Myles Rowe embarks on his second INDY NXT by Firestone season, his first competing for ABEL Motorsports with Force Indy after spending his rookie season with HMD Motorsports. Despite recent success, Rowe is rooted to what happened in 2019.
That was a pivotal year that shaped the 24-year-old Georgia native and provided a lasting impact in his life that could have led him toward a different career path.
After a successful karting journey, Rowe raced in 2017 and 2018 in the Lucas Oil Formula Car Race Series. Unfortunately, he lacked the funding to continue racing in 2019.
Then, with the global pandemic in 2020, finding sponsorship was challenging. He questioned if he’d get a chance to drive a race car again.
“I tell people all the time I stopped, I couldn't watch racing,” he said. “Had a disconnect. It's too depressing. I just completely took it out of my heart sort of a thing for that better health of myself, so I could focus on college and things like that.”
Rowe diverted his attention to photography and enrolled at New York City’s Pace University becoming a film student and excellent photographer.
Then, a call came with an offer to return to racing.
Penske Entertainment created the Race for Equality & Change initiative in July 2020 to provide more opportunity in the sport for minorities and women. Force Indy was born with that project, and in 2021, NXG Youth Motorsports founder Rod Reid gave Rowe a chance to return to the driver’s seat to compete in the USF2000 Championship.
Rowe made history by becoming the first African American driver to win in the series, reaching victory lane at New Jersey Motorsports Park in the 15th race of the season.
In 2022, Rowe stayed in USF2000 with Pabst Racing while Force Indy climbed to INDY NXT by Firestone. He started the season opener in St. Petersburg, Florida, winning the second race of the doubleheader in a five-win season that saw him finish second in the championship, just six points behind Michael d’Orlando.
Rowe climbed to USF Pro 2000 with Pabst Racing in 2023 and renewed support from Force Indy. He thrived. Another five-win season helped him secure the championship, becoming the first African American driver to win a North American open-wheel championship.
That came with a financial career advancement package for INDY NXT by Firestone, where Rowe and Force Indy partnered with HMD Motorsports.
“In a way, it makes you more grateful,” Rowe said. “I'm definitely more grateful for this journey than I think if I just kept on the same path and didn't really have a year out of it. It makes you more aware of your tendencies for yourself, kind of how you operate.
“I got two sides of life, going to college and not even just disconnecting from, ‘I want to watch a race this weekend’ to going to certain films and photo shoots and things like that, and kind of switching the whole script. And that path that led me here, but I'm still on, because it still guides my life today, is something that makes me very grateful.”
Rowe also continued his schooling, graduating in film and screen studies, and merged his two interests because photography and driving race cars are more similar than some think.
“I'd say a lot of it is there's a lot more creativity in motorsport, just in the skill of driving, than I think a lot of people understand,” he said. “There's a set line, almost like there's a set path and everything, but you have to make that path sort of a thing. And so the same way, where you might be in a very structured photo shoot in the studio or something, there's a way to do it, but also you have to make that way happen. You control the light, you control the power, the angle, all of that.
“Same thing with the line and the car. It all depends on where you are. That path changes with the conditions, changes with the track. Same thing in how a shoot changes with the person you're shooting with, changes with the area, the environment, the weather that day and lighting that day. You have to anticipate just as much in both, be as aware just as just as much in both, and understand your variables just as much in both. So, I take a lot of that with me.”
Rowe remains with Force Indy but switches to ABEL Motorsports this season. His first test session with the team came last fall on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, where he was quickest among all drivers. He was in the top five of the other offseason test sessions, too, including fourth quickest in the two-day test last week at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Experience and fast race cars raise expectations, especially for Rowe to improve upon his 11th-place INDY NXT by Firestone points finish as a rookie.
“I think we're just focused on consistency, clear communication, some of the struggles we had last year,” he said. “We're pretty adamant about making sure those struggles don't happen but also just taking it race by race again. It is still a new team. This will be our first race together, second race together, third race together.
“So, it's just the goal of trying to communicate clearly in this preseason, understanding what our strengths and, most importantly, our weaknesses were, communicating that clearly to me and having the proper cohesion with everyone.”
To some athletes, higher expectations lead to more pressure. Rowe doesn’t look at it that way. Rowe views it in a positive not negative light.
“Pressure makes diamonds, and I'm sure we'll shine,” he said.