With a world of difference between IndyCar and NASCAR, the debate of which motorsport is better is perpetual. When it comes to team sponsorships, however, Indy NXT driver and model Lindsay Brewer has a clear winner in her mind.
In 2024, Brewer made history by becoming the first American woman since Leilani Munter in 2007 to race in the Indy NXT series. Driving for Juncos Hollinger Racing in the No. 76 Dallara, she finished the season in P21 with 102 points.
In an interview earlier this week, Brewer spoke about the impact that sponsorships have on a driver's life in the expensive sport. The 27-year-old raced in eight rounds out of fourteen in Indy NXT in 2024. A lack of funding, according to her, was one of the common reasons for many drivers participating in limited races in a season.
Brewer also explained how NASCAR drivers tend to have it easier when it comes to sponsorship. She said (via Forbes),
"There's so much surface area of a Nascar, that you're able to really sell a lot of sponsorships on it, which is cool. There's a whole kit that you sell to sponsors. And you're like: 'Do you want the wing or the side pods or the front wing, or the nose cone?' There are different spots that you can package in for sponsors, and you give a whole diagram of what packages they can get."
Brewer has leveraged her fashion sense and personal brand to grow a strong social media presence with 2.8 million Instagram followers and will be hoping that this translates into more sponsors.
Lindsay Brewer explains why female racers find NASCAR easier than IndyCar
Motorsport is as physical a sport as any other. The drivers in open-wheel racing, especially, in F1 or IndyCar, combat strong G-forces throughout the races. Closed-wheel racing series, like NASCAR, are relatively easier on the body.
The absence of power steering in IndyCar also puts additional stress on a driver's shoulder and arms. As per Lindsay Brewer, it is this intense physical demand that makes it challenging for women to race in open-wheel racing compared to NASCAR's stock cars. She said (via Forbes),
"There's no power steering in open-wheel cars, and that's why there aren't as many women in open-wheel racing as there are in like NASCAR, or sport racing, because the power steering is such a big issue. It doesn't mean that women aren't able to do anything men can do. But we are at a disadvantage physically. But it is something I love, and that's why I do it."
In the Indy 500's history, ten women have participated with only nine starting the race. In contrast, 132 women have raced in one of NASCAR's touring series, including 16 in the NASCAR Cup Series.