NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It seems every big race brings more women to the stands. Teams racing at Big Machine Music City Grand Prix want more women to work in motorsports too.
Professional racing driver Scott Dixon finished second in last year's race in Nashville.
This year, through the 'Women In Motorsports' initiative powered by Dixon's team and PNC Bank, the driver is helping accelerate opportunities for females interested in motorsports. This summer, Chip Ganassi Racing welcomed five female interns.
"For me, being a girl dad, you kind of want have that option [for them] when they come to the racetrack," said Scott Dixon. "Definitely for the last few years, they've started to see women at the track. There's very few of them."
Little by little, representation in racing is shifting.
Marcus Ericsson, the winner of the Indy 500 and 2021 Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, has a female on his crew. In fact, Angela Ashmore is the first female crew member on an Indy 500-winning team.
"To work with a winning driver, to win the Indy 500 this year — it's all kind of unbelievable," said Ashmore.
The engineer hopes being in her data-driven role shows young girls what their futures can look like.
"There's nothing that makes a man any better at doing math than a girl doing math. There's nothing that makes a man any better at doing a strategy call and makes a woman any worse, you know?" Ashmore said.
Ashmore, who will sit on the timing stand and hop off during pit stops, primarily keeps track of how much fuel goes into Ericsson's car during a race.
She looks forward to working with more women in the future.
"We're highly qualified. We're smart. If you set your mind on it you can do it, and you're absolutely welcome to be here," she said.
