Driven to Trailblaze: Caitlyn Brown's Rise on Team Penske's Pit Crew

03/08/24 • 10 min

Dean Usha Menon sits down with Caitlyn Brown, the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet Mechanic and Inside Front Tire Changer, to discuss her trailblazing journey as a female mechanic.
You can see Caitlyn Brown in St. Pete March 8-10, 2024, at the Firestone Grand Prix!

Following in the footsteps of trailblazing female icons in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES (NICS), Caitlyn Brown etched her name in the history books on May 28, 2023, as the first female pit crew member to win the Indianapolis 500. Her work as a mechanic and inside front tire changer for the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Chevrolet helped propel Josef Newgarden from the 17th starting position on the grid to win his first Indianapolis 500, and the 19th for Team Penske.

Brown made team history at the start of the 2023 NICS season as the first, full-time female pit crew member in the 57-year history of Team Penske. A native of Wilmington, Illinois, Brown comes from a racing family, herself having competed in four-cylinder dirt track racing in her youth. While she loved the competition that comes with being behind the wheel, the mechanics of making a car perform at its best proved to be Brown’s true calling.

After paying her dues in entry-level positions that helped Brown get her foot in the door of professional motorsports, she began her Team Penske career in 2019 as a NASCAR shop mechanic. Brown then transitioned into the role of fuel cell specialist. Looking for an opportunity as a traveling mechanic with one of the Team Penske teams, Brown first ventured out on the road with the organization’s INDYCAR team during the 2021 season. Before the start of the 2022 INDYCAR SERIES season, she made the transition from fenders to open-wheel cars complete.

It was during the 2021 season that Brown seized her first opportunity to go over the wall with the female-led, Paretta Autosport INDYCAR team in the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500. The Paretta team received technical support from Team Penske, and the partnership allowed Brown and others to show what they could do on pit lane in the world’s biggest race.

In the world of motorsports, the Indianapolis 500 provides a daunting level of pressure. When you drive for Team Penske, the winningest team in the history of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” the intensity gets ratcheted up even more.

“This is the reason you want to work for Team Penske, to have a shot at winning the Indianapolis 500,” said Brown after the victory. “To play a role in Josef winning his first – and the team’s 19th – is very special. The car doesn’t know what gender you are. If you put the work in, you can have success. I hope it opens the door for other females in the future.”

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