Will Power leaves 'emotional' impact on IndyCar junior Myles Rowe: "I'll take that to my grave”

Team Penske star Will Power has been a mentor to the American open-wheel racing talent Myles Rowe. The Indy NXT driver recently opened up on the emotional impact of the two-time IndyCar champion and detailed the same in a video uploaded by the IndyCar ladder series on social media.

Rowe became the first African-American driver to win any single-seater open-wheel racing series when he won the 2023 USF2000 Pro series. However, Will Power met the youngster almost a decade before the triumph and had helped Rowe secure sponsors and with racing advice.

Miles Rowe recalled how his first interaction with Power happened in 2014 during a karting event when the Team Penske star shared the tarmac with him as they raced go-karts. He said [1:13 onwards]:

“I didn't really know it was him (Will Power) until we were on track because he passed me. And of course, it's his helmet. No one has a replica Will Power helmet. And it just looks like him. He passed me and, like, surely he's going to be gone because I was still learning the ropes of my go kart.

“But he actually let off after about a lap after he passed me, went behind me and he didn't just go back to give himself room or whatever. There was nobody else on the track and he started pushing me... He would push me and then pass the next lap, and I'd follow and then go back behind me and push me. And we didn't talk after that session.”

Myles Rowe then revealed that he shared the track with Will Power for another session, and it was only after that that he and his father went up to the Penske star to have a conversation. He added [2:17 onwards]:

“I don't know what he was trying to do, honestly. But we see he was just trying to, he was giving back, he was having fun with me. And I'll take that to my grave, honestly.”

---

Myles Rowe’s American open-wheel racing journey and how Will Power helped the youngster

Myles Rowe got introduced to the world of motorsports when he was browsing the channels as a kid and stumbled upon Fernando Alonso racing with Renault. Rowe then moved up the go-kart ranks before making his open-wheel single-seater debut in 2017.

However, struggles with sponsorship and subsequently funds led to Rowe stepping away from motorsports. By then, Will Power had already met with Rowe, and when Roger Penske took over IndyCar, the Team Penske driver directed the owner in the youngster's direction, and as a result, the Race For Equality & Change initiative was formed.

The initiative helped and provided scholarships to drivers from diverse backgrounds. Myles Rowe was one of the drivers who made a comeback after four years and raced for Force Indy (backed by Penske Entertainment) in the USF2000 championship.

Myles finished as the runner-up in 2022 and was promoted to the USF2000 Pro for the 2023 season. The American won the title in his rookie season and was again promoted to race in the Indy NXT series for 2024.

Rowe was signed by Abel Motorsports for the 2025 season, with whom he currently races in the Indy NXT championship.