Note: This is a series of stories at INDYCAR.com highlighting Women’s History Month in March.
Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) and PNC Bank have selected their class of interns for the second year of Women In Motorsports Powered by PNC Bank with Chip Ganassi Racing.
The initiative was launched one year ago to help drive awareness and support gender equality and economic inclusion for women in the workforce. The program is aimed to provide more women with opportunities in traditionally male-dominated careers in the field of motorsports.
“We’re extremely proud to continue making steps toward gender equality in our sport,” team owner Chip Ganassi said. “It is vital that we maintain a welcoming environment where every individual has an equal opportunity to make an impactful contribution toward reaching our goals. We’re honored to share this vision and advance this program together with PNC Bank.”
The trio of female college students will receive fully funded internships that provide valuable exposure within the professional motorsports industry. They will receive hands-on experience and mentorship, operating alongside team leaders that have led the organization to 21 championships over its 33-year history.
“Supporting women in traditionally male-dominated spaces, such as motorsports, tech and finance, is important to us because we know that a diverse workforce sparks innovation and influences economic inclusion,” said Debbie Guild, PNC head of Enterprise Technology and Security. “Whether you are in a boardroom, a lab or on pit lane, performance comes down to capability and grit. As a company seeking to cultivate the next generation of female leaders, we couldn’t be more excited to support Women in Motorsports.”
The two-month internship starts May 29 and will see the interns travel with the team to selected races during the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. After reviewing a magnitude of qualified applications, the following three young women were selected:
- Hailey Hein; Northern Arizona University; Mechanics
- Nicole Goodman; Indiana University; IT
- Raegen Moody; Auburn University; Engineering
Each student has demonstrated their passion for motorsports and the pursuit of a career in STEM. Hein is an off-road racer and automotive service technician, while Goodman works as a laboratory instructor and Moody serves as a race engineer on her school’s iRacing team.
The inaugural Women In Motorsports internship class was a resounding success as interns explored their interests across motorsports and learned how a team of individuals works together to achieve their collective goals. Furthermore, Chip Ganassi Racing plans to hire one of the 2022 Women In Motorsports interns, Rebecca Hutton, as a full-time engineer upon graduating from college soon.
Chip Ganassi Racing and PNC Bank plan to open the 2024 application window Sept. 1, 2023. Interested applicants can learn more and apply in the coming months at ChipGanassiRacing.com/wim.
Nicole Goodman Hailey Hein Raegen Moody