Championship with one victory, one pole position, and eleven top-ten finishes in his sophomore season. Herta also holds the record as the youngest pole winner in IndyCar competition, where he received his first pole award at Road America at the age of 19. Some of Herta’s prominent performances were from his victories from pole positions at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey, where he led all but four laps in each race. Herta is the youngest driver in American history to win major events at both the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Daytona International Speedway, two iconic American racing tracks. 

Romain Grosjean

Romain Grosjean, also known as the Phoenix, grew up in Geneva. In the early days of his professional career, he raced Formula Renault in 2005, dominating the championship. He drove in Formula 3 and GP2 before making his start in Formula One, in 2009. He signed with Renault in 2009 as a test driver, but later on in the season took over for Nelson Piquet Jr. In 2010, he returned to GP2, with two poles and a win. He returned to F1 in 2012 with Lotus. He amassed 10 podiums with the team, before switching to Hass in 2016. He stayed in F1 until 2020, his career seemingly over following a fiery crash at the Bahrain Grand Prix. He immediately picked up the nickname “The Phoenix” and shortly after signed with Dale Coyne Racing and Honda for his first IndyCar season in 2021. He now drives the number 28 DHL for Andretti Autosport, with six podiums and three poles in his IndyCar Career. Romain flies for fun, and now lives in Miami with his wife and kids.

Kyle Kirkwood

Kyle Kirkwood is an American champion racing driver currently in his second season with the NTT IndyCar Series and is a new member of Andretti Autosport. Kirkwood is known as the only driver in history to win championships in all three divisions of the Road to Indy ladder system, achieving this in his 2018, 2019, and 2021 seasons at the USF2000, the Indy Pro 2000, and the Indy Lights. Kirkwood has held victory in 31 of 50 total races that make up the three Road to Indy championships, and he additionally competes in the endurance rounds of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Lexus racing with Vasser Sullivan. Kirkwood has shown great potential with his rapid ascent to the top ranks of open-wheel racing and states that he is excited to represent AutoNation’s philanthropic efforts to raise awareness and fund cancer research.

Ryan Hunter-Reay

Ryan Hunter-Reay is known as one of the most successful American drivers currently taking part in open-wheel competition, holding more victories in races than any other active American IndyCar driver. In 2007, Hunter-Reay won the IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year award, and in the following year, won the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year honors after placing sixth in the race. In January of 2010, Hunter-Reay signed to drive for Andretti Autosport, where he quickly won the Long Beach Grand Prix and accomplished the team’s first victory under the sole ownership of racer Michael Andretti. Hunter-Reay’s most notable victories include his champion status in the 2012 IndyCar Series and in the 2014 Indianapolis 500. Having led more than 1,100 laps in his open-wheel career, Hunter-Reay has achieved at least one victory for each IndyCar team that he has driven a full year for in his career. 

Felix Rosenqvist

Felix Rosenqvist is a racing driver from Sweden who is currently piloting the #6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet entry in the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series. Rosenqvist holds the title of the 2015 FIA Formula 3 European champion, is also a two-time Masters of F3 and Macau Grand Prix victor, and is a three-time Formula Renault title holder. In 2019, he entered the NTT IndyCar Series, teaming up with Scott Dixon at Chip Ganassi Racing, where he ended up finishing on the podium twice and finishing sixth in the overall drivers’ classification. Rosenqvist achieved success at Wisconsin’s Road America to earn the status of the first Swedish winner in the championship since 2002.

Kyle Masson

Kyle Masson, born in Windermere, FL, has had great success on and off the track. He started racing karts when he was young, moving up to cars in 2014 to race in the Skip Barber racing series. He won the Skip Barber Winter Series in 2016 and then progressed to racing in IMSA. His entire career in endurance racing was with Performance Tech Motorsports, in the LMP3, LMP2, MPC, and prototype classes. He won the IMSA prototype challenge in MPC during 2017, and finished third in the 2019 LMP2 championship. Now, he works in the medical field with eXpanded eXistence and Restitute Health to help improve operating room data acquisition globally.

Katherine Legge

Breaking barriers in the racing industry, Katherine Legge was one of the first women to test a Formula One car. She won the 2005 Long Beach Toyota Atlantic Championship which catapulted her career. From there she moved to PKC Racing in Champ Car. 2012 brought a new challenge when she joined Dragon Racing’s Formula E team. After a year there, she joined Acura’s GTD program in which she achieved 4 wins and 11 podiums. Crossing the pond, she then participated in the European Le Mans Series and 24 Hours of Le Man in the LMP2 prototype series. From there, she transitioned to IMSA as a lead driver for Team Hardpoint driving a Porsche 911 and competed in an Acura NSX GTD class for Gradient Racing. She also races in the NASCAR Xfinity series in 2023.

Jordan Taylor

Orlando, Florida native, Taylor began his racing career in 2008 competing in the 24 hours of Daytona. 2011 was a huge year as he impressed Corvette Racing while driving for Autohaus Motorsports ending as the class runner up.Corvette recruited him to the team where he drove in Sebring, Petit Le Mans and 24 hours of LeMans. In 2013, he won the Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Prototype Championship winning five races with teammate Max Angelelli. Proving to be another big year for Taylor, he gained a win and two podiums at Lemans Corvette Racing. Transitioning to IMSA, Taylor is a 4-time IMSA champion, LMGTE Pro class, 2-time winner of 24 hours of Daytona and GTLM class winner in 2021. He still races with Corvette Racing in 2023.

Ricky Taylor

Hailing from Surrey, England, this pro currently races GTP with Wayne Taylor racing and Andretti Autosport. He touted seven wins and 20 podiums in the Daytona Prototype DPI class and placed second in the 2014 Hours of Daytona. In 2017, he championed the IMSA Weathertech Championship. In 2018, he led the first win for the Acura DPi program. He climbed the ranks from there with a 3rd place in the series for 2019 and  2nd place in 2021 and 2022. He races in IMSA with Wayne Taylor racing in 2023.

Jan Heylen

Born in Geel, Belgium, Jan Heylen is one of the most successful Porsche drivers to date. His career started in kart racing at 12 years old. He amassed many wins in karting, such as the Monaco World Cup race and several other international events. He began his professional career in small Formula cars, in series such as the British Formula Ford championship, German F3, Formula 3 Spain, and more. In 2006, Jan signed with Dale Coyne Racing, securing a spot in Champ Car. After another year of Champ Car in the States, he began focusing on the biggest endurance races in the US and Internationally. In 2014, he joined Wright Motorsports, a Porsche team primarily competing in SRO and IMSA. He won nine championships with them in 2021, which translated to Jan receiving the very prestigious Porsche Cup award. He still races with Wright Motorsports in 2023, and lives in Tampa. Aside from racing, Jan enjoys cycling, and opened a bike shop called Kafe Racer in Dunedin.

James French

Watching the skills of his father, James cut his teeth in karting at the Road America Motorplex at five years old. He transitioned to Indy Lights with Belardi Auto Racing in 2016 and took first place in the 2017 24 hours of Daytona while with Performance Tech Motorsports. From there he made a NASCAR debut in 2018 with JP Motorsports. Multi-champion in SCCA and IMSA, he also worked with Ideal Motorsport all while building to his 2021 win at Petit Le Mans.

Santino Ferrucci

Santino Ferrucci’s professional career in race car driving began in 2013, where he made his professional debut in the SBF2000 Winter Series and finished fifth place in the championship. Ferrucci kicked off his career competing internationally in Formula 2 and Formula 3, but since then, he has returned to America to race in IndyCar and NASCAR in 2018. In 2021, Ferrucci returned to IndyCar for four races with Rahal Letterman Lanigan racing where he finished sixth in the Indianapolis 500. Additionally, in 2022, Ferrucci raced with Dreyer and Reinbold racing in the Indianapolis 500, where he finished in 10th place. This year, Ferrucci signed a full-time contract for AJ Foyt Racing in the #14 car for the 2023 season.

Shea Holbrook

A Florida native, Shea is a seven-time Pirelli World Challenge winner and entrepreneur with Shea Racing and Maverick, a MX5 racing team owned by Bryan Hixon. Her professional racing career started in 2010 and the world quickly noticed with her Long Beach GP 2011 win in Touring Cars. From there, she raced GT in Super Trofeo 2017 and 2018 and then onto the W Series where she was one of two American racers. She took charge and earned her spot in the first W Series grid among 60 drivers.

Now a successful entrepreneur, she started Shea Racing and currently manages Maverick, a MX5 racing team owned by driver and philanthropist Bryan Hixon.

Glenn McGee

Glenn McGee is a different breed of racing driver. He is one of the very first pro sim racers to make it out of the virtual rig and onto the track, competing in Mazda MX-5 Cup and IMSA Super Trofeo. Unlike many other drivers, his first experience with the sport did not start in the seat of a kart. He began behind a computer screen, spending hours and hours with iRacing with the dream of becoming a racing driver. He achieved the impossible, gamer-to-driver. He won the Sim2Reality iRacing Competition, which earned him an opportunity to win a Mazda scholarship, the Mazda Road to 24 Shootout where he won $100,000 to put towards his racing career. He got his first contract in 2016, with JTR Motorsports Engineering. In 2023, he still races in MX-5 Cup and has also branched out to endurance racing in Super Trofeo with Precision Performance Motorsports. He got his first win of the Super Trofeo season at Road America in August of 2023.

Tristan Vautier

Tristan Vautier is a skilled racing driver hailing from France who is currently a racing member of the Vanwall Racing Team. In 2006, Vautier started off his career in the French Formula Renault Campus series where he finished runner-up, then moved up to the main Championnat de France Formula Renault 2.0 series in 2007 where he finished fourth. In 2013, Vautier signed to compete in the 2013 IndyCar Series season for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, where he achieved the status of the first driver to be champion of two rungs of the Road to Indy ladder and move onto the IndyCar Series. On his debut race in St. Petersburg, Vautier qualified in the Firestone Fast-Six, and finished third for the following round in Barber. Vautier returned to IndyCar in 2015 as a part-time driver for Dale Coyne Racing, where he qualified James Davison’s car for the Indianapolis 500 and raced in place of Carlos Huertas. This year, Vautier is actively participating in the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship as a member of the Vanwall Racing Team.