Although I severely Doubt this will ever Truly be
Overcome…
While it’s Great that as a Nation we have a
Black History month, have you ever realized that once again African Americans
are getting the short Straw by having it in February, the Shortest month of the
Year
While I notice that as usual, Indycar.com is
trying to positively Spin the announcement of Force Indy moving up to Indy
Lights with new Driver Ernie Francis Jr., who I’d never heard of before last
year’s SRX Racing Series, which seems a somewhat Odd training ground for Indy
Cars!
While I’ve got nothing against Francis Jr., and
wish Him Great Success as an Indy Lights Rookie! Since Francis Jr’s one Bad
Arse Trans Am Driver, and trails only Paul Meatheadz’ Gentilozzi, Mark Donohue
and the other TK’, aka Tommy Kendall for most Trans Am career victories, which
should speak volumes!
https://www.indycar.com/news/2022/01/01-27-forceindy-francis
Nonetheless, lost in All of this euphoria is Force
Indy giving last year’s U.S. F2000 team Rookie Driver Myles Roe the cold
Shoulder! Especially since the team knew whit Myles not having raced in several
years, it would take time for him to knock the rust off, which I’d say He did
by becoming the first Black Driver to ever win a U.s. F2000 race in New Jersey
last Fall!
Yet Myles has been given the proverbial Der
Helmut’ Luke warm Bath water Tossing treatment by Force Indy in their apparent rush
to get a Black Driver to 16th and Georgetown el Pronto! As Racer’s
Marshall Pruett wrote just before Christmas how Myles was trying to find a new
U.s. F2000 ride and secure the necessary funding via a Go Fund Me page, which I’ve
got Zero Clue if it’s still active? Or what Myles status is, since the U.S.
F2000 season begins on February 26th at St Pete, and prior to
posting this, Roe’s name Didn’t appear to be listed for any team’s entry.
https://racer.com/2021/12/21/rowe-launches-gofundme-campaign-to-fund-second-usf2000-season/
Notice that Force Indy will continue running
the No. 99, Hmm? Who’s number was that in Indy Cars, Eh? And that Myles Roe ran
the #99 with a Red Tail motif rear wing in honour of the legendary Tuskegee
Airmen, which Y’all can read more about Myles in the following link below.
While Conor Daly ran his Ed Carpenter Racing
(ECR) #47 U.S. Air force sponsored Red Tail tribute livery scheme in the 2021
Indianapolis 500 commemorating the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II.
Charles E. McGee
“We Shattered All the Myths”
All of which seemingly came full circle when
recently Hearing the News via my NFB Newsline for The Blind’s telephone service
New York Times Obituary section that Decorated Brigadier General Charles E.
McGee, one of the final remaining Tuskegee Airmen had just Died at the amazing age
of 102.
As McGee’s prophetic comment about Shattering
Myth’s was in regards to Black Pilots actually flying combat Missions during
World War II. While McGee would ultimately fly 409 Combat Missions in three
wars, i.e.; WWII, Korea and Vietnam, the third most combat missions ever.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/16/obituaries/charles-e-mcgee-dead.html
Yet overt Racism in All facets of African
Americans lives is Nothing new, and Sadly I’d say is still alive and Well
today, even after the modern day lynching of George Floyd!
Although in a weird twist of Fate, the Summer
of2020’s George Floyd and Black Lives Matter movement seems to have sparked the
interest in telling the story of forgotten IndyCar racer Charlie Wiggins, which
I must divulge I’d never heard of him before Marshall Pruett’s Racer article
last July.
As it’s Sad to me that I only learned of
Charles Edwin “Charlie” Wiggins some Gory 85 years after his last race in the
1936 Gold ‘N Glory Sweepstakes race, held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds! The
premiere event of the Colored Speedway Association, (CSA) a racing league for
Blacks Only.
As Wiggins won this Daunting 100 mile
Dirt-track Sprint race four times between 1926 and 1935 and never finished
lower than fifth, yet was Barred from racing in the Indianapolis 500! Which
seems to make it even more ironic I’d never Heard of Him until 2021, some Gory 42
years after He’d died, Wayback’ in 1979, Y’all know the year somebody known as “Rocket
Rick” Mears won his first Indy 500!
And speaking of Mother Speedway and that ‘lil ‘Ol
500 miler Oval race they run in May, the genesis of what Sparked this Story for
Mwah was another excellent article by Racer’s Marshall Pruett revolving around
why Willy T. Ribbs, the first African American Driver to race in the Indianapolis
500’s racecar wasn’t on display in the Indianapolis Museum commemorating the 30th
Anniversary of Ribbs accomplishment?
https://racer.com/2021/05/28/pruett-why-isnt-willy-t-ribbs-1991-car-in-the-ims-museum/
Yet it makes perfect sense how Derrick Walker
and his Shoestring Startup Walker Racing concern would simply need to use the year
old Lola T90/00 chassis in further events that season and that the chassis
would ultimately be wrecked during the Michigan 500 by Professor B’, aka Jon
Beekhuis…
And whilst Ribs muses that El Capitano’, nee
Roger Penske could easily afford the ridiculous Half million asking price for a
vintage Lola T90/00 for a much deserved replica of Willy’s “Hot Pink” #17
Walker Lola IndyCar, somehow I doubt this will happen?
Yeah, I know it’s Roger’s money, which is
probably why He’s a Billionaire and I’m just a lowly Basement Dwelling Blogger.
Hey Mom, turn the lights back on! But before anybody says Poor roger and how
Harshly He was Hit financially during the Covid 19 Pandemic and No Fans allowed
at IMS in 2020.
I’d Beg to Differ, and suggest Y’all check out
forbes list of latest Billionaires and how Roger’s Net Worth actually
increased! Not to mention Claudio’ informing Mwah that “The Captain” just so
happens to have a luxury Yacht appropriately named the Podium!
So if IndyCar’s serious about Thar Diversity Push, then Penske Entertainment can Afford to sponsor two promising, aspiring Black Drivers in it’s Road to Indy programmes, and also commission and prominently Display in it’s museum a replica Lola IndyCar of Willy t. Ribbs first Indy 500 entry!