Indy 500 Winning Mechanic Caitlyn Brown | FanAmp Fast Lane

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Getting her start in Motorsports

#1. What was the first moment that you can remember discovering motorsports?

I was really young. I grew up in racing, so it was something that was always around me. So yeah, probably a very young age - before I can even remember.

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#2. When did you decide that this is where you wanted to build your career? 

Around Junior Year of high school - when everyone is generally starting to decide what their next step in life is - what college they want to go to etc... That's when I realized

"Eh... there's nothing that I'm really passionate about except racing and motorsports..."

That's not something that was covered at many traditional college environments. Someone gave me an idea about a technical college in North Carolina. THAT was when I really decided: "Alright, I'm going to pursue this dream of mine."

Author's Note: Caitlyn attended NASCAR Technical Institute with Universal Technical Institute, Inc. for her education and training in motorsports‍

Caitlyn's Current Role

#3. What was your first role and the first step you took towards becoming an IndyCar Mechanic?

It really started off with trying to immerse myself in the community here as much as possible. I was trying to make as many connections as I could.

Connections are huge in motorsports and everyone knows it.

So, I just started making those connections as soon as I got here, even when I was in school. That's how I laid the building blocks to where I ended up in IndyCar with Team Penske.

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#4. What does a standard day look like for you at the track?

  At the track, a standard day for me looks pretty similar weekend to weekend.

We go in we unload the cars from the trucks and set them up - so we put heaters on them so that they're ready for when we need to fire up the engines in the morning. We really focus on checking over everything and making sure all parts of the engine are good and working. After that, we usually do a setup, and we roll into a practice session typically.

Moving on to Saturdays, typically, we'll go into a practice session, come back, set the car down, and see where it's at versus before practice. Based off the changes we made during that session vs where it sits now we'll make any necessary adjustments. After that, we'll get ready to go out to qualify, so anything we need to change on the car to get it to more of a qualifying spec we'll do. Immediately after qualifying, we come back in and get the cars ready for race mode.

So, we do all of our race prep and get ready before our final practice. That way, once final practice is over, the cars just need their final setup and final touches and they're ready to go racing.

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‍#5. What are the most rewarding and the most challenging parts of being a mechanic in IndyCar?

Rewarding

 The most rewarding part would be the wins. Celebrating the victories with the team is so special.

Especially important to note that its not JUST when the #2 Car (Josef Newgarden's Car) - we celebrate when any of the three cars at Team Penske (#3 Scott McLaughlin, and #12 Will Power) bring a win home! It's a good day for us all.

Difficult

 I'd say the challenging part for me personally is that I work on the engine, and I'm a pretty small person.

So, sometimes dealing with that I struggle a bit. I have to always make sure I'm as strong as I can be to do my job. Honestly, that's my biggest obstacle most days- the physical aspect of my specific role and having to work VERY hard.

Author's Note: I told Caitlyn what her boss, Chad Gordon had to say about her work ethic and this was her response.

 I have to. I don't think they realize it, but a huge part of it is also me wanting to be the best I can. So, I work twice as hard. It's very nice when they say that they recognize that in me.

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#6. What are the top 3 qualities that have helped you succeed in the IndyCar space?

Willing to learn/ do any job

I've always been willing to learn any position, any job, and anything that can drive the team and the car forward. I'm so grateful to work on race cars for a living, so any job that they give me I'll happily do. It's also how you gain more knowledge and experience in the sport, in general.

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Work Ethic beyond what is expected of you

My work ethic is something that my family instilled in me from a very very early age. It was driven into me that I have to always work to my greatest potential, no matter what I'm doing.

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Readiness to face the day/ Gratitude

You have to be ready every single day to get up and go do the job. Sure, there are tough days, that's going to happen. I wake up grateful every single day to do what I do, and I try to take that into my job.

Sometimes it can be a struggle, but I just have to remember how lucky I am and how hard I've worked to get here.

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Caitlyn's Advice

#7. If you could go back and change anything about your path to where you are today, what would that be? 

 I don't think I'd change anything in general.

However, I would tell the younger version of myself to embrace the moments that you're going to have MUCH more. You never realize how big and cool something really is until it's over.

You have to embrace it all, even small wins or experiences.

#8. If you could give one piece of advice to someone looking to follow in your footsteps what would that be?

Hilariously my advice is to TAKE advice. You have to take any advice and information that you can - and be willing to do anything.

Something I always say is that:

The car doesn't know who or what you are. SO, at the end of the day, if you're doing your job right - no matter who you are, people will notice and appreciate that.

That notice and appreciation is what's going to move you forward.

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Caitlyn's Favorites

#9. What is your favorite race/ event/ moment that you’ve had in your career thus-far?

The last two Mays is the easy answer - I go back and forth on which one's my favorite.

Author's Note: Referring to the #2 Car and Josef Newgarden's back-to-back Indy 500 victories.

The first one was so special, but going back-to-back was so cool. Especially, to do it with pretty much the same crew of people, same driver, same everything, was very special.

I look back on both of those days and there are snippets that I remember. For the most part, though, you black out and it's like "oh god, what just happened".

It's definitely those two days for me.

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#10. I know you’re asked all of the time questions like “What is it like to be the only woman on the car? What is it like to be a woman in motorsports? Etc…” How do questions like that make you feel

 It wears on you.

Sometimes I don't know how to answer it because I don't look at myself any differently than the people I'm surrounded with at the job. I look at myself as another one of them, and I don't try to stick out in any way. If anything, I want to blend in and not be seen, but I know I stick out.

So I have to embrace those kinds of questions. It does wear on you, especially me because I'm pretty shy. When a random stranger that comes up to you at the track, and hits you with "What's it like to be the woman?" I can't even describe it to them or how that feels... it just is what it is and something I have to accept.

Author's Note: Caitlyn is very kind and humble, but even without trying is a trailblazer in her own right, just by being who she is. She was the first woman to be 'over the wall' and part of a winning Indy 500 car and team. Although she is humble, it is important to recognize her accomplishments!

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Want to learn more about working in IndyCar or other motorsports series? Then check out all of our Fast Lane interviews, or jump right into one of these:

• Caitlyn's boss Chad Gordon!‍
• Motorsports photography with Jamey Price