Do you follow your favorite NASCAR racers every Sunday? Do you watch the Indy 500 every year? Welcome to the club! There is a history between racing series and people with military backgrounds. Whether it’s an all-veteran racing team, a veteran discount program, or a group dedicated to racing for disabled veterans, there are innumerable examples of military family and racing fandom coalescing to create benefits for fans and the people behind the races, too. When veterans consider transitioning to civilian life, they may not consider joining the racing world as a career. That makes sense. After all, there’s not a race team to join in every city and positions can be very competitive in the racing world. Fortunately, Indianapolis is one of the places where a career in racing can be considered realistic and viable. This is especially true for veterans and the many skills they have thanks to their service time. That’s why INvets is excited to announce a new position to help veterans maximize their chances to enter this unique career field. INvets is looking for a talented Executive Director who has an interest in veteran issues, racing, and non-profit management, to facilitate veterans initiatives within the Road to Indy program from IndyCar. This position will be preceded by a 16-week internship to help the candidate transition into the role.
Racing 2 Hire Veterans Internship is a 16-week program that focuses on creating a pipeline from military service to positions within the Road to Indy program. The Road to Indy program gives skills and experience to drivers and crew members looking to grow in the racing world, and has recognized the prevalence of veterans within the field. While the program is rooted in the IndyCar family, those coming out of Road to Indy will be hirable by any top-tier racing series, including IndyCar, NASCAR, NHRA, and IMSA. The internship will give the candidate an introduction to this space and opportunities to build lasting relationships with key people.
Because this program is uniquely situated in the worlds of veterans issues, non-profit work, and professional racing, it requires an Executive Director who understands each piece. It is not required to have experience in racing or to be a veteran, though they are beneficial. Experience in non-profit management, project management, business development, and marketing will be useful in this role, as the Executive Director will be responsible for continued growth and success in the program. If selected, a candidate will meet key people within Road to Indy and IndyCar; learn to set productive goals and create business plans in the unique racing non-profit space; and create generative partnerships that will continue to benefit the goals of the program. If you are interested in this position, you may apply here.
Applications are now open for the internship. If you are interested in applying, please email your resume to blaine@invets.org.
This program is one of many exciting things INVets is doing to support veterans in Indiana. So whether or not racing is one of your passions, you can get started with us today to see how we can assist you.