Founded by Michelle Della Penna, daughter of renowned race car driver and Indycar team owner John Della Penna, the foundation aims to provide girls aged 5 to 18 with the knowledge, skills, and mentorship to fuel their future in motorsports. With a mission to increase female representation in the industry, the foundation recognizes the importance of providing opportunities for girls to pursue their passion.
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WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW:
We are pleased to welcome Brandy Falconer to our team.
Brandy brings a lifetime of motorsports experience, first in the family business in auto racing in accounting and marketing and then with Laguna Seca and Sonoma Raceway in communications and PR. Brandy is excited to help inspire the next generation of young women in motorsports through the foundation's immersive experiences.
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INSPIRE 2025
This past May, INSPIRE 2025 included three days of celebrities, new experiences, eye opening talks, fast friends, and a some time on the track. The young women who were a part of this year's program truly illustrated what this foundation has to offer the world and young women who want to be a part of it. Special thanks to Nicole Clark, Kai Robertson, Lyn St. James, Marilyn Mangin, Whitney Dung, AJ Carney and of course Pato O'Ward for making dreams come true this weekend! Check out more photos here.
SAN JOSE, Calif., June 25, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Della Penna Foundation invited a group of 34 High School girls from Indianapolis to learn more about careers in the motorsports industry. The three-day program during the Indy 500 qualifying weekend allowed them to visit and experience the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, motorsport engineering giant Dallara, FastTimes Karting and Performance Racing Industry (PRI) headquarters.
Read full article here
PODCASTS
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Q&A WITH ANA PALESTRO
How do you feel/think about motorsports?
I think motorsports is exciting, and challenging. It’s exciting because whether you’re in the car or watching a race there’s always suspense when you’re thinking of whats going to happen next.
How has DPF inspired you?
Through DPF I’ve learned that motorsports is not just about driving; driving’s one small part that’s built up by lots of other parts. For example these three things are big parts of motorsports: engineering, business, media, and more. Shadowing Zandara Kennedy let me see the day-to-day life of a professional driver, and meeting professionals, professors and students in Indy showed me academic and career opportunities that are in motorsports.
How does driving make you feel?
While I’m driving, I feel focused, but also driving feels thrilling because you’re going so fast and you’re always pushing the limits of the car. It's a constant learning experience especially learning about the science of driving, growing my skills like braking techniques and controlled driving.
What is your goal for the next year?
After several months of testing with the Jensen Global Advisors F4 team, I have recently found out I have been accepted to be a development driver for the 2025 Season. For 2025 I hope to improve my driving and achieve strong results in the CA F4 Series. My F4 journey is a step towards competing in F1 Academy, I can see myself driving in IndyCar or F1. Outside of driving I hope to get more exposure to other parts of motorsports, including applying to fellowships with the foundation.
Ana Palestro spends a weekend with Zee Kennedy, Della Penna Driver Advisory Council
2025 Della Penna Karting Scholar with NXG Youth Motorsports
Shyanne Doran received the Grand Prix karting scholarship and is busy competing during the NXG Racing season. Stay tuned for the grand finale Sept 27th in Indianapolis!
2025 Della Penna Scholarships
STAY TUNED for the announcement of the other 2025 Della Penna Fellows.
We are grateful to General Motors Engineering, Sonoma Raceway Photography, IMS/Speedway and Dallara for hosting our fellows in 2025
“Congratulations to Avery Willams for completing her Della Penna fellowship with Kai Robertson and Sonoma Raceway for an exciting weekend with NASCAR races.” In the last photo there’s me, Kai, Avery, michelle and Avery’s mom Tracey. You could call this “ celebrating at dinner in Sonoma”.
Here’s to accelerating dreams and driving change in motorsports!
"I am so excited for this incredible fellowship with Kai, and I am thankful to her and the foundation for this incredible opportunity. My name is Avery Wiliams, and I am a 17 year old sports photographer and race team strategist from Indianapolis, Indiana. Sonoma is one of my favorite tracks, and I can’t wait to bring my karting photography experience to the world of NASCAR.”
-Avery Williams
“I am very excited for the upcoming NASCAR event, and even more thrilled to be mentoring someone at such a large-scale event—giving her the opportunity to shadow me for four days and gain hands-on experience in motorsports photography. Avery will shadow me for 4 days to learn the behind the scenes of a motorsports photographer to help train eye to capture compelling, story-driven images. We are both excited for the opportunity to work together at such an amazing event!”
-Kai Robertson
Della Penna Foundation with The Michael Andretti Foundation & The George4 Foundation
Congratulations to Marrisa Beltran for completing our fellowship program with The Michael Andretti Foundation and the George4 Foundation. Marissa completed five days of shadowing motorsports industry professionals, touring on-site facilities, and learning the ins and outs of motorsports thanks to Marissa Andretti and Julia Steinbrenner.
Della Penna Foundation with The Sonoma Raceway
Congratulations to Helen for completing the Della Penna Fellowship with Sonoma Raceway. We wish her continuous success in motorsports! A special "Thank You!" To Brandy Falconer, Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma Valley High School, and Brian Flynn for their support in making this possible!
Della Penna Foundation with Indianapolis Speedway
Aubre Walker was able to shadow over 7 departments and meet with several women of various leadership levels within our organization. She even had the opportunity to mee Bubba Wallace during the race!
"Aubre has incredible ambition and we look forward to seeing where life takes her. I have no doubt she will continue to be wildly successful no matter where that ends up being."
-Lauren Guidotti, Senior Manager, Communications
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Della Penna Foundation with General Motors (Charlotte, NC)
Congratulations to Mandi Lee for completing our fellowship in Charlotte, NC where she got to spend a week with motorsports industry professionals. Special thanks to Tai Jaune Robinson, Global Motorsports Competition Engineering Business Manager at General Motors, for providing Mandi with such a unique experience.
