Indianapolis Motor Speedway senior legal counsel Jimmie McMillan was named Penske Entertainment Corp.’s Chief Diversity Officer. McMillan’s position, which was added as a part of Penske Entertainment Corp.’s Race for Equality & Change initiative, was announced in a news conference Saturday morning.

McMillan has served as IMS’ legal counsel since 2016 and, prior to the new initiative, served as a co-chair on IMS’ diversity committee with President and Chief Executive Officer of Penske Entertainment Corp. Mark Miles.

The company announced several new steps in its initiative Saturday morning, including an expanded relationship with NXG Youth Motorsports Inc., a nonprofit that helps minority students pursue a career in motorsports. Several donors raised around $500,000 to allow “for a yearlong curriculum, increasing the number of students participating and enhancing the depth and quality of student experience,” the release said. NXG will be provided a permanent garage with brand new tools at IMS. 

McMillan outlined several goals, including community outreach for hiring opportunities, creating a list of minority-owned suppliers that meet the track and series’ needs and engaging with communities “where people don’t normally see us” while working with organizations in those communities to further create pipelines to the motorsports industry. Additionally, McMillan plans to have discussions with IndyCar teams to assess how they could work together to correct the diversity issue internally.

“Everybody’s not going to be a driver. But, we’ve got to diversify some of the other aspects of the sport, which there are many,” McMillan told IndyStar. “I would like to walk into the paddock and see a paddock that reflects our America, reflects our diversity. I’d like to look at the fans, look into the stands and see the same thing. And I like to be at an event that feels culturally welcoming to everyone. I think that’s what racing is about.”

The Race for Equality & Change initiative was introduced at the Brickyard 400 this year. Key goals of the initiative include “recruiting and developing a diverse workforce throughout all levels of IndyCar and IMS,” “diversifying the competitive driver field at the grassroots, Road to Indy and NTT IndyCar series levels” and “supporting impactful grassroots youth motorsports programs, like NXG,” according to the release.

Follow IndyStar reporter Michael McCleary on Twitter @mikejmccleary.